The Fall Conference was initiated in 2003 by long-time Partners in Sports supporter Bill Schmidt along with Dr. Buck Jones. Bill is the former vice-president of Gatorade Worldwide Sports Marketing and CEO of Oakley Sunglasses. Bill used his plethora of contacts and relationships to invite industry leaders to speak to students in the Sport Management program. The conference was traditionally held in the Wolf-Kaplan Room at Neyland Stadium and averaged 150 attendees from 2003 to 2019. The half-day event was managed and operated by the Partners in Sports Student Board of Directors which allowed those students to gain valuable leadership experience in executing an event. The event also allowed for students to interact in a professional environment with one another, alumni and other sport industry professionals.
The conference was restructured in 2020 and held virtually due to factors related to COVID-19. The focus of the conference was women working in collegiate athletics. The 2021 event was a panel discussion featuring perspectives Name, Image, and Likeness in college athletics. In 2022, a speaker series was introduced as the format for the event.
Year | Speaker | Position/Affiliation |
2022 | Justin Jackson Jay Graham | Director of Operations – National Basketball Players Association Retired Collegiate Football Coach |
2021 | Sheridan Gannon John Fulkerson Kathryn Jones Bill Timpano | Head of Media & Entertainment – Spyre Sports Group Student-Athlete – Tennessee Basketball Director of Name, Image, and Likeness – Tennessee Athletics Director of Compliance – Tennessee Athletics |
2020 | Carolyn Crutchfield Rachel Fineberg Regina Johnson Ashlie Santolla | SWA/Associate Athletic Director – Old Dominion SWA/Assistant Athletic Director – Nova Southeastern Director of Football Academics – Florida State Director of Sports Information – Charleston (W.V.) |
2019 | Sue Buckley Che Mock Dr. Kendall Rainey Brenda Staton | Founder and President – Club Vibes Founding Partner – ESQ Agency Athletic Director – UVA -Wise Marketing Assets & Activation Manager – Coca-Cola |
2018 | Natalee Anderson CJ Fayton Victoria Kline Marty Mulford Dara Worrell | Director, Private Events – Mercedes-Benz Stadium Director of VFL Programming – Tennessee Athletics Manager, Social Media & Digital Marketing – Atlanta Braves Senior Director of Service & Retention – Nashville Predators Associate Athletics Director – Tennessee Athletics |
2017 | Chris Burton Janeen Lalik Dan Leibovitz Chad Speck | Director of Premium Seating – Nashville Predators Senior Associate AD – Tennessee Athletics Associate Commissioner – Southeastern Conference Partner/President – Allegiant Athletic Agency |
2016 | Monica Fawknotson Nigel Fields Craig Jenkins Tyler Johnson | Executive Director – Metro Nashville Sports Authority Chief of Resource Education – Great Smoky Mountains NP Senior Director of Corporate Marketing – Tennessee Smokies Associate Athletic Director – Tennessee Athletics |
2015 | Tony Johnson Jennifer Hoverstad Mendy McMurtry Ryan Robinson | EVP Business Development – Learfield Licensing Operations and Project Manager – o3 Senior Regional Manager – UnderArmour Senior Associate Athletic Director – Tennessee Athletics |
2014 | Seana Swierzek Mark Krause Bridget Burke Kevin Ross | Director of Business Development – 160over90 Founder and CEO – Cyclops Gear Director of Digital Assets – IMG Vice-President of Footwear – UnderArmour |
2013 | Lisa Hurst Cory Moss Keri Potts Tom Satkowiak | CEO – Boys & Girls Club of the Tennessee Valley Senior VP & Marketing Director – Collegiate Licensing Co. Senior Director of Public Relations – ESPN Associate Director of Media Relations – Tennessee Athletics |
2012 | Colin Clark John Maedel Jenneen Kaufman Houston Fancher | Assistant VP of Marketing – Ripken Baseball VP/Assistant General Manager – Chattanooga Lookouts VP/Chief Financial Officer – Tennessee Titans Director of Operations – Tennessee Basketball |
2011 | Andre Lott Carol Evans John Ewart David Knight | Vol For Life Coordinator – Tennessee Athletics Executive Director – Legacy Parks Foundation Executive Director – Tennova Health & Fitness Director of Ticket Operations – Southeastern Conference |
2010 | Tim Mack Bob Reich Kevin Ross Bill Schmidt | Gold Medalist – 2004 Olympics Vice President Customer and Dealer Support – SeaRay Vice President/General Manager – TaylorMade Golf Founder and CEO – Pegasus Marketing |
2009 | Jared Karnes Larry Robinson Debbie Corum Earl Lloyd Greg Via | Executive Vice President – Allegiant Athletic Agency Student-Athlete – Tennessee Basketball Associate Commissioner – Southeastern Conference Hall of Fame Member – NBA Global Director of Sports Marketing – Gillette |
2008 | Steve Early Dr. Daniel Fulks Dan Holden Jennifer Wiggins | Vice President and General Manager – The Vol Network NCAA Research Staff – Transylvania University Ticket Operations Manager – Atlanta Braves Director of Capital and Endowment Giving – Tennessee Athletics |
2007 | Scott Paddock John Althoff Andy Dolich Mike Paul | Director of Sports Marketing – Gatorade Collegiate Sports Sponsorship Coordinator – State Farm President of Business Operations – Memphis Grizzlies President – MPG & Associates PR Firm |
2006 | Mary Reiling Spencer Kenneth Shropshire Susan O’Malley Bill Kraus | OnSports, Wasserman Media Group Director, Wharton School of Business President, Washington Sports and Entertainment Vice President of Licensing/Team Sports, UnderArmour |
2005 | Darren Rovell Kevin Donnellon Peter Bynoe Hank Steinbrecher | Sports Business Reporter – ESPN Founder and President – Macali Communications Senior Partner – DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary President – Touchline Consultants Inc. |
2004 | Bruce Weber Bill Kraus Greg Via Tom Condon | Publisher – Scholastic Coach & Athletic Director Vice President of Licensing/Team Sports – UnderArmour Vice-President – New Era Cap Company President – IMG Football |
2003 | Gordon Whitener Rob Gallas John La Sage David Falk | CEO – Host Communications Senior VP of Broadcasting/Marketing – Chicago White Sox CEO – Chicago Midwest Burson-Marsteller Attorney – SFX Basketball |