Our Staff and Faculty

Sky Andrew

(London, United Kingdom)

Sky Andrew is an English former Olympian and winner of three Commonwealth Gold medals, a World Cup silver and 14 National table tennis titles. After a successful career in sport, he started an agency, Skylet Andrew, in the 1990’s where he started representing acting clients such as Martine McCutcheon. In the mid-90's, Sky's friend, Sol Campbell, recommending he become FIFA certified and start representing athletes as well. Sky became the first Black Britch football agent, engineering Campbell's move from Tottenham Hotspur to Arsenal.

Current and past clients include soccer players Jermaine Pennant, Jonathan Fortune, Adam Kwasarey, Marvin Sordell and Jay Boothroyd. Other clients include James Anderson, Frank Bruno, TV presenters Sarah-Jane Mee and Natalie Sawyer.

Sky has won a Barclay's Bank "Man of Merit Award" in 2002 and was named the BEA Entrepreneur of The Year in 2003.

Mentor for Soccer Agent

Chris Baker

(North Carolina, United States)

Chris Baker is a graduate of Western Oregon University where he met Dr. Lynn Lashbrook after completing one of his courses at WOU. Chris interned at the Portland, Oregon SMWW office over the summer, and was able to complete a few of the courses including Sports Sales & Marketing, Coaching at the Next Level, and Baseball GM and Scouting. With the help of SMWW, Chris landed his first job with Adidas where he has been working since graduating college.

Mentor for Sports Product Marketing

Carl Berman

(Eugene, Oregon, United States)

Carl Berman is Managing Partner of NetScouts Basketball, an industry leader in International Basketball and one of the largest basketball scouting companies in the world. With scouts all over te world, NetScouts Basketball recruiting services are utilized by NCAA when recruiting college basketball players around the globe. In addition, NetScouts are consultants for professional teams internationally and domestically. Carl has studied and analyzed players, coaches and situations from the grassroots level to the highest tiers of NBA basketball.

Carl is also the Director of Sales, Basketball Division (North America) for InStat Sport. Ltd., a video performance analysis company. InStat has basketball clients throughout Europe and Latin America and is currently expanding into North America.

Carl has over 30 years of business, financial and operational management experience as well as significant experience in the basketball industry. In addition to finance, he has long-term experience in contract administration, negotiation, and marketing. He holds degrees from the University of Rhode Island and the University of Southern California and earned an MBA certificate from the Tuck Business School at Dartmouth College.

Carl oversees all media and business operations for NetScouts Basketball. He scouts college basketball extensively on the west coast, mainly the Pac-12, and takes several scouting trips to the east coast each season that includes coverage of prep school events and high school All-Star events. Carl is NetScouts Basketball’s representative in our partnership with Universal Hoops LLC, in organizing and managing the National Prep School Invitational, the oldest prep school tournament in the nation, held each February in Rhode Island.

Carl is one of the top experts on International Basketball in the country and has been a featured columnist for over a decade on International Basketball for Basketball Times. He has coordinated all the international NBA draft profiles for Turner Broadcasting on NBA.com. NetScouts Basketball’s NBA Mock Drafts are featured among the best mock drafts in the world on NBA.com. Carl is excellent in talent evaluation and has worked representing overseas teams. He is a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and has had his work featured in a host of publications and websites. Prior to starting NetScouts, Carl was the General Manager as well as Interim Head Coach and Assistant Coach for the Eugene Chargers of the International Basketball League.

Mentor for Basketball General Manager and Scouting

Jeff Brodie

(Portland, Oregon, United States)

Jeff is Vice President of Operations of Sports Management Worldwide. Jeff joined SMWW in 2008 and achieved the status of Director of Basketball Operations in 2009. He became an NBA-certified agent in 2010.  Jeff received his Bachelor of Science in Personal Finance from Oregon State University and his MBA at Marylhurst University. Combining his education and professional experience, Jeff has been in the finance industry for over 10 years. 

Jeff is widely respected for his relational talents, communication skills and his proven ability to motivate, train, and mentor associates. In 2014, Jeff became an NFL certified agent.

SMWW Football Agency 

Michael Brooks

(Kansas City, Missouri, United States)

Michael currently serves as the Executive Director of the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE). NACE is a nonprofit membership association organized by and on behalf of member institutions and is the largest association of varsity esports programs in North America. NACE’s members are developing the structure and tools needed to advance collegiate esports in the varsity space. Areas of collaboration include: Eligibility, Path to Graduation, Competition & Scholarships, IP Rights, and Program Implementation. NACE currently represents the majority of varsity esports programs as members, accounting for nearly all varsity programs across North America. Michael and his work with NACE has been featured on ABC’s Good Morning America, ESPN, Forbes, Fortune, NBC, SBJ, and many others.

