Northwest Sport Management Summit returns November 20

The fifth annual Northwest Sport Management Summit at Central Washington University is right around the corner, and organizers have put together another all-star lineup of panelists and speakers.

Hosted by the Northwest Center for Sport, the free event on Wednesday, November 20, is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Nicholson Pavilion. The summit will center around the theme, “Climbing to New Heights in Sport,” and online pre-registration is required.

“This event just keeps getting better every year, and we are beyond excited to bring in another amazing group of industry professionals to share their experiences with our guests,” said Dr. Sean Dahlin, Director of the Northwest Center for Sport (NWCS) and an associate professor in the Department of Sport and Movement Studies.

After a brief welcome, the NWCS will present its Alumni of the Year Award to Tim Booth (’00), a longtime sportswriter for The Associated Press who started a new position with The Seattle Times this fall.

The award presentation will be followed by a keynote address from Eric Wood, Senior Deputy Athletic Director of External Relations for the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Athletics. The topic of his speech, scheduled from 9:10 to 9:45 a.m., will be “Culture, Class and Competitive Excellence.”

Wood’s address will be followed by the first of two panels from 10-11:15 a.m., focusing on nonprofit sport organizations. The panelists include:

• Kevin Bodle (’20, ’22), Athletics Academic Advisor, Fresno State University 
• John Cooper, President and CEO, Yakima Valley Tourism 
• Jeneé James, Assistant Executive Director of Education/Special Programs, Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA)
• Brandon Rinta (’01), head men's basketball coach at CWU
• KC Smurthwaite, athletics administration consultant

The second panel, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., will center around commercial sport organizations, and will feature:

• Jen Anderson, Vice President of People and Culture, Hillsboro Hops 
• Eric Heuston (’95), Director of Human Resources, Seattle Seahawks 
• Linae Myhand (’21), Member Service Consultant, San Francisco 49ers
• Gisselle Pichard, Communications Manager, Seattle Sounders FC
• Kalli Rutherford, Experiential Marketing Coordinator, Seattle Mariners

A networking luncheon will follow from 1-2:15 p.m. in the fieldhouse, and the day will conclude with a reception from 2:15-4 p.m., also in the fieldhouse.

For updates about the November 20 Northwest Sport Management Summit, visit the NWCS LinkedIn page.