UW-Parkside Unveils Sport Management Advisory Board

Published: October 14, 2024

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside Sport Management program announced the first 15 members of the newly established Sport Management Advisory Board at Sport Career Day event on Friday, Oct. 11. The advisory board was created to establish direct connections between the program and industry executives, community leaders, alumni and students to better prepare students for the needs of the industry.

Of the 15 members, 14 are successful UW-Parkside sport management alumni from around the country at various levels of the sports industry. The 15th member is a student representative who was selected by the sport management teaching staff. Regular Board members will serve three-year terms with the option to renew. The student representative will serve a one-year term and must be available for the entire academic year. Emeritus members will be permanent members.

The Board currently consists of (alphabetical order):

• Darnell Clay '20 & '21, Director of Youth Programs, Naval Station Great Lakes
• Quin Garbett '20, Recreation Specialist, Waukegan Park District
• Ryne Goralski '16, General Manager, Kenosha Kingfish
• Brittany Kucia '12 & '20, Government Relationship Manager, Grainger
• Kevin Leisgang '08, Facility Director, Green Bay Rockers & Capital Credit Union Park
• Brian Martens '05, VP Business Strategy, Milwaukee Admirals
• Alysha Miller '14, Sr. Director Ticket Operations, Milwaukee Bucks
• Ryan Moede '09, VP Business Operations, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
• Travis Rae '10, Associate Director of Athletic Communications, Mississippi State Athletics
• Chris Salazar '18, VP Tickets & Hospitality, Schaumburg Boomers
• Adam Schemm '08, Director of Athletics, UW-Parkside Athletics
• Michael Schulist '07, Director of Athletics, Carroll University Athletics
• Eric Schultz '07, Deputy Athletic Director for Internal Operations, Texas A&M Corpus Christi Athletics
• Eric Snodgrass '10, General Manager, Lakeshore Chinooks
• Student Representative: Kanin Price '25
• Emeritus: Linda Draft, Lecturer Emeritus, UW-Parkside Sport Management

Associate Professor of Sport Management and HKSM Department Chair Bill Miller was instrumental in the creation and selection process of the newly formed advisory board. Miller states that the board will be vital in preparing UW-Parkside students for the workforce and providing direct feedback and guidance from leading industry professionals about what they are seeking in prospective employees. He says, "Many academic programs have advisory boards that are mainly ceremonial. We want an advisory body that is willing to 'roll up its sleeves,' so to speak, and work closely with our instructors and especially our students," Miller elaborates.

Miller explains there are three guiding principles for the selection of members of the UW-Parkside Sport Management Advisory Board. "The first goal is to select individuals who have achieved career success and are willing to share their experience and perspectives. The second goal is to select individuals who are willing to invest their time in our program and students. Finally, we wanted to create a well-rounded group of individuals that represented a wide variety of constituencies, interests, and experience levels," Miller states. The initial student representative was selected by the sport management teaching staff. In the future, all sport management students will have the opportunity to apply for the position.

The board's goal will be to add members who offer additional perspectives and experiences to the group. These individuals will not be required to be graduates of UW-Parkside but will still be selected based on professional success in the sports industry. These additions will bring a wide variety of perspectives and experience to the board as it shapes the future of the UW-Parkside sport management program.

The UW-Parkside sport management program is the largest of its kind in the State of Wisconsin. The comprehensive curriculum serves students and their aspirations to gain employment in sport and fitness professions. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the career outlook is expected to continue to grow. Graduates have found employment in administration, coaching, sports marketing, team management, sports agencies and broadcasting. Visit https://www.uwp.edu/learn/programs/sportmanagement.cfm to learn more.

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside is committed to high-quality educational programs, creative and scholarly activities, and services responsive to its diverse student population, and its local, national, and global communities. We are a dynamic learning community grounded in academic excellence and focused on student success, diversity, inclusion, and community engagement. The campus serves as a premier comprehensive public institution and a destination of choice, serving as a focal point of local, regional, and global progress.

Media contact:

Scott Rudie
Executive Director of Communication and Marketing
University of Wisconsin-Parkside
[email protected] | (262) 300-9549