■ Alex Baldwin: Mark McCormack. He was a pioneer in defining our industry: brilliant, simple, direct and calculated in building a team of people and culture that dominated the sports business landscape for decades.
■ Renee Baumgartner: Phil Knight: transformational, and encourages counterintuitive thought.
■ Kim Bohuny: David Stern, Adam Silver and Russ Granik. They never forget that it is all about the game and have always looked for ways to use the power of the NBA brand to help those in need.
■ Christine Brown: Jeff Shifrin, president at Octagon. There was a moment when I almost got out of sports entirely, and he convinced me otherwise. I didn’t want to move to Connecticut. If not for that moment, I’d probably be working at some boring PR agency in McLean, Va.
■ Mary Byrne: I’ve had a lot of great mentors, but in the end I still think I have to say it was my parents.
■ Stephanie Cheng: Randy Bernstein, co-founder of Premier Partnerships, for providing me with a tremendous opportunity at a relatively young age to influence our business and work with sports properties across the industry.
■ Sandy Cross: My brother, Michael Cross, director of athletics at Bradley University. Always looking up to him, and his athletic and academic pursuits during my formative years set me on a path to play NCAA Division I volleyball and earn my master’s in sport administration, which put my entire sports business career in motion.
■ Stephanie Druley: I learned from ESPN’s Craig Lazarus how to tell a story, to challenge ideas, and to not compromise my standard for excellence.
■ Donna Fiedorowicz: My college basketball coach at Central Connecticut State University, Brenda Reilly. She taught me to believe in myself and how to be a leader.
■ Kelly Flanagan: Mark Lamping, because he has provided me the opportunity to take on as much responsibility as I’m able to.
■ Karen Forgus: Reds COO Phil Castellini, who gave me the opportunity to work in sports and empowered me to boldly take our business in new directions.
■ Erleen Hatfield: Tom Scarangello, who taught me almost everything I know about sports.
■ Sue Hunt: Kurt Kamperman, who has provided such amazing support for our ideas while gently guiding us in the world of tennis.
■ Gail Hunter: Former boss Ski Austin; showed me grace, humility, honesty, sense of humor and leadership by example.
■ Beth Hutter: My next-door neighbor during childhood was also an active sports coach in the community. My neighborhood’s “Coach K” had a son my age, who was a great athlete, and Coach K always encouraged me to play on his teams. Playing with and against boys made me a better athlete, and at an early age helped me adapt quickly to the male-dominated sports industry.
■ Julie Kikla: My mother put me in every sport possible. I learned everything about teamwork, hard work, sportsmanship and how to win (and lose) through sports, and I knew that I wanted to work in an industry that could literally change lives. I owe it to my mom for always supporting my sports dreams, both on and off the field.
■ Heidi Massey-Bong: Roger Penske. I’ve never met anyone who can see the big picture and yet know every minor detail. He seeks perfection in everything he does and expects that of everyone around him. You never want to disappoint him.
■ Bernadette McGlade: My mother, Theresa McGlade, who instilled in me early in life that “girls can play” and be successful in sports and business. I would also have to say Homer Rice, who gave me an unbelievable opportunity when I was 23, hiring me as the head women’s basketball coach at Georgia Tech. And ACC Commissioner John Swofford, an exceptional leader.
■ Michelle McKenna-Doyle: Early in my career: Coach Pat Dye, as I worked in his office at Auburn while in college. I loved football and always felt like an integral part of the team, even though I had never played the game. Since joining the NFL: Commissioner Goodell and Jonathan Kraft, who are both such forward thinkers and have given me the support needed to help evolve the game through technology.
■ Kimberly Meesters: My parents. My father owned a business in short-track racing, and we traveled as a family to racetracks all across the region. They exposed me to the business at a young age. Of course, living in Texas, I was heavily exposed to all sports. My mom enjoyed taking me to Texas Rangers baseball games, and my grandmother never missed a football game.
■ Marla Newman: I am so fortunate to work for Neil Mulcahy, one of the most authentic and kind-hearted people in the industry who has an amazing amount of industry knowledge. And, Jeff Husvar generously shared his knowledge of the business and always demonstrated how to handle difficult and stressful situations with class.
■ Anne Occi: MLB CMO Jacqueline Parkes.
■ Jay Parry: My mom and dad. They instilled in me the importance of honesty, integrity and believing that I could achieve anything I put my mind to. Plus, my dad got me into sports early, starting with golf lessons at the age of 4, and taking me and my two sisters to every description of sporting event from amateur to college to professional.
■ Kristen Rose: Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor. Although I was young, he trusted me to run my department as my own small business and gave me multiple opportunities to work on new and innovative projects during my tenure with the team.
■ Jennifer Sabatelle: Nancy Behar at the NFL, who saw something in a 25-year-old me and took a chance on hiring me; LeslieAnne Wade, who mentored me and helped provide me with the skills necessary to be successful in communications; and, of course, Sean McManus and Gil Schwartz, who trusted me four years ago to head the communications team.
■ Heidi Sandreuter: John Galloway, my director when I first joined the Pepsi Sports Group (now CMO of Hard Rock Cafe), who always pushed us to do more.
■ Meredith Starkey: I can’t point to one person; it’s been the people I’ve had an opportunity to work alongside from my days at Clemson University, D.C. United, Genesco Sports Enterprises, Motorola and T-Mobile.
■ Maribeth Towers: It’s Kathy Carter, my boss. She’s the only reason I’m in the business. I initially started out consulting for her in this area, and then as we built out the plan and got to know each other, she’s the reason I made the move.
■ Ali Towle: 49ers President Paraag Marathe. I am forever grateful he was willing to bet on me.
■ Ronnie Tucker: My husband, Kirk, who has been incredibly supportive of me and the choices I have made along this journey. Also, Mike Reisman, who believed in me and gave me an opportunity 25 years ago, and Michael Capiraso, who recruited me to NYRR two years ago.
■ Alyson Walker: Chris Overholt, CEO, Canadian Olympic Committee. Chris is one of those rare leaders who combines intelligence with creativity, analytics, big-picture thinking, strategy and compassion for people. Chris always pushes his team while empowering and motivating his employees to think bigger and achieve successes both for themselves and the company as a whole.
■ Alison Weber: With a growing passion for communications and branding, I jumped into a PR internship with Francine Lubera, PR director for the Cleveland Browns, to test the waters. With blind ambition, I helped her manage credentialing for the Browns’ much-anticipated 1987 playoff run. I experienced firsthand how she set a strategy and worked it diligently, based on listening and making people-connections. The other influencer of my career was Eadie Levy, our Company Mom for 40-plus years. She worked as a hostess in many of our restaurants and was the first impression of the company. She was the most authentic and genuine extension of our brand because she was a great listener and connector.
■ Pamela Wheeler: My parents. Despite the fact that there were few women in sports in the ’70s, they never scoffed at my many declarations to “be the first woman (fill in the blank) in sports.” They just kept telling me to go for it.
■ Andrea Williams: My father, retired Air Force Col. Henry Williams. He instilled in all three of his kids the importance of education, sports and being active in the community. He always supported us and pushed us to be our best and reach our full potential, even when we didn’t see it for ourselves. I will always be grateful for him.
