Q & A with Alumnae Influencing the Sports Industry
In celebration of National Women in Sports Day, the Fowler College of Business highlights SDSU Sports MBA alumni who are making a difference in the sports industry. From working with professional sports teams to building sports-based companies, these women are breaking gender barriers and leaving their mark in the male-dominated industry.
Amy Wesson
Amy Wesson, Director of Partnership Marketing for the Pittsburgh Penguins, earned her Sports MBA in 2017. In her current role, Wesson’s responsibilities include activating the Penguins’ corporate partnerships and executing an agreement between the parties. Wesson credits the SDSU Sports MBA program with giving her the confidence to endure whatever curveballs the sports industry throws at her.
Her advice for students wanting to enter the sports industry: “Be resourceful. Be curious. You can learn so much from taking off your ‘fan’ hat and putting on your ‘sports business’ hat. Dive into the content of brands, teams, agencies, athletes, etc. you admire. Examine what they are doing and how it’s helping them reach their business objectives or the business objectives of their stakeholders.”
Q & A with Amy Wesson
Name: Amy Wesson (SMBA ‘17)
Pronouns: She/Her
Program: Sports MBA
Graduation year: 2017
Company name and title: Director, Partnership Marketing – Pittsburgh Penguins
Q: Can you describe a little bit about yourself and how/when you decided to attend SDSU?
I ended up in Pittsburgh the long way – through San Diego. I grew up just north of Toronto, ON. I moved to the U.S. to pursue graduate school at SDSU. The Sports MBA program was just the perfect fit at the perfect time for me. I stuck around California for a little while after graduation, working with the Anaheim Ducks in Youth Hockey Development and Programming. From there, I “retreated” north to Pittsburgh.
Q: Briefly share what makes your story unique and how your time at SDSU has influenced your journey personally and/or professionally.
I always really enjoyed exploring new places, so one of my fondest memories from my time at SDSU was the Sports MBA program’s annual trip to the Dominican Republic. I enjoyed learning about the far-reaching impact baseball has on seemingly every aspect of their culture, getting into the community to see where players come from and how they train, really all of it. In addition to the sports business trips to the MLB office and team academies, we got to see a Dominican Summer League game between the Padres and Blue Jays. I’m a big Jays fan and loved hearing all of the Spanish cheers the team would shout from the dugout. It’s amazing how connected a sports team can make you feel!
Q: What advice do you have for SDSU students seeking to enter the sports industry?
Be resourceful. Be curious. So much of the work we do in the sports industry is fan facing – meaning it’s public. You can learn so much from taking off your “fan” hat and putting on your “sports business” hat. Dive into the content of brands, teams, agencies, and athletes you admire. Examine what they are doing and how it’s helping them reach their business objectives or those of their stakeholders. When you do get facetime, look for white space. Sports organizations are notoriously lean. Projects and opportunities won’t always show up on a silver platter. Carve out ways to further the organization’s objectives and make the lives of those around you easier.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your career search and why you chose your current company.
I ended up in my current role at the Pittsburgh Penguins through a fellow San Diego State University Sports MBA alum. Jack Tipton (SMBA ‘06), current VP of Sales at the Penguins, came to speak to my class. Jack presented a project opportunity (a real world issue that sought to add value) to our class. A couple classmates and I had so much fun putting together ideas for Jack. The project allowed us to build a relationship, so when Jack’s team was looking for a new team member, he reached out.
Q: Describe your experience with your current job and the responsibilities you hold.
I work in partnership marketing which means activating our corporate partnerships. I work on such a strong team of marketing managers and each of us has a portfolio of partnership accounts that we manage and execute on. Our team treats partnerships with a “relationship first” mentality, so while our main function is to execute the agreed upon assets, we truly manage the relationship and look to deliver value to our partner and organization. Whenever you see partner content on our social channels, website, in-arena, or around the community, that originated from our team!
Q: What advice do you have for current SDSU students to make the most out of their time at SDSU?
“Say yes.” Say yes to doing more. Say yes to learning more. Say yes to getting involved. You never know what opportunity is going to be the one that clicks. Keep that mentality as your career progresses. Be curious and never miss an opportunity to learn more.
Q: Can you recall a meaningful project or class you participated in while at SDSU? If so, please provide details about that experience.
