Class Profile
Sports MBA
Sports MBA
GC-1502 |
619-594-6023
|
[email protected]
Monday-Friday
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.



































Melissa Borello is from San Jose, CA. Melissa graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo,
majoring in Recreation Parks and Tourism Management with a concentration in Sport
and Recreation Experience Management. While at Cal Poly she volunteered for many organizations
including Special Olympics, Operation Surf, the US Open at Pebble Beach and more.
After graduation, Melissa was a recreation specialist for San Luis Obispo Parks and
Recreation, where she managed staff and scheduled and permitted all city facilities.
She was also the director of game-day operations for the San Luis Obispo Blues baseball
team.

Iker Cordero is from Mexico City where he earned a bachelor's degree in Marketing
in 2016 from the Iberoamericana University. After graduating, Iker worked for four
years in Nestle Mexico in different areas, such as e-commerce and sales within different
business units of the company. Most recently he worked in growth marketing for Colombian
startup Rappi, an on-demand delivery mobile app.
Claudia Cox is from Greenville, NC, and graduated from the University of California
San Diego with a BS in Physiology and Neuroscience. While attending UCSD, she was
a Division II All-American and captain on the Track and Field team, as well as an
executive team member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. In addition to being
involved in athletics on campus, Claudia worked at UCSD University Centers in events
and also in Residence Life. Since graduating in 2020, she worked for the quality assurance
team in medical device reporting at Dexcom and as event staff/security for the 2021
U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.

Vasili Dallas is from Newport News, VA, and graduated from James Madison University
with a BS in Sport and Recreation Management, and minors in Business and Sport Communications.
While attending JMU, he interned at UFC on the Brand Marketing team, as well as JMU
Athletics on the Athletics Facilities and Events side. Most recently, Vasili was an
Account Executive with the Washington Wizards/Monumental Sports & Entertainment.
Bill Foltz is from Los Angeles, CA, and graduated in 2017 from the University of Washington’s
Foster School of Business with an emphasis in Marketing and Sales. After graduating,
Bill followed his passion for sports by taking a job in ticket sales with the San
Diego Gulls Hockey Club. Bill won the American Hockey League Rookie of the Year award
for most full season sales and was promoted to an account executive for group sales
role, selling suites and to groups of 10 or more.
Sam Galaif is from San Diego, CA, and graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with
a BS in Business Administration and a concentration in Management. While attending
Cal Poly as a four-year student-athlete, Sam held positions of team captain, treasurer
and head of fundraising on the men’s lacrosse team. During this time, he also completed
internships with SponsorUnited as a Sponsorship Scout and Cal Poly Athletics as a
compliance department intern.
Angelica Gamez is from San Diego, CA, and graduated from San Diego State University
with a BS in Business Administration – Marketing and a minor in Spanish. Angelica
held marketing internship positions with SDSU Athletics, Spine and Sport Physical
Therapy, NBC San Diego, and others while being a founding executive board member of
the SDSU Women in Business club and a member of the SDSU cheerleading team. After
graduating, Angelica worked as a marketing consultant for QDOBA’s corporate office
and transitioned into the role of culture and engagement specialist – aiding in social
media, corporate social responsibility initiatives and internal culture.
Rosario Garcia is from Riverside, CA, and graduated from California State University
of San Bernardino in 2021 with a BA in Business Administration and a concentration
in Sports and Entertainment Marketing. While attending CSUSB, Rosario worked with
the Associated Students Incorporated as a program specialist for the production team.
Rosario’s work involved marketing, planning, and execution of ASI services and events.
Sierra Garcia is from Bakersfield, CA, and graduated from San Diego State University
in 2021 with a BA in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. While attending SDSU, Sierra
interned for the Athletics Department’s marketing team. She coordinated the SDSU Breast
Cancer Awareness volleyball game and assisted in game-day marketing at the Kawhi Leonard
Jersey Retirement basketball game.
Katie Gavitt is from Murrieta, CA, and graduated from San Francisco State University
with a BA in Communication Studies in 2014. While attending SFSU, she mentored high
school students in an urban debate league and interned with Cumulus Media at 107.7 The Bone and KNBR radio stations. After college, she helped with the opening of restaurants and hotels throughout
San Francisco. She recently lived abroad in Madrid, Spain, working as a language assistant
to high school students in English and physical education.


