Center for Media, Entertainment & Sports

Sherí Barros is an award-winning, accomplished brand marketing executive with a body of work spanning over 18 years across some of the world’s most recognized and respected sports entertainment brands.  Her career includes management of the marketing department for Spurs Sports & Entertainment; Vice President of Marketing for privately-held media, sports and entertainment conglomerate, Cooper Holdings, where she led corporate clients’ sponsorship portfolios across the U.S. within the NBA, MLS, International Soccer, Action Sports, WWE, and worked alongside leading entertainment agencies CAA and United Entertainment Group.

Ms. Barros’ expertise has been solicited as a Chief Brand Strategist & Consultant.  Additionally, as the Global Strategic Director of Sports Alliances for the American Cancer Society, Sherí works alongside the NFL to lead one of the most impactful cause marketing partnerships in pro sports: the National Football League’s Crucial Catch initiative to fight cancer. 

In 2019, Sherí was named as an inaugural jury member of the ‘Entertainment for Sport’ Cannes Lions award, one of the most prestigious global marketing awards in the world.  She has served as an Adjunct Professor of Integrated Marketing at New York University, and now an instructor with UCLA’s Center for Management of Enterprise in Media, Entertainment & Sports (MEMES).  Ms. Barros received her bachelor’s degree from Florida State University, and master’s degree from the University of North Texas.

Danny Koblin is a seasoned marketing and operations executive with wide and varied experience developing and executing cutting edge strategies for major brands and properties, and a successful record of leading teams through complex projects.

In his current role, Danny oversees all operations of U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Properties, the body responsible for marketing LA28 and Team USA for the majority of the next decade. He is the organization’s key connector to all partners and stakeholders, and is responsible for ensuring all parties are tracking towards the shared goal of boosting Team USA and transforming the Games.

Danny was named to his current role in August 2018, and has been a key leader of Los Angeles’ journey to winning the rights to host the Games since June 2014.

Ben Valenta is the senior vice president of strategy & analytics for FOX Sports, where he is responsible for identifying consumer and category insights in support of production, programming, marketing, communications, and sales.  

Prior to joining FOX Sports, Ben was a brand strategy consultant working at the intersection of sports, media, and culture. Along the way, he advised an incredible array of clients, including:  Nike, the NFL, Anheuser-Busch InBev, YouTube, ESPN, Wieden + Kennedy, National Geographic, NBC News, Livestrong, the New York Knicks, and the New York Rangers. 

Ben is the author of the forthcoming book Fans Have More Friends.

Heather is a strategic leader with 15+ years of experience working with sports industry-leading organizations, responsible for business intelligence strategy to drive revenue across departments, generating up to $15 million annually. 

In her current role, Heather oversees ticketing and data strategy for Angel City FC, the breakout NWSL expansion team in Los Angeles. In her management of the ticketing department, Angel City has accomplished the below in their inaugural season: 

·        Almost 16,000 Season Ticket Holders 

·        4 sellouts of the 22,000-person Banc of California Stadium

·        Averaged more than 19,000 fans per match  

·        NWSL leaders in ticketing revenue, attendance, and paid tickets 

·        Renewed at almost 90% for the 2023 season 

·        ACFC average attendance outperformed every other NWSL club as well as half Major League Soccer clubs and eight (8) Major League Baseball teams 

Heather also worked alongside Head of Revenue and General Manager to develop and execute two international friendlies in 2022, including the first of its kind Copa Angelina, a club vs. country match between ACFC and the Mexican Women’s National Team with a goal of bringing two passionate soccer communities together. 

Previously, Heather worked in partnership marketing and sales for the Portland Trail Blazers and San Francisco Giants and had led the ticketing sales and service teams at the LA Galaxy and Boston Breakers. 

Debbie Spander is founder and CEO of Insight Sports Advisors. Debbie represents sports media talent, including former athletes, career journalists and influencers, as well as college and NBA coaches and front-office executives. She represents one of the three female assistant coaches in the NBA. Debbie has facilitated Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) marketing agreements for professional and retired athletes for the last 10 years. Insight provides consulting and agenting services for collegiate athletes to build their brand and profit off of their NIL. Debbie’s experience and deep connections throughout the sports world provide an unparalleled platform to help clients maximize their careers.

Prior to founding Insight Sports Advisors, Debbie was an agent at Wasserman Media Group, where she rose to Senior Vice President of its Broadcasting and Coaching Division. At Wasserman, Debbie negotiated two NBA head coaching deals and three college basketball head coaching deals. Debbie also served as a founding member of Wasserman’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council.