Mentor for Business of Esports

Dino Caputo 

(Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada)

Dino is the Regional Scout for the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League. Based out of Lethbridge, AB, Caputo has been with the Americans for the past 8 years and his hockey experience includes working as an assistant coach at the University of Lethbridge and Head WHL Scout for 5 years with International Scouting Services. He has also been part of Hockey Canada's program of excellence as a former college hockey player for the same University of Lethbridge, he was an Academic All-Canadian and was nominated nationally for the Dr. Randy Gregg Award for leadership, academics, and community service.

In his 5-year junior hockey career, he played for WHL Victoria Cougars, BCHL Prince George Spruce Kings and captained the Trail Smoke Eaters.

Dino is also an instructor for SMWW's Hockey GM & Scouting Course. 
Follow Dino on Twitter: @dcap24

Clair Cornish

(Scugog, Ontario, Canada)

Clair has been involved in hockey his entire life - as a player, coach, and scout.

As a player, Clair was a member of the 1990 Memorial Cup Championship team the Oshawa Generals, playing along side future Hall of Famer Eric Lindros. Other teammates included Rob Pearson, Brent Grieve, Mike Craig, Iain Fraser, Bill Armstrong, Dale Craigwell, and Jarrod Skalde who all went on to play in the National Hockey League.

After his playing career, Clair focused on coaching and player development, spending 5 years as Coach of the Port Perry Mojacks Junior Hockey Club, before moving to the coaching staff of the Central Ontario Wolves AAA U18 Hockey Club. For the past 3 seasons, Clair has been a member of the scouting staff of the Guelph Storm in the Ontario Hockey League.

With the recent explosion of Hockey Analytics, Clair has been become knowledgeable in the application of analytics in hockey, having collaborated on a number of analytical projects with others working at the NHL, AHL and Junior levels of the game.

Clair joins the SMWW Faculty and will provide students involved in the Hockey Analytics course first hand knowledge of the various uses of Hockey Analytics in player and team evaluations.

Mentor for Hockey Analytics

Joel Corry

(Las Vegas, Nevada, United States)

Joel was a Sports Agent for 16 years, representing NFL & NBA players. In 1992 at Management Plus Enterprises, who represented top-level athletes including Ronnie Lott, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Shaquille O'Neal. Joel left Management Plus in 1995 to co-found Premier Sports and Entertainment, which focused on representing NFL players, college, and NFL coaches. He was the primary and co-negotiator of numerous NFL player contracts, including Hall of Famer John Randle's 5-year, $32.5 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings (1998), Patrick Surtain's 6-year, $44.63 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs (2005), which made Patrick the highest-paid player in the franchise's history. Randle's contract made him the NFL's highest-paid defensive player with unprecedented guarantees that have become the norm in the most lucrative NFL contracts. Other Premier clients included Pro Bowlers Eric Allen, Keenan McCardell, and Jimmy Smith. Joel served as a consultant with Management Plus for several years after starting Premier. As a consultant, he played an integral part in the negotiation of Shaquille O'Neal's Los Angeles Lakers contracts ($120 million over 7 years & subsequent 3-year, $88.3 million extensions). 

In 2012, Joel became a contributing writer for the National Football Post. He uses his NFL salary cap and collective bargaining agreement knowledge to provide a perspective on player salaries, contract negotiations and the salary cap that is rarely seen in the media. In 2013, Joel began writing for CBSSports.com on similar topics, but for a larger audience. Joel also appears regularly on radio shows, including SiriusXM NFL Radio. 

Mentor for Athlete Management - Sports Agent and Football Agent Certification Prep

Rick Curran

(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States)

Rick Curran, active Hockey Agent for over 40 years, has been in hockey representation longer than anyone else in the hockey industry. As of Forbes' 2019 agents list, he has negotiated almost $400 million in active contracts for the Orr Hockey Group, with his partner Bobby Orr. Over the years, Rick has represented notable clients including Brendan Shanahan, Adam Graves and Mark Recchi. Rick is known for how he utilized the then applicable Group 1 free agency and its leverage, to create new benchmarks for second contract signings within the NHL. Curran continued to make an impact on the salary marketplace when he negotiated the first $20+ million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on behalf of client Eric Lindros. Rick is a regular speaker at SMWW’s annual NHL Draft Career Conference.

Mentor for Hockey Agent

Mark Dominik

(Tampa Bay, Florida, United States)

Mark Dominik joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers staff at just 24 years old as a pro personnel assistant and worked his way up the ladder to General Manager while contributing to seven playoff teams and a Super Bowl championship. He developed the right skills to be hired and advance to the highest operations position, and now he's teaching them to people like you.

"We're going to talk about all the little steps you can take to become a scout or a general manager in the National Football League," says Dominik. "My mindset is to give you anything I can to help you find a way to distinguish yourself from anybody else." After leaving the Buccaneers in 2013, Dominik began working for ESPN as an analyst, adding a media perspective to his experience operating a team.