Daniel Hadad is from Mexico City. He graduated from the Iberoamericana University
where he received his undergraduate degree in International Business in 2016. After
graduating, Daniel worked in the freight forwarder business, helping small companies
export and import their goods around the world. For the past two years, Daniel has
been working in sales with seeUplay, a Mexican company that records and broadcasts,
through artificial intelligence with no human intervention, amateur and professional
matches throughout Mexico.
Helen He is from San Leandro, CA and graduated from the University of California,
Santa Barbara with a BA in Sociology and a certificate in Exercise & Sports Studies
in 2018. Since then, she has worked as a Brand Supervisor at Converse and helped the
stores boost their KPIs through customer loyalty-building and sales skills. Helen
also works as a personal trainer in her free time, and she competes in bikini bodybuilding
competitions.
Sara Johnsen is from Glendora, CA, and graduated in 2021 from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
with a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and minors
in Photography and Sports Management. After working for Cal Poly Athletics in the
Equipment and Marketing departments, Sara now has roles with the promotional ambassador
teams for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the American Hockey League’s San Diego Gulls
while she attends SDSU.
Haley Kachigan is from Long Beach, CA, and graduated Cum Laude from Gonzaga University
in 2021 with a BA in Sport Management and minors in Communication Studies and Promotions.
While attending Gonzaga, Haley interned at the Lilac Bloomsday Association – the largest
12k road race in the world. Since graduating, Haley has been working at Competitive
Aquatic Supply as part of its retail and event staff.
Sirena Lopez is from Los Angeles, CA, and graduated from California State University,
Northridge with a BS in Kinesiology and a minor in Business Law in 2019. While attending
CSUN she worked for Adidas and was a part of a team that led an activation event for
the Adidas Supernova shoe at the 2016 Boston Marathon. Most recently Sirena worked
as an account manager for an insurance broker and advising firm.