Debbie began her sports career at Fox Sports Net as Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs, where she structured, negotiated, and administered telecast licenses, talent deals, and marketing agreements, including the ground-breaking $1.2 billion NASCAR telecast rights agreement. Debbie then worked at MTV Entertainment, where she was Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs.

Debbie serves as a Board of Director of Sports Lawyers Association. In 2016, she was named to the Sports Business Journal’s Game Changers list and Multichannel News’ Women in the Game. She also serves on Board of Westcoast Sports, a charity that funds after-school programs for underserved youth, and West Coast Sports Medicine Foundation, a charity that funds healthcare for high school athletes and provides scholarships and training to physical therapy students. Debbie is on the advisory board of the Arizona State University Sports Law and Business Program and is a frequent speaker at sports business conferences. In 2020, she was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Debbie received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University and her Juris Doctor from UCLA School of Law. She lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband, Marc Isenberg and their daughter.

Arielle Moyal is a highly accomplished marketing professional who has been instrumental in guiding the careers of hundreds of athletes over her 16+ year career working in sports. Her new marketing agency, Moyal Enterprises, will release on March 1st, and will be where athletes, agencies, teams and sports brands can find what they need to bridge strategy and execution for unique solutions.

Most recently, Arielle served as the Vice President of Basketball & Baseball Marketing, Public Relations & Digital Strategy, for REP1 Sports, a full-service athlete representation firm. Her duties also included assisting the CEO with REP1 corporate initiatives and being the guider of the agency to over 300+ professional athletes across baseball, basketball and collegiate NIL, which included Patrick Beverley, Luis Severino, Dee Strange - Gordon, Tre & Tyus Jones, Ronald Acuna Jr., Rafael Devers, Eloy Jimenez, Evan Turner, Jose Reyes, PJ Washington Jr., Starling Marte, Giovanny Urshela, Jarred Vanderbilt, Devin Williams, Anthony Santander and more.

 

Arielle is committed to assisting athletes with securing top of the market endorsement deals, gaining exposure and providing social media training. Exceptionally strategic and a creative thinker, Arielle understands how to effectively craft and market an athlete’s brand in a positive way. Her focus is to design and negotiate both endemic and non-endemic corporate deals, while providing clients with overall marketing and branding support services. Arielle provides clients with success and overall prosperity in sports and life.

Prior to REP1, Arielle gained extensive experience as the marketing lead at BDA Sports Management and a key member of the Player Personnel / Athlete Enrichment department for the Sacramento Kings. Earlier, Arielle spent nine years working for UCLA Athletics as staff for a variety of sports teams, the last five as part of the core staff for the historic UCLA Men’s Basketball.

Some of her notable projects include Call of Duty, Essentia Water LLC, Spotify, Starbucks, Complex, Intel, Bleacher Report, BODYARMOR, New Era, UNINTERRUPTED, EA Sports, Sony, ISlide, Hugo Boss, and others.

Arielle is relentlessly committed to servicing athlete clients, making sure their lives are in order and aiding in their personal growth. Having built a strong reputation as someone whose integrity and dedication is unrivaled, she firmly establishes the trust of those around her. With a distinguished track record of success, her diverse background and communications skills are a huge asset to every client she has.

Growing up, Arielle spent her days on the soccer pitch, developing into a competitive tactician. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Pre- Med & Political Science and from Cal State University, Long Beach where she received her Master of Arts in Sports Management, graduating top of her class.

A former soccer player, Arielle is an avid sports fan and currently resides in Los Angeles, CA with her husband Matthew.

Bukky Ekundayo is the Vice President and General Manager for The Prisoner Wine Company – a Napa based luxury wine portfolio of industry leading wines such as The Prisoner, SALDO, Unshackled and the recently launched Blindfold. Bukky oversees the global marketing and sales strategy and product development leading The Prisoner Wine Company to become the #1 American luxury wine portfolio.

A passion for brand building and storytelling, Bukky joined The Prisoner Wine Company after leading the Constellation Brands Wine & Spirits Innovation organization. In her previous role, she was responsible for developing the Wine & Spirits division’s innovation strategy and leading new product development for top brands including Kim Crawford, Ruffino, Unshackled and Woodbridge wines, SVEDKA Vodka and High West whiskey.

She has nearly 10 years of experience in the wine industry. Her previous experience is in Finance and B2B retail. Bukky holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Howard University. She is originally from Charlotte, NC but currently resides in Oakland, CA with her husband.  