"I've seen a lot of ways people try to get openings or opportunities, I know what teams are looking for and I know what works and what doesn't," says the University of Kansas graduate. "The Football GM and Scouting course offered by SMWW, helps you learn how to get ahead, the right way. I think that I can help people break through a barrier that they weren't able to get through before."

In the Football GM and Scouting course, you will speak directly each week with Mark, an opportunity not many people get.

Mentor for Football GM & Scouting 

Dan Duquette

(Sandwich, Massachusetts, United States)

Dan Duquette is the former General Manager of the Baltimore Orioles. He was previously the General Manager of the Montreal Expos (1991–1994) and the Boston Red Sox (1994–2002). He is also the founder of the Dan Duquette Sports Academy. He has twice been named the Major League Baseball Executive of the Year by Sporting News (1992 with the Expos and 2014 with the Orioles).

He attended Amherst College where he was a catcher on the varsity baseball team and a linebacker on the football team. In the summer of 1977 at the age of 19, Duquette helped organize the Dalton Collegians, a semi-pro baseball team that operated out of his hometown. In college, Duquette was chosen to the 1979 Boston Herald American All New England College Division All Star team.

After college, Duquette’s baseball coach, Bill Thurston, recommended him to Harry Dalton, a fellow Amherst alumnus and General Manager of the Milwaukee Brewers. Duquette became a scouting assistant for the Brewers and worked in the scouting department for 7 years. In 1987, he was hired by the Montreal Expos as the Director of Player Development. He spent a few years in that position before being promoted to Vice President and General Manager in 1991.

Over the course of his six years with the Expos, Duquette had a hand in drafting players like Rondell White, Marquis Grissom, Cliff Floyd, Jose Vidro, Kirk Reuter, Javier Vasquez, and many more Major League players. He also signed players like Vladimir Guerrero, John Wetteland, and Larry Walker. The Expos were competitive from 1992 to 1994, and they had attained the best record in baseball prior to the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike that ended the season prematurely.

In 1994, Duquette returned to Massachusetts to become the General Manager of the Boston Red Sox. He spent eight years at the helm of his hometown team. The Red Sox achieved a record of 656–574 under Duquette, setting attendance records and appearing in the playoffs on three separate occasions (1995, 1998, and 1999). The team won the American League East division in 1995.

As the Red Sox GM, Duquette made several notable moves, including drafting Nomar Garciaparra in 1994 and trading for Pedro Martínez in 1997 (and signing him to a six-year, $75 million contract). He is also known for letting Roger Clemens leave in free agency in 1996. Many of the players that Duquette drafted or signed were on the Red Sox 2004 World Series championship team. He is largely considered to have laid the groundwork for that team by signing and drafting players like Tim Wakefield, Johnny Damon, Jason Varitek, Manny Ramirez, Derek Lowe, and Kevin Youkilis. In 2002, Duquette was dismissed from his general manager post less than 24 hours after the Red Sox had officially been sold to a new ownership group.

Duquette largely stayed out of Major League Baseball for 9 years. In 2003, he opened the Dan Duquette Sports Academy, a sports training center in Hinsdale, Massachusetts designed for children aged 8 to 18. In 2004, he became the owner of the New England Collegiate Baseball League’s Pittsfield Dukes (later the Pittsfield American Defenders and now the Mystic Schooners). During his ownership tenure, the Dukes/American Defenders played at his sports academy in Hinsdale and later at Wahconah Park in Pittsfield. In 2008, he was part of an ownership group that included Buddy Lewis, Terry Allvord, and Jerry O'Connor that purchased what would become known as the American Defenders of New Hampshire, (later the Pittsfield Colonials). He relinquished ownership of both clubs in 2009 and 2010.

Duquette returned as the General Manager of the Baltimore Orioles in November 2011. In 2012, the team made the playoffs for the first time since 1997. In 2014, the Orioles won the American League East with 96 wins and made it to the American League Championship Series. Duquette was dismissed after the 2018 season.

Mentor for Baseball Player Development

Gary Ellis

(Indianapolis, Indiana, United States) 

Gary Ellis began his career in motorsports broadcasting live radio reports from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Memorable interviews include Mario Andretti and IMS President, Tony Hulman. His work also included sales and parade operations for the 500 Festival Association. Ellis enjoyed a successful career with Kellogg’s product sales, but stayed in motor racing, writing the original marketing brief that launched Kellogg’s 10+ year sponsorship of Hendrick Motorsports in NASCAR. During this time, Gary developed and launched Kellogg’s first licensed merchandise retail program, providing retailers with NASCAR products and co-sponsorships on the Kellogg’s car. After managing several media campaigns for Kellogg’s, Ellis received an offer to join the newly-created CBS Promotions Group in Chicago. While he managed many programs, the “The Stoli MiGs” jet air show team featuring Soviet-era MiG-17’s, is the most enduring. Gary managed sponsor relationships with Stoli, later with Smirnoff, and successfully transitioned the jet team into The Patriots L-17’s, which continue to perform before NASCAR and IndyCar races at Sonoma Raceway and other air shows on the West Coast. 

