Ahead of its sixth year, the National Sports Forum (NSF) is once again delighted to announce the return of the Business of Diversity in Sports and Entertainment Committee (BDSE). The BDSE Program, hosted by the NSF, is run by a committee of leading executives who have a strong desire to promote and support diversity within the sports and entertainment industries.

This year the NSF is proud to announce several exciting changes to the BDSE Committee. The 2018 Committee will now be led by new Chair Morris White, Associate AD of Marketing, Broadcast & Community Relations at The University of Texas at San Antonio. White will replace long time Chair Christina Wright from Ohio University, who will move into an Emeritus role in the BDSE Committee and will join the NSF Steering Committee. The Sports Forum wishes to take this opportunity to thank Christina for her fantastic work during her three years as Chair and congratulates her on her new role with the Steering Committee.

The NSF is also excited to announce the addition of new BDSE Committee members: Mike Redlick (University of Central Florida), Vincent Pierson (Minor League Baseball), Cathy Jerome (Miami Dolphins) and Nicole Britenriker (Learfield). Joining the new members will be returning committee members: Andy Dolich (Dolich Consulting), Bryan Blair (Rice University) and Laura Waters-Brown (PGA Tour). Ashlee Tsukushi, the NSF’s Marketing and Communications Manager, will also assume the NSF Liaison role, replacing former Liaison Officer Alby Abalos.

The 2018 BDSE Committee will be responsible for choosing the 32-person BDSE cohort and planning the agenda ahead of the BDSE workshop on Sunday, February 11, 2018. The BDSE cohort will again focus on extending opportunities for up-and-coming ethnic minorities and women in gaining access to senior-level best practices of revenue generation and networking opportunities. The BDSE cohort will also discuss trends and best practices related to the Four Pillars of the National Sports Forum: Marketing, Ticket Sales, Sponsorship, Business Development.

The application for the 2018 BDSE Cohort will be available from September 1 – November 17, 2017. More information about the BDSE program, including the 2018 Cohort Application, can be found on the National Sports Forum website at https://www.sports-forum.com/bdse

The 2018 National Sports Forum conference will be held February 11 – 13, 2018 in Frisco, Texas.

 

ABOUT THE NATIONAL SPORTS FORUM

The National Sports Forum is the largest annual cross gathering of the top team sports marketing, sales, promotions and event entertainment executives – from throughout the broad spectrum of teams and leagues, (i.e. NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, Minor Leagues, Racing, Colleges, etc.), in North America. The Forum meets each year for three-days of networking, idea sharing and listening to the industry’s top spokespeople, through numerous breakout sessions, panel discussions, networking events and keynote speeches. The National Sports Forum is overseen by a diverse Steering Committee of team, league, and industry leaders – peers that share a universal interest in meeting and learning from one another. The 23rd Annual National Sports Forum conference is coming up in February of 2018 and will be held in Frisco, Texas. More information can be found at www.sports-forum.com.

For inquiries contact Ashlee Tsukushi at ashlee@sports-forum.com or (619) 469-4101 ext 205