Jesús G. Román serves as Verizon’s Chief Regulatory and Legislative Counsel with responsibility over proceedings at the Public Utilities Commissions and Legislatures in eight West area states.  Jesús also leads state and local government affairs in Southern California.

Jesús works to promote widespread deployment of advanced wireless and 5G connectivity, with a strong commitment to digital equity and diversity. Jesús coordinates development of policy positions on a range of issues, including public safety, resiliency, consumer protection and climate protection.  He also helps create the space for entrepreneurs to develop apps that people can use to make their lives better.  Additionally, Jesús and his team lead Latino engagement throughout Southern California ensuring the community is represented.

While at Verizon, Jesús has worked on some of the company’s most notable endeavors including the acquisition of TracFone Wireless, the launch of Verizon FiOS Fiber-Optic Network, the implementation and expansion of 4G LTE, and the deployment of 5G across California and the West states.  Jesús also was the lead negotiator of public private partnerships with the cities of San Diego and Long Beach, agreements that bring accelerated deployment of fiber and 5G wireless facilities to the residents, workers and visitors of those cities.

Prior to joining Verizon in 2003, Jesús started his legal career at Pillsbury Madison & Sutro in San Francisco and subsequently worked at a law firm in Puerto Rico for nearly three years where he discovered and honed his passion for telecom law.

He obtained his law degree in 1993 from the University of California at Berkeley's School of Law, where he was a member of the California Law Review.  He received a Master in Public Affairs, with an emphasis on Domestic Policy, from Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs and received his undergraduate degree from UCLA, where he was recognized with the Outstanding Senior Award.

Jesús is licensed to practice law in California, Puerto Rico and various federal courts.  A firm believer in opening doors for others, he has served on boards including, the Western Region Puerto Rican Council, the San Francisco School Volunteers, La Raza Centro Legal, the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility and the UCLA Alumni Association’s Scholarship Program, among others.

He is happily married to Ronda Román and they have a 13-year old daughter, Mía Paz.

Christina is in her sixth season at the Los Angeles Lakers where she serves as the Director of Business Analytics & Strategy.  While primarily focused on supporting the Lakers’ revenue generating verticals, she has positioned her department to serve as an internal consulting hub offering new idea generation, business planning, vendor analysis, process automation, research, surveying, and access to data across the organization.  Christina began her career in the investment finance space in New York City prior to moving to Los Angeles to pursue an MBA at UCLA Anderson School of Management, where she served as the Co-President of the Sports Business Association.  She earned a BA in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania while competing on the Varsity Softball team.

Adam Mendler is the Chief Executive Officer of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries: Beverly Hills Chairs, a leading office furniture e-tailer; Custom Tobacco, a one-of-a-kind cigar customization e-commerce platform; and Veloz Solutions, a technology consulting and software development practice.

Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he regularly elicits insights from America's top CEOs, founders, athletes, celebrities, and political and military leaders. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost. Adam’s Lessons in Leadership series in Thrive Global and other media projects total more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders. Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations on leadership and related topics.

Adam’s unique professional background includes experiences working for D.E. Shaw & Co., then the largest hedge fund in the world; for Credit Suisse, then a Fortune Global 150 company; for the strategic planning groups at William Morris Endeavor and Universal Pictures; at TWC Sports Management, a leading sports agency; and on a successful presidential primary campaign. Adam has served as the Executive Producer of Virtually Israel; as a Strategic Partner and Advisor to Here Media; and has been an advisor to the accelerator Fusion LA since its inception.

Adam graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Southern California, earning a B.S. in Business Administration and a B.A. in Political Science, and earned an M.B.A. from the UCLA Anderson School of Management, where he received the UCLA Anderson Fellowship Award. Adam teaches a graduate-level class at UCLA on teamwork and leadership; serves on USC’s Board of Governors and on the board of UCLA’s Master of Applied Statistics program; and is Chairman Emeritus of the USC Alumni Entrepreneurs Network. A Los Angeles native and lifelong Angels fan, Adam loves sports, classic movies and TV, politics, physical fitness and backgammon.

Mark holds an MBA and MA in Sports Administration as well as a Diploma in University Teaching from the University of New Brunswick (Canada). He currently serves as the Director/Assistant Professor of the undergraduate Sport Business Program (BA) and has developed the new MBA program in Sports Business at Concordia University Irvine (CUI), scheduled to launch in 2022.  Mark also serves as the Faculty Athletics Representative to the NCAA for CUI.