In 2010, Ellis launched a consumer products consulting company, guiding fledgling companies into retail distribution. No longer bound by a corporate schedule, he joined IndyCar, traveling the world with the Timing and Scoring Team. Along the way, he’s built new relationships with racing teams and renewed old ones. Downloading transponder data for the Indy Racing Experience allows time for “bench racing” with Arie Luyendyk, Davey Hamilton, and the legendary, Mario Andretti, who now drives the two-seater for IndyCar. And no, Mario doesn’t remember that first interview with Gary. 

Mentor for Motorsports Management Course 

Dan Evans

(Boulder, Colorado, United States) 

A former Los Angeles Dodgers General Manager, Dan has been in professional baseball for four decades and has had decision-making roles with five MLB franchises.

He is the Chief Operating Officer of Go The Distance Baseball, LLC. In that role, he oversees The Field of Dreams movie site regarding strategy, events, planning, governmental relationships, design, construction, and personnel. Hall of Famer Frank Thomas is the CEO of Go The Distance Baseball, LLC.

On April 14, 2022, the group announced they would build a privately-funded $80 million baseball and softball complex on the Field of Dreams Movie Site property, providing year-round instruction and tournaments for male and female youth and adult athletes, plus significant entertainment and retail. The venue will also feature barracks and dorms for participants, a 5000-seat amphitheater, an inclusive playground, a 108,000-square-foot indoor field house, an RV park, and a 104-room hotel. The ground was broken in September 2022 on the project.

Evans is also the President of the This Is Iowa Ballpark, Inc Board of Directors, a non-profit board that will build a multi-purpose facility on the Field of Dreams Movie Site property that will host approximately 60-70 events annually, ranging from big league games to college tournaments, high school events, concerts, conferences, potentially a collegiate wood bat team, community events, and special events.

Proficient in social media, Forbes recently cited Evans’ Twitter account (@DanEvans108) as among the "Top 100 Must-Follow Sports Business Twitter Accounts," It is the only account authored by a baseball executive. In addition, Evans has been cited by Twitter, Baseball America, Mashable, and Bleacher Report as a “Must-Follow” Twitter feed. His LinkedIn profile has been among the Top 1% viewed for sports-related accounts for the last decade, and his about.me website is the most-viewed of any baseball executive.

Mentor for Baseball GM & Scouting 

Lee Fraser

(Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom)

Lee has been with Newcastle United FC for over 14 years as a Technical Scout, Talent ID & Data Analyst, while also consulting in analytics for many soccer operations, including for the South African "Road to World Cup" in 1998, the UEFA Champions League in 2003, the UEFA Cup from 2003 – 2007 and the Welsh FA in 2007.

Mentor for Soccer Analytics

Philip Hamilton

(Vancouver, BC, Canada)

Philip is the Vice President of Global Merchandising for Lululemon. He brings a proven, 25-year global track record in the Performance, Casual, Action Sports and Outdoor industry to SMWW. He has gained product management experience in both performance and sportswear/lifestyle footwear, apparel and equipment/accessories in Europe, Asia, and the USA.  Philip has held senior leadership positions at NIKE and The North Face (VF Corporation). More recently, Philip has consulted with various brands in the industry and is a full-time executive recruiter for Martens & Heads. His global brand and industry background and recruiting activities have helped him build an extensive industry network. 

Mentor for Sports Product Management 

Jeremy Henderson

(Shawnee, Kansas, United States)

Jeremy Henderson - A co-founder of WoO (Wizards of Odds) Technologies out of Las Vegas and he has accumulated a decade’s worth of experience in sports betting. After graduating from University of Missouri, Jeremy focused in on his entrepreneurial roots and started working in the Consumer Goods Industry, the Secondary Ticket Market, and rehabbing houses to flip and provide rental income. Jeremy has a knack for finding avenues to generate income and fulfill his business focused personality. One thing remained true through all of his ventures, his passion for sports and sports betting stayed true and he couldn’t help but want to build his bankroll. In 2014, Jeremy hit his stride in the sports betting market by hitting on 80-1 odds for UCONN to win the NCAA Basketball Tournament, and his Secondary Ticket business was booming with the Broadway hit, Hamilton. From here he saw the chance to turn his passion into a business and becoming self-employed as a sports bettor.

Jeremy noticed that lots of the skills that are used and required by Points of Sales providers are translatable to Sports Bettors. Accounting, automation tools, report generation, positions on specific events, taking buy and sale orders, and monitoring the market. He has been working on these skills for years and combing that with his love of sports and sports betting, the chance to make his dream a reality was too good to pass up.

Model building is a major part of the sports betting market and Jeremy had a desire to build his own software to help expedite his manual system that was keeping him from taking his sports betting to the next level. In 2015, he was introduced to a software engineer that shared a similar passion for the sports betting market and after going through their trial and error process, they’ve been able to build sustainable profits for the last 4 years.

