Advisory Board

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Bill Fusco
Advisory Board Chair
Former AD at Sonoma State

With over 37 years of combined athletic administrative experience, Bill Fusco has served as Director of Athletics at the University of San Francisco, Dominican University of California, and Sonoma State University. He also served as Sports Information Director at St. Mary’s College in Moraga and at the University of San Francisco. After a successful 20-year term as AD at Sonoma State University, he retired in 2017. He received his BA from the University of San Francisco and joined Cohort 4 of the USF MA in Sport Management program in 1995. Fusco also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the USF Sport Management program. In 2016, Fusco was named as the Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). In 2018, he was honored with the Division II Athletic Director’s Association’s (D2ADA) Lifetime Achievement Award. He was recently honored with his induction into the NACDA Hall of Fame, Class of 2020.

Dave Almy
Co-Founder, ADC Partners

Dave Almy has over 30 years of sports business experience creating award-winning programs that build brands, generate revenue, and extend essential messages. He’s helped create, operate, and measure partnership programs for brands including 24 Hour Fitness, Cisco Systems, Oracle, Kaiser Permanente, Blue Shield, AAA, Amtrak, and Clorox. He’s worked with sports teams and leagues on a variety of business-related issues, from the relocation of the NBA’s Grizzlies to financial modeling for the El Paso Chihuahuas. He has provided counsel to college sports organizations including Learfield, the West Coast Conference, Cal, Stanford, UC Davis, CSU Northridge, and many others. Dave is a noted contributor on sports business related topics, with work appearing in a wide variety of media, including American Public Media’s Marketplace, the Sports Business Journal, the Huffington Post, and several Business Times. He’s been a guest lecturer at several sports management programs, including Stanford University, the Haas School of Business at Cal, the University of San Francisco, and University of Northern Denmark. He is the host of the award-winning podcast “1-on-1: Sports Business Conversations.

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Ernest Baskerville
Field Sales Representative at BSN Sports

Ernest Baskerville leverages his extensive background in sports management, coaching, and networking to provide top-tier athletic equipment and services to schools and organizations. Ernest works closely with clients to meet their specific needs, ensuring that administrators, companies, teams and athletes have access to the best sports gear, equipment, and apparel available. He is also the creator and host of the Sports 4 Positivity podcast, which highlights how sports and entertainment figures use their platforms to create positive experiences for others.

Previously, Ernest served as the Director of Sports Marketing of the prestigious John R. Wooden Award, the nation's top honor for male and female college basketball players. In this role, he developed marketing strategies, secured sponsorships, negotiated contracts, supervised volunteers, and collaborated with media outlets to maintain the award's reputation. He also worked to foster relationships with sponsors, corporate executives, past winners, and supporters, building a distinguished alumni network focused on positively impacting society.

Ernest is the proud father of three young sons. In their free time, the family enjoys vacations, sports, church, and quality time together.

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Jamie Firmage
Consultant

Jamie Firmage, MA ’94 has a diverse work experience that spans over several industries and roles. Most recently, he contributed to the development of an enterprise-wide ESG strategy for 4D Molecular Therapeutics, and has served as the Head of Community Partnerships & Patient Advocacy at the same company, focusing on building strategic partnerships and enhancing patient education. Jamie has played Business Development, Marketing, and Corporate Partnerships roles with Genesys Works, Playworks, Vivo Girls Sports, Inc, and MWI Direct. Jamie's volunteer involvement includes leadership roles, on Kiddo!, MVSC, the Strawberry Seals Swim Team, and most recently as Chair of the Mill Valley Parks and Recreation Commission. In these and other roles, Jamie has been helping for-profit and non-profit organizations align their development, community impact, and marketing programs for multiple decades, and has demonstrated an ability to develop strategies, build partnerships, drive sales, and manage teams in various industries.