In addition to his role at CUI, Mark has also served as a Sports Business Lecturer at UCLA Anderson’s Center for Media, Entertainment and Sports since 2011. He is also course author and professor for the MBA program in Hockey Business at the Business of Hockey Institute (BHI), for Athabasca University in Edmonton

In 2016, Mark had the privilege of acting as the Lead Instructor for UCLA Extension’s Custom Programs in Sports & Entertainment Marketing in Shanghai, China and served in a similar capacity for Jiaotong University of Shanghai in 2018. Mark currently serves as an advisor to IMPACT Internship LLC., and the Sport Management program at Cal Lutheran University.

In addition to his professional academic work, Mark also boasts a wealth of consulting experience through his consulting company, MARK ONE Sports & Entertainment, whose clients have included Athleta-Ed, Edwards Technologies International, Panasonic, Business of Hockey Institute, California Center, BaAM Productions, Concordia University Irvine, and the University of California Irvine.

Mark has in depth experience at all levels of Sports & Entertainment with significant expertise in fan/guest engagement technologies and large-scale event management and marketing. He speaks regularly on numerous topics related to the business of sports including the 2021 Prime Time Sports & Entertainment Conference, 2019 Keynote presentation on the NCAA College Admissions Scandal, 2019 Future of Sports Conference with the LA Chargers, 2019, PrimeTime Sports Management Conference (Toronto), 2018 Keynote Presentation for Sport BC AGM, 2017 UCLA Anderson Big Data Conference, 2015 Gravity Summit & UCLA Sports Technology Panel, 2014 SATE Conference in Themed Entertainment, 2014 LA Dodgers/LA Chamber of Commerce panel on Sports Technology, and the 2014 Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce Panel on the “Art of Negotiation in Sport.”

Through his extensive industry work, Mark has developed a deep professional network of leaders throughout all levels of sports & entertainment, many of whom appear annually during his Sports Business program at UCLA Anderson. He also serves on the international board of advisors for the European-based IBJA Sports Alliance Group.

Mark served as Head Coach of the Men’s Ice Hockey program at UCLA from 2010-2017 and won the 2017 PAC 8 Conference Championship, 2013 & 2017 Crosstown Cup and 2017 Los Angeles Kings College Cup. He was also selected as one of two finalists for the PAC 8 Coach of the Year Award for 2012 and was selected as Head Coach of the PAC-8 Selects at the ACHA National Championships in Philadelphia in 2011 and 2013 respectively. Mark served a two-year term as the Associate Executive Director of the PAC 8 Men’s Hockey Conference. Prior to his move to Los Angeles in 2010, Mark served as Head Coach for the University of New Brunswick Women’s Varsity Hockey program from 2004-2007 and holds 2 USports Canada National Silver Medals and 2 Atlantic University Sport Championships as an Assistant Coach with the University of New Brunswick Men’s Ice Hockey program (1999-2004).

Leigh Steinberg, premier sports agent, entrepreneur, best-selling author, and Chairman of Leigh Steinberg Sports and Entertainment Holdings is best known for his work building athletes into stand-alone brands. He is often credited as the real-life inspiration for the Oscar-winning film Jerry Maguire. Leigh has represented many of the most successful athletes and coaches in football, basketball, baseball, hockey, boxing, and golf, including the number one overall pick in the NFL draft for an unprecedented eight times in conjunction with 64 total first round picks. With an unrivaled history of record-setting contracts, Leigh has secured over $4 billion for his 300+ pro athlete clients and directed more than $1 billion to various charities around the world. 

Over the course of his career, Leigh has been featured on numerous national television programs, including 60 Minutes, Larry King Live, The Today Show, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, and many more. He has been profiled in a host of magazines, including Business Week, Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine, People, Forbes, Playboy, GQ, and FHM. He currently resides in Newport Beach, CA. 

Long Bio

Leigh Steinberg, premier sports agent, entrepreneur, Chairman and founder of Steinberg Sports and Entertainment, is best known for his work building athletes into stand-alone brands. He is often credited as the real-life inspiration for the Oscar-winning film Jerry Maguire. Leigh has represented many of the most successful athletes and coaches in football, basketball, baseball, hockey, boxing, golf, etc., including the number one overall pick in the NFL draft for an unprecedented eight times in conjunction with 64 total first round picks. Furthermore, Leigh has represented other notable athletes, including Oscar De La Hoya and Lennox Lewis, as well as multiple Olympians and professional teams. With an unrivaled history of record-setting contracts, Leigh has secured over $4 billion for his 300+ pro athlete clients and directed more than $1 billion to various charities around the world.