A born networker, Jeremy’s professional connections have grown immensely has he has created his models, founded WoO Technologies, and travels to Vegas monthly to work with other bettors and model builders. Jeremy has a great industry insight and can be a great conduit for providing industry contacts and resources that can help the students of Sports Betting with an Edge, take their game to the next level.

Jeremy has a desire to help wide audience learn more about sports betting. Those who are looking to get the basics and learn how they can start, the pro-style bettor who wants to learn how they can build or tweak their own models, media personnel who need to know how to cover lines and odds in regards to sports, and those who wish to work on the other side of the counter as a bookmaker.

Mentor for Sports Betting

Mick Hogan

(Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom)

Mick Hogan has been involved in Rugby League & Rugby Union for his entire 22-year career. A graduate of the Sports Studies degree course at Northumbria University he has worked for both governing bodies (Rugby Football League & Rugby Football Union) as well as CEO/Managing Director for top-flight rugby clubs Wigan Warriors, Sale Sharks and Newcastle Falcons. Mick has also set up three charitable rugby foundations as well as serving on the board of Premiership Rugby on two separate occasions.

Mick originally started his career as the North East Rugby League Development Officer. After this role, he joined Gateshead Thunder as Community Marketing Manager for their one year in Super League. In 2000 he crossed the River Tyne to join rugby union club Newcastle Falcons as Head of Marketing for two seasons before moving to Premiership Rugby as Head of Community Development.

Whilst at Premiership Rugby, Mick worked with all twelve Premiership clubs on their community marketing programs and attracted support from Powergen for the inaugural National Community Rugby Programme. He also worked on the first two Premiership Finals at Twickenham as well as personally developing the London Double Header concept – where over 70,000 fans annually attend the season-opening games in London.
In 2004, Mick returned to Newcastle Falcons as Commercial Director where over the next four seasons the club established attendance records and league-high levels for both sponsorship and retail sales. In 2008, a move to rugby league's Wigan Warriors as CEO saw two seasons that culminated in the club's first Grand Final success in twelve years. Mick then spent two years as CEO of Sale Sharks and led the negotiations for the club's move from Stockport to a new purpose-built rugby stadium in Salford. At both Wigan and Sale Mick set up and chaired both clubs' charitable Community Rugby Foundations.

In 2012, Mick set up his sports consultancy – MMG Sports Ltd. He worked for two and a half years for England 2015, the organizing body for the 2015 Rugby World Cup which will be staged in twelve English cities as well as Cardiff. The work for England 2015 saw Mick head up City Delivery and he managed the process that identified and selected the thirteen host cities for the Tournament.

Now back at Newcastle for a third spell, Mick is currently Managing Director at Newcastle Falcons as well as Chairman of the Falcons Community Foundation. The club has also acquired Newcastle Thunder Rugby League and will deliver the official Rugby World Cup Fanzone on behalf of the City Council.

Mentor for Rugby Business Management 

Ken Jacobs

(Melbourne, Australia)

From 1980 to 2007 Ken Jacobs managed the significant growth in Australian Cricket as CEO of Cricket Victoria in Melbourne, Australia. Jacobs was responsible for the management of an increase in participation levels from 100,000 to 185,000 across 1,100 cricket clubs in Victoria and a growth in revenue from $500,000 to $25 million. He was also responsible for the implementation of Cricket Victoria's first strategic plan, its renowned local government and volunteer recognition program and the development of the intellectual property and branding program for the Boxing Day Test Match. Jacobs was engaged by the International Cricket Council as Event Manager for the staging of Cricket's ICC World Cup in the Caribbean region.

Cricket Victoria is also responsible for the staging of international cricket matches in Melbourne at the world-famous Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on behalf of Cricket Australia and during his period as CEO Ken was involved in the management and delivery of many international matches involving all of the major Test match playing countries - this included the iconic Boxing Day Test matches played at the venue each, the 1992 World Cup; and a host of one-day international matches played at the venue.

Jacobs now manages his own consultancy business and has recently been engaged in the development of a strategic plan for a significant state sporting body, a national sponsorship agreement and equipment review to benefit cricket clubs and Associations throughout Australia, consulting work for one of Australia's leading national sports travel companies, and has also been involved in the development and implementation of a corporate Twenty20 cricket competition in Melbourne.

Mentor for Cricket Business Management Course

Hank Jones

(Vancouver, Washington, United States)

For nearly 40 years Hank Jones worked the Pacific Northwest region as a trusted scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers, helping the organization win two World Series (1981, 1988) and succeeding under four different ownership groups, seven general managers and five scouting directors. Often when there is an organizational regime change, the scouting staff is turned over to new members. But not Hank. His reputation in MLB is beyond reproach, and every new GM and scouting director wanted Jones to stay on their staff. A slick-fielding middle infielder, Jones was drafted in the 15^th round of the MLB Draft to the San Francisco Giants in 1972. He played three seasons in the Giants minor league system before joining the Dodgers organization in 1976 Rule 5 Draft. For the rest of his career in baseball, he represented Dodger blue.  