Lilly Markusch is from Denver, CO, and graduated from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln
in 2020 with a BS in Marketing and a minor in Communications. She competed for UNL’s
track and cross country team in the 1,500 meters, steeple and 5k. She was also an
active member of the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity, where she served as vice
president of community service. Her previous work includes interning with the Lincoln
Stars junior hockey team, Hurrdat marketing agency and working as a tournament assistant
for the American Junior Golf Association.
Fred Mase is from Levittown, NY. He graduated from SUNY Cortland where he played lacrosse
and received his undergraduate degree in Exercise Science in 2015. Upon graduating,
Fred joined the Marine Corps where he became an infantry officer. In the Marine Corps
he served as a platoon commander, fires support team leader and a company executive
officer.
Annika Meurer is from San Diego, CA, and graduated from the University of Virginia
with a BA in Media Studies and a minor in Sociology in 2019. While attending UVA,
she worked for the school’s football team as the head student equipment manager. During
college Annika also interned with the San Diego Padres and USA Football. Recently
she worked for USA Football as an events coordinator. She coordinated and executed
USA Football events throughout the country, including the U.S. National Team program,
various football clinics, conferences and flag football tournaments.
Jimu Nagoshi is from Kobe, Japan, and graduated from Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto
with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Society and Management in 2013. After graduating,
Jimu worked in sales at a lingerie and compression sportswear company in Tokyo for
four years. Most recently he established his own company in 2017, and managed and
operated an independent travel agency for four years.
Mark Olson is from San Luis Obispo, CA. He graduated from Santa Clara University in
2021 with a BS in Marketing and Business Analytics. During his time at Santa Clara,
he accumulated a variety of internship experiences in marketing, talent acquisition,
database management, and business strategy in industries such as tech, entertainment,
and medicine. Mark is currently working as a street team member for the San Diego
Gulls of the American Hockey League.
Saif Pirani is from Markham, Ontario, and graduated in 2021 from Brock University
with a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management. Saif’s industry-related experiences
while at Brock include volunteering at MLS Cup 2017 in Toronto and working as a gameday
statistician with Brock Sports. He is currently a member for Strategic Operations
with the Aga Khan Youth and Sports Board for Canada and most recently worked in business
development with First Touch Football Canada, a sports marketing startup.
Tureen Piromari is from San Diego, CA, and graduated from San Diego State University
in 2020 with a BS in Recreation and Tourism Management. While at SDSU, Tureen worked
with the SDSU Athletics ticketing department – assisting with seat allocation for
recruits and players’ families, as well as selling season ticket packages – and worked
in ticket sales for the San Diego Padres. In her junior year of college, Tureen hosted
and operated a basketball camp in Spring Valley, CA, for kids aged 6-12.
Tina Schirmeister is from Simi Valley, CA, and graduated from Fresno State University
with a BS in Kinesiology: Sport Administration and a certificate in Sport and Entertainment
Facility Management in 2019. After graduating, Tina focused on the marching arts,
joining Drum Corps International Operations Team for the 2019 season. During the pandemic,
Tina served as club coordinator at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Conejo Valley
focusing on youth development. She continues to hold her role as team manager for
Imbue Winterguard and alumni relations committee lead for Living Sport, LLC.
Andrew Schubert is from Pasadena, CA, and graduated from the University of California,
San Diego in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in International Business and a minor in
Psychology. During his time at UC San Diego, he interned with the San Diego Padres
in sales and marketing, learning the ins and outs of successful season, group and
single game ticketing while also analyzing and tracking merchandise and food sales
during promotions and throughout the regular season. After graduation, he took on
a role as an accounts analyst for a commercial real estate firm in Del Mar, CA.
Alanna Shepard is from Santa Monica, CA, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Loyola
Marymount University in 2021 with a BA in Communication Studies and a minor in History.
While attending LMU, Alanna worked for the Athletics Department as a member of the
game operations team where she assisted with the set-up, execution, and breakdown
of all athletic events. Alanna is currently a remote Research and Development/Social
Media Intern for the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Monica.
Spencer Sheridan grew up in Encinitas, CA, and graduated from the University of Puget
Sound in 2013 with a BA in International Political Economy and minors in Business
and Spanish. Prior to starting at SDSU, Spencer worked as the Community Engagement
Manager for Treehouse, a youth focused nonprofit in Washington state, where he leveraged
community partnerships to support youth in foster care and specialized in virtual
and in-person events. He has coached the University of Puget Sound women’s ultimate
team, one of the most successful DIII ultimate programs in the country, since 2013.
Laurel Smith is from Laguna Beach, CA, and graduated from Rice University in 2020
with a BA in Sport Management, Managerial Studies and Visual & Dramatic Arts. While
attending Rice, she completed multiple internships in event management and venue operations
with organizations such as the Houston Super Bowl Host Committee, the Houston Dynamo
and Dash, the Rice University Athletics Department and Bright Event Rentals. Laurel
was also selected as Head Beer Bike Coordinator for Duncan Residential College during
the largest on-campus event of the year at Rice.
Michel Spahr is from Therwil, Switzerland, and graduated from the University of Northwestern
Switzerland with a BS in International Management and a minor in International Entrepreneurship
in 2020. Before pursuing a bachelor’s degree, Michel interned in the department of
Private Clients & Wealth Management at Credit Suisse and transitioned into the role
of a Corporate Clients assistant relationship manager, advising corporate clients
in their daily banking needs. After graduation, Michel worked in the Audit & Assurance
division of Deloitte Switzerland where he was responsible for nominated audit areas
and performed tests of details on different general ledger accounts.
Tobias Strebel is from Zurich, Switzerland and graduated from Zurich University of
Applied Sciences with a BS in International Management in 2020. Before his BS, Tobias
worked in Malaysia and Canada for an industrial engineering company in project management.
After earning his BS, Tobias worked for a fintech startup in Zurich in the customer
care and operations team. Additionally, Tobias has experience in IT from his time
in the Swiss bank UBS between the ages of 17 and 21.
Andrew Vidales is from Upland, CA, and graduated from UC Berkeley in 2020 with a bachelor’s
degree in Legal Studies and Human Geography. While attending UC Berkeley, Andrew was
a student manager for the Cal men’s basketball team from 2018-20, in which he assisted
with practice/game operations, in-season travel logistics, and video/scouting operations.
During this time, Andrew was also a coach for the 2018 and 2019 Cal Basketball Youth
Summer Camp and was elected head student manager for the 2018-19 season.
Trevor Weimer is from Charlotte, NC. Trevor graduated Summa Cum Laude from North Carolina
State University in 2021 with a BS in Sport Management and minors in Business Administration
and Coaching Education. While attending NCSU, Trevor worked with a local sports training
facility as a sport business administration and marketing intern, later advancing
into a business development role upon graduation.
Jim Wilkie is from Vancouver, British Columbia, and graduated from Western Washington
University with a BA in Journalism in 1989. Jim was ESPN.com’s first NHL editor while
working for nearly 20 years as an editor and writer for the site. In addition to managing
contributors and content on a wide range of sports, he co-created innovative sections
that focused on sports and pop culture and developed content partnerships with the
likes of Alice in Chains, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and more. Jim also contributed
to Agence France-Presse’s World Cup 2014 coverage in Paris and co-founded a Canadian
sports news startup in 2017.
Devin Wilson is from McKees Rocks, PA. Devin was a student-athlete at Virginia Tech
where he played basketball (2013-16, 2017-18) and football (2016-17) while earning
Political Science and English degrees in 2018. After graduating from Virginia Tech,
he attended Virginia Commonwealth University’s Center for Sport Leadership where he
worked as a graduate assistant with the men’s basketball team and earned his Sport
Leadership master’s degree in 2021. Currently, Devin works as the events and operations
assistant at UC San Diego.
Will Young is from Boring, OR, and graduated from Portland State University in March
2021 with a BS in Marketing. While attending Portland State, Will interned in the
Portland State Athletics Department and ascended to a full-time role as the community
engagement coordinator. Will has managed projects in the nonprofit sector with organizations
such as The Maurice Lucas Foundation, Friends of Baseball and Pro Minded, as well
as roles in ticket sales, donations and in-game fan experience. He currently works
as a strategic partnerships associate with Gravitate Sports Marketing.