Before making a name for himself in the sports industry, Leigh was born and raised in Los Angeles by his parents, a teacher and librarian. He obtained both his B.A. in political science and his J.D. from UC Berkeley, where he was student body president during each tenure. Passionate about giving back and making it his unrelenting personal goal to make the world a better place, Leigh has also distinguished himself by his dedication to philanthropy. He has received commendations from Congress, State Senate, State Legislature, the Los Angeles City Council, the Orange County Board of Supervisors, President Reagan, President Bush, and President Clinton. Leigh has been named “Man of the Year” over a dozen times by a variety of groups, including the March of Dimes, Cedars-Sinai, the Southern California Boy Scouts, the Orange County and Los Angeles Human Relations Commissions, the Orange County and Los Angeles divisions of the Anti-Defamation League, and several other professional and charitable organizations. He has also been awarded the “Keys to the City” in San Francisco, CA, Memphis, TN, Jacksonville, FL and Concord, CA and has even been honored with the declaration of “Leigh Steinberg Day” in San Francisco after his efforts to save the Giants. In 2017, Leigh was inducted into the California Sports Hall of Fame.

Over the course of his career, Leigh has been featured on numerous national television programs, including 60 Minutes, Larry King Live, The Today Show, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Frontline, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, and many more. He has been profiled in a host of magazines, including Business Week, Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine, People, Forbes, Playboy, GQ, and FHM. Leigh has also served as a consultant on several feature films and television series, including Jerry Maguire, Any Given Sunday, For Love of the Game, and Arli$$. Additionally, he has supplied his expertise on the business of sports and athletes for The Dan Patrick Show, The Jim Rome Show, and The Herd with Colin Cowherd, and multiple other radio and TV outlets. Leigh contributes a weekly column to Forbes, HuffPost, and the Daily Pilot and is a guest columnist at The New York Times, Sporting News, and Yahoo Sports. In addition, Leigh has penned notable articles such as “The Future of Sports” for the Sports Business Journal, “Around the NFL in 80 Million Dollars” for Inside Sports Magazine, and “The Future of Sport” for the Smithsonian Magazine.

In addition to his work in the industry, Leigh is also a best-selling author. His first book, Winning with Integrity, provides insight on how to improve life through non-confrontational negotiation, and his most recent book, The Agent: My 40-Year Career of Making Deals and Changing the Game, details his decades of dominance in the sports industry and sheds light on overcoming his personal struggles to launch his comeback. Leigh has been named one of the most powerful people in the NFL by Football Digest and one of the most powerful people in sports by Sporting News. He currently resides in Newport Beach and has three children.

During his 25 years at UCLA Anderson, Dean Antonio “Tony” Bernardo estimates he’s taught more than 5,000 students. Bernardo says some of the best moments are when students walk into his office to dig deeper into a business issue — to learn beyond the classroom material. “Everyone on the faculty I know loves meeting with a hard-working, motivated student,” he says.

In 2019, Bernardo was appointed UCLA Anderson’s ninth dean, effective July 1.

Bernardo’s research spans various areas of corporate finance. His recent research on bailouts provided a set of policy recommendations to lawmakers looking to design bailouts for distressed firms. His current research looks at optimal capital structures, or how much debt and equity financing a firm should have. It suggests that capital structure decisions are determined, in part, by the debt choices other firms in the industry are making.

Another area Bernardo is exploring involves optimal compensation of doctors, and designing compensation systems for health providers. “I tend to work on topics that are very diverse,” Bernardo says. “I learn a lot that way.”

In addition to having an impressive list of published papers and working papers, as well as receiving numerous teaching awards, Bernardo serves as associate editor of the Critical Finance Review and Financial Management.

Education

Ph.D. Economics, 1994, Stanford University

B.A. Economics, 1989, University of Western Ontario

Eric Johnson is the CEO and Founder of WON WORLDWIDE, a venture revenue advisory firm that builds revenue strategies and executions for sports media and entertainment businesses.  Most notably, WON has just helped to launch the ALLIANCE OF AMERICAN FOOTBALL new professional Spring football league on CBS Sports, Turner Sports and NFL Network.

Prior to that, Eric worked at ESPN for 18 years as the executive vice president of Global Advertising Revenue & Sales Operations. In this role, Johnson leads the U.S. and international multimedia ad sales team efforts.  He is responsible for all sales activity across all of ESPN’s businesses, including the ESPN television networks, ESPN Print and Digital Media, X Games, ESPN Syndication Events, ESPN Audio, ESPN Deportes, and espnW.  Outside of the U.S., he works directly with ESPN’s sales offices in Buenos Aires, San Paulo, London, Singapore, Sydney and Miami, Fla., to drive revenue for ESPN’s international properties.