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Pat Gallagher
Former President, Giants Enterprise

Pat Gallagher is a management consultant, author, mentor, and considered a pioneer in the sports, special event, and visitor industries. He is best known as one of the longest serving and most influential executives in San Francisco Giants history. Over a 32-year career as the Giants business and "idea guy", he was also a key member of the management team that conceived and developed the privately financed baseball park, now known as Oracle Park on San Francisco’s waterfront. As the first president of Giants Enterprises LLC, Gallagher founded the new subsidiary with major concerts, non-baseball sporting events, cultural, and civic events which led to the ballpark being named by Sport Business Journal: Sports Facility of the Year in 2007. After leaving the Giants, Gallagher helped develop the winning bid and served as Executive Vice President/Marketing, Partnerships, and Communications for the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee. He co-authored a book with colleague Stephanie Martin entitled "Big Game Bigger Impact", which chronicles the lessons learned in the making of Super Bowl 50. Gallagher is past chairman of San Francisco Travel, serves on several non-profit and for-profit boards, and is active in the podcast series "Life in the Front Office."

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Sara Gotfredson
Founder, Trailblazing Sports Group

Sara Gotfredson is a visionary leader and trailblazer in the world of deal making and sports marketing, with a passion for women's sports and driving transformative change within the advertising industry. Her two-decade career as a seasoned executive at ESPN & Disney Advertising, where she spearheaded multi-million dollar campaigns for Fortune 100 brands and oversaw a billion-dollar advertising portfolio, is a testament to her strategic prowess and unwavering commitment to excellence. In 2022, Sara embarked on a bold new venture, founding Trailblazing Sports Group – the first female-led partnership agency dedicated to fueling investment in women's sports. Her leadership and unwavering belief in the power of women’s sports to uplift, inspire, and drive business results have attracted partnerships with global brands like CashApp, Google, Honda, L’Oréal, Morgan Stanley, State Farm, TIAA and Visa, among others. Sara's entrepreneurial spirit, deep industry expertise, and passion for fueling the growth of women’s sports make her a true catalyst for change in the sports world. As a proud University of San Francisco alumna, soccer mom, and avid fan of women's professional teams, Sara is not just building a company, but a movement that is changing the game for women’s sports and brands alike.

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Mario Hirose
Director, Live Event Marketing at PBR

Mario Hirose is the Director, Live Event Marketing with PBR (Professional Bull Riders), where he is responsible for developing comprehensive data-driven marketing plans aimed at driving tickets sales and enhancing event awareness. Prior to joining PBR in April 2024, Mario was with BELLATOR MMA, a division of Paramount. He exemplified a dual-role capacity in client services and media buying. His professional career started at the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), where he accumulated a distinguished 18-year tenure, progressing through diverse marketing roles of escalating responsibility prior to joining BELLATOR MMA. He has also been a participant in USF Sport Management’s mentor program since its inception. Students Mario has mentored are now working full-time / procured internships with SoFi Stadium, New York Jets, New York Islanders, New York City FC (MLS), ONE Championship, and the University of Incarnate Word.

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Bill Hogan
Former AD, Seattle University

Bill Hogan completed a 35-year career as an NCAA Director of Athletics culminating in his NACDA Hall of Fame induction in 2022. Bill began athletic administration in 1981 at his alma mater, Saint Joseph’s College (Indiana), as the youngest NCAA Athletic Director. Dr. Hogan was also a tenured Professor of Business Administration and basketball coach at SJC. After achieving one of the greatest athletic decades in school history, Bill moved west to the University of San Francisco in 1991 as the Director of Athletics while teaching undergraduate and graduate Management/Marketing classes and the Sports and Fitness master’s degree classes. Dr. Hogan taught the first class of the new USF SFM Program for nearly 15 years. His introductory class to the cohort became well known for the “social networking” opportunity at the famous O’Shea’s Pub. USF won the West Coast Conference Commissioner's Cup for the first time in school history and in 2000, Bill was named the West Region AD of the Year. During his tenure, the Dons won the WCC men’s basketball tournament and the NCAA automatic bid in 1998 and numerous WCC Championships and/or post season bids in women’s basketball, men’s soccer, men’s and women’s golf, women’s volleyball and baseball. In 2006, Bill was recruited by Seattle University to help it become the first college/university in NCAA history to return to Division I. From 2012-16 Seattle U won 31 Western Athletic Conference Championships and numerous NCAA post season tournament bids.