As a scout, Jones was assigned to the Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, Hawaii, and Western Canada areas. He was a fixture during the draft, often the only amateur scout allowed in the room due to his highly sought-after judgment and reputation. His expertise is baseball scouting, player evaluation and understanding organizational decision making is beyond compare. Sign up for SMWW’s Baseball GM and Management online course and you can learn from this pillar of the game.

Mentor for the Baseball GM and Scouting Course

Bret Kanis

(Pensacola, Florida, United States) 

Bret Kanis is an agent/attorney with the Hightower Law Firm in Pensacola, Florida. Mr. Kanis is a certified player agent with the National Basketball Players Association. Mr. Kanis' agent practice primarily involves representing professional basketball players, both in the U.S. and internationally; however, he also has experience in representing professional baseball, football, and hockey players as well as basketball coaches. Mr. Kanis has sports marketing experience, having worked with professional and Olympic athletes with respect to their endorsements and marketing as well as a minor league sports league with respect to league-wide sponsorships. Mr. Kanis' legal practice primarily involves representing closely-held businesses and their owners in all aspects of general business and tax law (including the formation of business entities, the acquisition and disposition of businesses and tax planning) as well as estate planning. As part of Mr. Kanis' legal practice, he has represented professional athletes in contract negotiations, contract disputes and their off-the-field business ventures and personal matters; ownership groups in their potential purchase of professional sports franchises; and student-athletes in issues relating to their National Letter of Intent.

Mr. Kanis graduated with a B.S.B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis; a J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law; and an LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law. Mr. Kanis received the highest grade in his sports law class where his professors were prominent sports agents, Dan Fegan (basketball) and Barry Axelrod (baseball). Upon graduation from law school, for 2 years Mr. Kanis co-authored a bi-weekly sports law article that was published in the George Washington Law School, Pepperdine Law School, and Hofstra Law School Newspapers. Throughout his career, Mr. Kanis has had the opportunity to work with high-round draft picks, Hall of Fame athletes and Olympic Gold medalists in various capacities as an agent and attorney. Bret is a regular speaker at both our Portsmouth Basketball Invitational Career Conference and the Vegas Summer League Games Basketball Career Conference.

Mentor for Athlete Management – Sports Agent 

Ari Kaplan

(Chicago, Illinois, United States) 

In the live interactive weekly audio chats, you will get to know Ari Kaplan. Ari is a leading figure in sports analytics, having worked with over half of all MLB organizations and many global sports media organizations. His baseball career spans 25 seasons, and Sports Illustrated named Ari "Top Ten General Manager Candidate". He received Caltech's "Alumni of the Decade" distinction for pioneering groundbreaking sabermetrics used to evaluate pitcher talent. Crain's Chicago Business also recognized Kaplan's work in business, baseball, and humanitarian endeavors by including him in their annual "40 Under 40" cover story.

Kaplan is President of Scoutables with Fred Claire, the former World Champion Dodger GM. Scoutables has provided advance scouting and analytics to broadcast and online media and over half of all MLB organizations. In 2010, Cubs owner Tom Ricketts brought in Kaplan to create and lead the organization's analytics department. Kaplan's work included roster strategy, forecasting, advance scouting, player/coach game preparation, Minor League player development, draft analysis, international, arbitration, financial, budgeting, marketing, and community outreach. During his tenure, Kaplan led the in-house analytical and technical transformation. Taking this course will be similar to sitting in his office for one hour every week. An opportunity of a lifetime for baseball sabermetricians.

Ari is one of the few long-term baseball leaders with a proven track record at Fortune 500 companies, as well as successfully running several high-profile organizations as CEO or President. On the media front, Ari co-authored five best-selling books on analytics, databases, and baseball. Ari's work has been profiled on CNN, Chris Matthews, and the Today Show. One of Ari's high-profile analytics projects was turned into a documentary on the History Channel.

Mentor for Baseball Analytics

James Kerti

(Yachats, Oregon, United States) 

James Kerti is a basketball scout and consultant who has offered strategic advice and recommendations regarding personnel decisions and organizational future to 50+ college and NBA teams since 2012. Topics of focus include player and asset valuation, market analysis, salary cap management, film review and analysis, draft and free agent strategy, and live scouting college practices and games including background interviews. He completed Sports Management Worldwide's Digital Video Editing with Synergy and Basketball GM & Scouting courses. He participated in a panel on scouting at Sports Management Worldwide's Basketball Career Conference in Las Vegas in 2013.