Definitely Dr. Vassilis Dalakas’ Sports Marketing & Corporate Partnerships course. Dr. Dalakas bridges the gap between the sports industry and the classroom with every lecture. We talked through real-world examples. His material is always up to date which helped prepare me for interviews and networking conversations. If you give him a follow on Twitter, you’ll always see the latest marketing best practices and see comments like “I’m updating my slides with this.”
Q: What has your professional journey been like after graduating from SDSU?
The Sports MBA program really gave me the confidence for whatever curveballs (and seriously, there have been a lot!) the sports industry has thrown at me. I still find myself referencing classroom material which makes me feel like I graduated both a day ago and a lifetime ago!
Q: When you’re not working how do you like to spend your free time? Please share about any hobbies or interests that you may have.
Sports business (is that different from sports?), music, pizza, and anything outside. I’m a sucker for road trips (music, snacks, and sights). I’m slowly working my way through all the U.S. National Parks. I’m a creature of habit so there are a few accessible ones that I’ve been to a handful of times, but trying to hit some new ones each year.
Tatum Lockett
Tatum Lockett, Guest Experience & Scheduling Specialist at Hollywood Park Management Company, earned her Sports MBA in 2019. In her current role, Lockett ensures that the back of house Team Member Experience operation processes are set up and prepared for event days at both SoFi Stadium and YouTube Theater. The Sports MBA program supported Lockett’s confidence as a woman entering the professional sports industry with solid skills and leadership abilities.
Her advice for students wanting to enter the sports industry: “You can do it if you have a strong commitment to the sports world! Once you're in, you're in. Each role in the sports industry allows you to learn a great deal of management skills related to a lot of different connecting areas. Analytical and logistical skills, customer service, teamwork, and flexibility are also skills needed as a sports professional.”
Q & A with Tatum Lockett
Name: Tatum Lockett (SMBA ‘19)
Pronouns: (She/Her)
Program: Sports MBA
Graduation year: 2019
Company name and title: Hollywood Park Management Company. Specialist, Guest Experience & Scheduling
Q: Can you describe a little bit about yourself and how/when you decided to attend SDSU?
I am a SoCal native and had recently graduated from University of California, Riverside with a degree in Business Administration. I was a Division I soccer athlete and, in addition, held various jobs and internships during my collegiate career. At the time, I was looking to advance my education and business career goals in sports management and entertainment and found SDSU when researching for a master’s program in business. SDSU sparked my interest due to its very diversified focus in sports business with a study abroad component as well. Since I had an undergraduate focus in business already, I wanted to challenge myself with an experience that would permit me to substantially advance my career.
Q: Briefly share what makes your story unique and how your time at SDSU has influenced your journey personally and/or professionally.
I would say I’m a rare case because I found out I was accepted to SDSU after I’d started another master’s program. I made the decision to transfer because I felt that SDSU would provide me with strong classroom experience and skill development, as well as rich hands-on learning experiences specific to sports business. I wasn’t always the best test taker, but I knew that my intellectual capabilities, talents, experience, and determination would help me be successful in the program. SDSU’s Sports MBA program has been very influential in my personal growth and professional pursuits. I experienced a rigorous and diverse educational curriculum through the courses offered on campus. I volunteered frequently at sporting events, which brought me exciting, real-world sports experiences that helped me understand the internal and external factors that impact sports venues and games. These opportunities allowed me to learn skills that I still use today, and they helped me narrow down which sector of the sports industry I wanted to enter upon graduation. I was able to strengthen my presentation skills, learned how to tell a story when presenting key findings and data, and how to effectively collaborate with various colleagues on group projects. Personally, the SDSU program boosted my confidence as a woman entering the professional sports industry with solid skills and leadership abilities.
Q: What advice do you have for SDSU students seeking to enter the sports industry?
You can do it! If you have a strong commitment to the sports world, you can make it! Once you're in, you're in. The sports industry is small, in comparison to other professions, but it encompasses a wide variety of different career paths and unique roles filled by talented people. Each role in the sports industry allows you to learn a great deal of management skills related to a lot of different, yet interconnected areas. An MBA degree is a great choice for someone seeking to be a successful sports business professional, because you’ll need to have analytical and logistical skills, strong customer service abilities, and the ability to be flexible and work with teams. The industry is diverse and robust and is not comparable to any other. For me, the long hours, early mornings, and late nights are always worth it at the end of a successful project or event. Mental toughness is also something that is essential for success in the sports industry.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your career search and why you chose your current company.