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Andrew Koehler
Business Affairs Executive, WME (William Morris Endeavor)

Andrew Koehler is Business Affairs Executive with WME, a leading global entertainment and media agency that is part of the Endeavor network. He previously served as Counsel for Sharks Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the San Jose Sharks, San Jose Barracuda, SAP Center at San Jose, Oakland Ice Center, and Sharks Ice facilities in San Jose and Fremont. Growing up in Pasadena, California, Koehler developed a lifelong love of sports through playing soccer, baseball, and running cross country and track. Having completed his undergraduate degree at Amherst College in Massachusetts and a year of law school at Emory in Atlanta, he went on to complete his JD at the UCLA School of Law. Though he has lived across the country, Koehler remains a diehard Dodgers fan. He began his career as a litigation associate with Winston & Strawn LLP. He then decided to pursue a career in sports and joined Cohort 40 of the University of San Francisco Sport Management Program.

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Chris Lee
Executive Director Sports Sponsorships and Strategic Partnerships, Kaiser Permanente

Christopher Lee has enjoyed a successful 20+ year career in the sports and entertainment sponsorship industry. A well-respected industry leader, Lee is one of the few brand-side sponsorship experts that can activate a three-pronged approach to sponsorship marketing. Lee was recognized for his career efforts as a member of the SportsBusiness Journal’s 2019 Forty under 40 class. During his tenure at U.S. Bank, Lee has developed a new experiential marketing team and leads the corporate events team that oversees all major internal and external events for the bank. Lee recently completed a very successful activation of the Super Bowl at U.S. Bank Stadium and NCAA Men’s Final Four. Prior to joining U.S. Bank, Lee was the Director of Brand Partnerships and Social Engagement at San Francisco-based Esurance. And before that, he was an integral member of the sponsorship, sales, and marketing team at the pre-championship Golden State Warriors. Lee also serves on the Board of Directors of Juma Ventures, an non-profit organization based in San Francisco whose mission is to break the cycle of poverty by paving the way to work, education, and financial capability for youth across America. Lee received his bachelor’s degree in Communications at San Diego State University, and a MA in Sport Management at the University of San Francisco.

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Eddie Maisonet
Senior Editor for ESPN

Eddie Maisonet currently serves as a senior editor for ESPN, focused on combat sports coverage (UFC, boxing, and WWE) for their digital editorial group. They produce content focusing on live-event coverage, analysis, and feature storytelling throughout the year. Maisonet is also an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco’s Sport Management master’s program. He teaches “Digital Strategy in Sports Media” which helps students find ways to survive and thrive in a constantly evolving industry that drives the content sports fans consume on a daily basis. Maisonet holds degrees from Langston University (B.A. Organizational Management, ’05) and the University of San Francisco (M.A. Sport Management, ’16). He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, Fraternity Inc., the National Association of Black Journalists, and The 100 Black Men of America. He is a native of Lawton, OK. and currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. He is an unabashed Russell Westbrook apologist, a mofongo specialist, owns over 100 hats, and lives by Reggie Jackson’s famous quote, “I am the straw that stirs the drink.”