Mentor for Digital Video Editing Course with Synergy Sports

Adam Klimek

(Portland, Oregon, United States) 

Adam is a  native of Green Bay, Wisconsin, Adam Klimek is a graduate of University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (2000) with a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing.  Adam is a transplant to Portland, Oregon and was the GM of a restaurant and brewery in Gresham, Oregon for 10 years.  Adam now works personally with NFL Agent Dr. Lynn Lashbrook, assisting him with recruiting NFL prospects.  He also works with NBA agents Jeff Brodie and Brett Kanis in recruiting NBA and European basketball players.  He works very hard at maintaining self-actualization that reflects a person with high moral, cultural and ethical standards. Adam offers assistance in contract negotiations, financial and investment services, income opportunities with appearances, and product endorsements.

Adam coached football for 10 years with the Green Bay Eastside Bulldogs. Currently, Adam is a Sports Career Counselor, helping people fulfill their sports dream job.

Learn More about SMWW Agency

Dr. Jim Krause

(Kirkland, Washington, United States)

Dr. Jim Krause, President of Winning Sports Programs and Board Chairman of WSE International, brings a wealth of experience to anyone in coaching. Coach Krause has had a 25+ year coaching career with stops at every level, including top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the University of Oregon basketball team under Jim Haney. Dr. Krause's coaching experience has included basketball, football, softball, baseball and golf at the university level and basketball, men's and women's soccer and softball at High School.

Jim's diverse background as an athletic director, coach, and professional sports president, general manager, event coordinator, and teacher enables him to guide and train you for any situation. If experience truly is the best teacher Dr. Jim Krause is your greatest asset in learning after having worked or consulted for: The University of Oregon, NABC Convention & NCAA Final Four, DGI (Sports Association of Denmark), 1996 Olympics, Alabama A&M University, University of Alabama, GM of the Huntsville Fire (professional sports team), Title IX Consultant, YMCA, and the NAIA National Office.

Dr. Krause has authored three books on the game of basketball including Guardians of the Game, a Legacy of Leadership, and believes building championship programs is a process that can be learned and repeated regardless of sport or level.

Mentor for Coaching at the Next Level and Sports Administration 

Kristen Kuliga

(Rhode Island, United States)

Kristen Kuliga has worked in the sports and entertainment industry for over 20 years and is currently Senior Vice President of Business Development at Vanguard Sports Group, an agency led by Joby Branion with clients including the Denver Broncos Von Miller, LA Chargers Kennan Allen and the New England Patriots Marcus Cannon. Kristen Kuliga has worked in the sports and entertainment industry for over 20 years and is currently Senior Vice President of Business Development at Vanguard Sports Group, an agency led by Joby Branion with clients including the Denver Broncos Von Miller, LA Chargers Kennan Allen and the New England Patriots Marcus Cannon.

As a sports agent, Kuliga has represented more than a hundred NFL players and was the first woman to negotiate a starting quarterback’s contract when Doug Flutie signed a $33 million deal with the Chargers.

Kristen also has extensive experience leading marketing and endorsement efforts for many NFL, NBA, and MLB players with brands including NIKE, Reebok, McDonald’s, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Coca-Cola, Dunkin Donuts, Cadillac, Flutie Flakes and more.

A trailblazer at heart who is unafraid to take risks and lean into new ideas and opportunities, Kristen’s ability to visualize the cohesion of a brand, and revenue potential, make her one of the leading voices in athlete marketing.

Mentor for Athlete Marketing and Branding

Jon LaForce

(Hamden, Connecticut, United States)

Jon has been a Sports Career Advisor with Sports Management Worldwide for five years. He has helped thousands of students get their foot in the sports industry door, helping to start their careers in the field they love. A truly devoted advisor, Jon knows the ends and outs of all our courses and can help guide you in the direction best suited for you. Jon is a History graduate of the University of Wisconsin – LaCrosse, and moved out to Portland and followed his passion in the sports industry. Jon has an extensive understanding of statistics, prospects, free agency, recruiting and drafts particularly in NFL, NBA, MLB, and NCAA Basketball and is eager to share this knowledge with students. Jon knows who is doing the hiring and what they look for in new hires.

Contact Jon if you would like more information on SMWW Career Course and how they might help you! 

Russ Lande

(Chicago, Illinois, United States)

With over 20 years of scouting experience in the NFL, CFL, and XFL, Russ Lande provides a great perspective into the ins and outs of professional scouting.

Beginning his scouting career as a part-time unpaid recruiting intern with the UCLA Bruins at just 22 years old, Lande eventually got paid for his hard work, becoming a scouting administrator with the Los Angeles Rams in 1994. After four years with the Rams, Lande began delving into the publishing and media side of scouting, founding GM Jr. Scouting, crafting an annual NFL draft guide, consulting with CBS Sports and eventually writing for the Sporting News, National Football Post and Sports on Earth.

Lande spent four years as the Midwest Blesto scout with the Cleveland Browns and is now the U.S. College Scouting Director for the Montreal Alouettes.