Coming out of the Sports MBA program, I was looking for a role that would put me in the department I’d long sought to enter in sports business: Event Management. Like others, I’m sure, there wasn’t an opportunity immediately available in my chosen field upon graduation, so I looked at other interesting jobs. I’ve always wanted to learn as much as I could about a variety of sectors of the sports industry, and knew I wanted a challenge to help me grow into my future career. I already had a background in special event planning, operations, and customer service. I started my career as a Scheduling Coordinator with the Los Angeles Angels, which helped me to work and understand event logistics. I was able to learn how to schedule and efficiently staff both baseball homestands and other special events at the Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Thankfully, my boss was supportive of my ultimate career goal of working in event management and allowed me opportunities to see the back-end logistics of stadium events.
Two years later, I was keeping tabs on the construction of an immense project to build a new stadium in Inglewood, and wanted to get involved. I loved the idea of being a part of a brand new, state-of-the-art, world-renowned stadium venue. I knew that the venue, which would later be named SoFi Stadium, would host monumental events like the Olympics, NCAA Football Championship, and Super Bowl LVI, would offer different opportunities in the event space. I was actually on vacation when I got a text from Sports MBA program director Scott Minto (SMBA ‘06) texted me asking me if I was familiar with a particular scheduling software program. I responded that I use the software in my current job with the Angels, which was perfect, since Sports MBA alumnus Roberto Castro (SMBA ‘11) was looking for someone with these skills on his team at SoFi Stadium. Luckily, all of my volunteering while at SDSU paid off, because I’d met Roberto several times at Petco Park, when he worked for the Padres organization. Several interviews later, I was offered the position to join the Hollywood Park Management team and work alongside Roberto at SoFi Stadium.
This position has allowed me to grow and take my knowledge learned at the Angels to a start-up organization that needed to build its scheduling platforms from scratch. The role brought many challenges and obstacles in areas that I, and many others, have never worked in before. The great thing about this role is that we were all growing, learning, and creating together as a team.
Q: Describe your experience with your current job and the responsibilities you hold.
My day-to-day responsibilities vary depending on the day and week, but overall, I’m responsible for ensuring that our back-of-house Team Member Experience operation processes are set up and prepared for event days. Some processes that occupy my day-to-day include preparation of uniforms, radios, earpieces, ticket scanners, briefing sheets, and scheduling over 200 Guest Experience Team Members. I schedule any event held at SoFi Stadium and YouTube Theater for our internal Guest Experience team. Overall, I assist Roberto on a daily basis providing extraordinary experiences, one moment at a time.
Q: What advice do you have for current SDSU students to make the most out of their time at SDSU?
I encourage students to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Taking risks and trying new things is the key to how I gained my industry knowledge and this has helped me with a ton of personal growth. SDSU offers so many different opportunities both within the sports industry and in San Diego as a whole, so you have to take advantage of every opportunity.
Q: Can you recall a meaningful project or class you participated in while at SDSU? If so, please share details about that experience.
I had two meaningful projects that come to mind. My BA795 and BA780 projects, which were my two final projects to submit before graduating. My BA780 project allowed me to showcase my job responsibilities handling a complicated scheduling role at the Angels. My BA795 project was meaningful because I was able to revamp and take prior project data from a Sports MBA alumnus and current Angels employee, Drew Zinser (SMBA ’09). This project allowed us to add a fresh perspective and find ways to enhance the sustainability efforts at Angels Stadium.
Q: What has your professional journey been like after graduating from SDSU?
I have enjoyed every aspect of my professional journey since graduating from the program. I have learned a lot about the internal and external workings of various sports environments. Work is often hectic and things don’t always go as planned. Overall, I enjoy the fast-paced work environment and the interdisciplinary collaboration the profession brings. The professional relationships that I’ve built are outstanding and reflect the trust, dedication, and accountability required for successful outcomes in the sports industry.
Q: When you’re not working how do you like to spend your free time? Please share about any hobbies or interests that you may have.
Free time is very rare for me, but I love to spend time with my dog, Kobe Bean, my family, and friends. I love trying new restaurants, specifically for brunch. When I do have free time, I love to hike, snowboard, and go on road trips with friends.