In 2008, he was named #25 on the Mediaweek 50, a list of “the most indispensable executives shaping the future of media,” and was CABLE-FAX’s 2010 VP & Above Sales Person of the Year (Honorable Mention).  Additionally, under his leadership, ESPN’s multimedia sales teams have been honored by a 2012 Jack Myers survey that ranked ESPN’s #1 among TV sales organizations (tied with ABC).  This follows a recognition in 2008 from min (Media Industry Newsletter), which named Johnson’s team the “Multiplatform Sales Team of the Year.”

Currently, Johnson sits on the Board of Directors for IAB and MPA. He is also on the Advisory Board for VIDEONOMICS. Johnson’s tenure at ESPN began in 1999, where he served as an account executive for West Coast account television sales. In 2003, as a vice president of national ad sales, he took over management of the West Coast television sales team and served as senior vice president of multimedia sales, overseeing offices in Burbank and San Francisco, Calif. from 2006-2007.

Prior to joining ESPN, Johnson worked at TIME magazine in Los Angeles, following a term of service on the advertising agency side of the business.  From 1992-1999, Johnson worked as a media planning/strategist executive at Deustch LA, Grey Advertising, and Foote, Cone & Belding. Johnson graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1991 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics.

Jay Tucker is a marketer, educator, and technology leader with more than 20 years of experience in the technology, academic, and entertainment sectors. At UCLA’s Center for Management of Enterprise in Media, Entertainment and Sports (MEMES), Tucker is responsible for the center’s vision, thought leadership, educational offerings, and major events. In his role, he has built courses, partnerships, and conferences focused on technology and innovation within the entertainment sector.

In 2018, Jay launched a partnered initiative with Howard University that provides internships, tuition, and housing support to Howard students that enroll in UCLA’s summer courses focused on the business of entertainment and sports. Jay also drove the launch of a new online course that covers the sports business with an emphasis on providing athletes with a better understanding of the economic opportunities available to them. 

Jay is also a seasoned technology leader, and he is passionate about helping executives and entrepreneurs embrace disruption, drive innovation, and build powerful solutions. He has taught courses on technology management, digital media, and media literacy to professionals at corporations and nonprofit organizations. He also serves as an advisor to early stage ventures and nonprofit organizations.

 

Brian Mecum is currently a Vice President for Verizon, the largest wireless company in the United States.  Brian oversees the Device Technology organization, driving the LTE-M, NB-IoT, CBRS, 4G and 5G device ecosystems for future network evolution while optimizing existing device performance and architecture. Brian is responsible for tracking Verizon and industry network technology plans and ensuring that the connected objects roadmap across business channels is enabled to support the technical and business needs of the corporation. In this role, he works in collaboration with the Verizon Radio Network Planning group to ensure the device and connected objects alignment with network future-state infrastructure and capabilities.  This is done in collaboration with OEMs and device manufacturing stakeholders to identify and address new-device network requirements in conjunction with standards bodies (3GPP, GSMA, etc.) to lead the development of industry standards for new products and device technology.

Mecum is passionate about ushering in future technologies and cultivating new talent via leadership conferences for women and high potentials, and takes an active role in STEM outreach programs.

Prior to his current position, Brian held the position of West Territory Network Vice President  for Verizon Wireless where he had responsibilities for industry-leading voice and data networks for 28 states including 9 of the largest, most dense cities in the United States. 

Brian holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Management from the University of Arizona with a minor in Chemical Engineering.

Additionally, Brian is responsible for leading Verizon’s sports analytic’s technology development.  With his passion for athletics, technical foresight and strong relationships with top professional and collegiate programs, Brian has developed a vision to take sports science, sports broadcasting, and fan experience to its next level with 5G, MEC  (Multi-access Edge Computing) and data analytics.  Brian cemented the world’s 1st “5G performance lab” with the NBA’s Phoenix Suns in October 2020 after a year-and-a-half’s amalgamation of tech/partner research, design and installation.  These efforts enabled real-time shot analysis, player tracking and performance evaluation in the cloud, leveraging low-latency 5G speeds for game-time decision making and targeted player training/load management.

Since joining Verizon, he has served in a variety of roles including operations, planning, technology development, engineering, and finance. In these roles he has had an opportunity to shape Verizon’s network architecture and technical aspirations.