Executive Transactions

The WNBA Mystics named CableFax Daily columnist and T. Howard Foundation President CURTIS SYMONDS as COO. Symonds is also a former exec at BET, the network co-founded by Mystics President & Managing Partner SHEILA JOHNSON and her ex-husband, Bobcats Owner BOB JOHNSON (Mult, 8/16)....FSN New England named STUART SIDEN VP & General Sales Manager (FSN)....The ECHL named GORD BROSEKER Dir of Officiating; BRYAN LEWIS Officiating Consultant; and MARK FAUCETTE and MARK RUDOLPH Supervisors of Officials (ECHL)....The MLS United named MEGHAN CAMERON Inside Sales Exec (Game Face).

AGENCIES: USTA Senior Publicity Manager RANDY WALKER is leaving the organization after the U.S. Open to join sports marketing firm Leverage Sports Agency as VP. Leverage maintains offices in N.Y., Phoenix and Charlotte (Leverage Sports Agency)....BILL LAVELLE has opened the sports and entertainment consulting firm Ephus 21 in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Lavelle is a 20-year veteran of the sports industry, having served with Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal Conference Group and others (Ephus 21).

COLLEGE: The Patriot League named RICHARD WANNINGER Assistant Exec Dir of External Relations. Wanninger spent the past four years at USADA where he served as Dir of Communications & Public Affairs (Patriot League)....Skidmore College named Univ. of Albany Assistant AD MEGAN BUCHANAN Assistant AD (Albany TIMES UNION, 8/13).

NYRA: New York Gov. GEORGE PATAKI appointed CAROLE STONE Chair of the NYRA Oversight Board and named GEORGE SINNOTT and TIMOTHY THORNTON as members of the board, which will monitor all NYRA transactions and operations until the current franchise expires at the end of ’07. None of the appointees has racing industry experience (NEWSDAY, 8/16).

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