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Stacy McCorkle
Former Senior Director, Community Relations, San Francisco 49ers

Stacy McCorkle served as the Senior Director of Community Relations for the San Francisco 49ers. She was the driving force behind the 49ers community outreach efforts for players, their families, team ownership, front office executives, and staff — formulating the vision and programming for their partnerships with community-based organizations. In her role, she directed over $2.5 million in social justice funding, oversaw over 100 events, programs, and activations annually, and influenced thousands of hours of service throughout the Bay Area each year. During her tenure with the team, the 49ers were awarded 2015 ESPN Humanitarian Awards Sport Team of the Year and 2017 Beyond Sport Team of the Year. With nearly 20 years of experience in the social impact sector, her career has included nonprofit, sports commission, and agency roles. She holds an MA in Sport Management from the University of San Francisco and a BA in Communication from the University of California at Davis, where she was a Division I gymnast, two-time All American, and USA Gymnastics Collegiate National Champion on the Balance Beam.

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Waukeen Q. McCoy
President & CEO of Genuine Sports Group

Mr. McCoy is the President and CEO of Genuine Sports Group, which is a sports and talent agency he founded in 2012, representing athletes in the National Football League, National Basketball League, and Major League Baseball. Mr. McCoy also represents musicians and actors in the entertainment industry. In addition to his work at Genuine Sports Group, he is also the CEO of McCoy Law Firm, P.C. in San Francisco, established in 1993 which handles employment and civil rights cases. Mr. McCoy is also a former member of the Board of the YMCA San Francisco, Urban Services. Mr. McCoy has a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of Law, and a B.A from San Francisco State University. Mr. McCoy was appointed by the Honorable Mayor Willie Brown, Jr. as the City and County of San Francisco’s Ethics Commissioner to regulate and pass regulations for city-wide employees and elected officials in San Francisco from 2002 through 2006. Mr. McCoy received a proclamation from San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, naming September 1, 2000, Waukeen McCoy Day. Mr. McCoy defended marriage equality for same-sex couples before the California Supreme Court in In Re Marriage Cases. He also was part of the legal team that won one of the nation's largest discrimination verdicts, for $132 Million against the parent company of Wonder bread and successfully represented a group of predominately Black women in a discrimination case against the Napa Valley Wine Train, the multimillion-dollar case received national attention.

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Cassie Schienle
Founder, CMZPR

Cassandra (Cassie) is the Co-Founder & Principal of reBUILD20 since July 2020, an events and production services company that focuses on helping entertainment and live event companies develop strategies with specific awareness to COVID-19 protocols. Zebisch also leads CMZPR, a full-service public relations and management company. Prior, she served as Senior Director of Communications for AEG (2008-2020), the leading sports and live entertainment company, where she worked on several iconic events including two NBA Championship Parades, two NHL Stanley Cup Championship Finals and parades, NBA All-Star Games, and other large-scale special events. Prior to joining AEG, she worked with the Los Angeles Angels in the stadium operations and event department. Zebisch earned her MA in Sport Management from the University of San Francisco and a BA in Communications from San Diego State University while competing on the women’s water polo team.

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Alison Vidal

Alison Vidal is an accomplished sports business professional with over 30 years in the business of sports. Her love of sports started at a young age on the public park tennis courts in San Francisco as a tennis player. Her talents as a tennis player led her to U.C. Davis where she led the team as the number one singles and doubles player all four years to its first ever National Championship for women in the school’s history and culminated in her induction into the UC Davis Athletic Hall of Fame. As a business professional she took what she learned as a player into the business world focusing on hard work and drive, relationships and always learning from others. Her love of sports and being a native San Franciscan led her to her first opportunity with the S.F. Giants in the early 90’s as an intern into the Marketing Department with the Giants. That opportunity while a graduate student in the Master’s program at USF created her new path in the business side of sports. She spent 12 years with the Giants and ultimately moved onto other roles in sales, sponsorship, event planning, non-profit work and more – all in sports. She has worked for companies ( all sports related) such as Monster Cable, Comcast Spotlight, California Collegiate Athletic Association, United States Tennis Association and currently with Lifetime Activities. She values sports as an inclusive and inviting opportunity for all on and off the playing field and hopes to inspire more to get into the business side. Aside from work she enjoys her family and watching her 13 year old daughter Alyssa compete as a softball pitcher and tennis player with her goal of being a sports agent.