When you take the Football GM and Scouting course, Lande will personally assist you with your scouting reports to ensure you are properly trained to meet the standards and qualifications of the NFL & CFL.

Mentor for Football GM & Scouting

Liz Lashbrook

(Portland, Oregon, United States)

Liz Lashbrook is the Executive Director of Sports Management Worldwide and a 30-year veteran of the sports industry in sales, marketing, advertising, project management and taking care of what needs taking care of.

Liz has been an integral part of the growth of SMWW since her beginning with the company in 2004 when there was just one course, one conference and one faculty member (her husband and business partner, Dr. Lashbrook). Now, SMWW offers over 29 courses, has 50 faculty members and hosts industry-leading sports career conferences 8 times per year at major sports events including the NFL combine, Baseball's Winter Meetings, the NHL Draft and the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.   

It all started with a one-month sabbatical, where Liz imagined she would take some time to help Dr. Lashbrook grow SMWW. That one-month sabbatical turned into a decade-plus of growing the business through her efforts in marketing, advertising, developing the sales force and the business's online presence. A small ambitious company with 100 or so students has since developed into the most respected online sports skills training company with over 15,000 alumni hailing from over 162 countries.

An expert in advertising Liz has worked with SLAM, Hockey News, Hockey Now, Cricketer, Sports Business Journal, Sports Pro Magazine, Baseball America, WorldSoccer, FourFourTwo, Rugby World, Fox Sports News, ESPN Radio, ESPN, Fight Magazine, Sherdog, National Speedsport News, and National Dragster to help grow the SMWW brand.

Prior to joining SMWW, Liz was the Sales & Marketing Manager for Cascade Athletic Clubs, a small family-owned chain of clubs in Oregon and Washington. Tasked with managing over 20 salespeople at five different athletic facilities in the region, Liz handled the marketing efforts for the corporation and was an active speaker in the health club industry at regional and national conferences.

At SMWW, Liz focuses on just about everything, with a mission to improve the student experience while increasing the probability of students attaining a sports job.

Dei Lynam

Growing up in a sports family provided Dei Lynam career focus from an early age. Her father Jim, was a coach in college and pro, most notably as head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers and then Washington Bullets in the 1980s and 90s. 

But it was Jim's first assistant job in the NBA that gave Dei the bug for the sports industry. When he was named an assistant coach with the Portland Trail Blazers, Dei, just 15 years old, began working with the Blazers production crew, holding the mic in team huddles. She was hooked!

Since those teenage years, Dei's career has flourished. Executive producer for NBA Entertainment, sports anchor, sideline reporter, analyst, radio host - she has done it all. For 20 years she was a fixture with the Philadelphia 76ers as a sideline reporter for Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia, building relationships with some of the most iconic stars in the NBA stage including Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, and Charles Barkley. 

Mentor for Sports Broadcasting

Doug MacLean

Doug MacLean spent 24 years in the National Hockey League serving in many management and coaching capacities including NHL President, GM, and Head Coach. In addition, Doug is a beloved former Canadian sportscaster working in television and radio as a Hockey Analyst with Sportsnet Canada for 9 years. In 2023, Doug became a Best Selling author with his first book "Draft Day" and has consistently hit the bestseller lists in Canada.

Doug was the President, General Manager, of the Columbus Blue Jackets for 10 years. Prior to that, MacLean was Head Coach of the Florida Panthers. MacLean is probably best known for leading the then-upstart Florida Panthers team to the Eastern Conference championship and playing in the Stanley Cup Finals. The next two years, Doug went on to lead the Florida Panthers to the Eastern Conference playoffs.

MacLean served as Assistant Coach with the St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals and Associate Coach and Assistant GM of the Detroit Red Wings, including a stint as the GM for the AHL Adirondack Red Wings. MacLean's first professional head coach position came in 1990 when he was sent to the Baltimore Skipjacks, the Capitals' AHL affiliate, Doug started his coaching career at the Junior A and University levels in Canada.

Doug clearly succeeded at every level of hockey, working up the ladder and now he wants to give back and assist you with your hockey career in the Hockey GM & Scouting Course. Register for the course and get to know Doug in the weekly Zoom chats. Catapult your hockey career.

Mentor for Hockey GM & Scouting

Matt Martin

(Sacramento, California, United States) 

Matt Martin is the Director of the Academy Scouting Network for Real Salt Lake (RSL). Matt manages a nationally dispersed group of scouts for MLS’ premier residence and academy development set up. Real Salt Lake's Academy is a leader in youth development with multiple players representing RSL in the youth national team and even more, working their way into the first team MLS team and USL Real Monarchs. Matt reports directly to Asst GM, Elliot Fall, and Academy Director, Martin Vasquez, under the vision of GM, Craig Waibel.

Prior to RSL, Matt spent 3 years as Domestic Scouting Director at Portland Timbers FC (2015 to 2018). Matt developed a scouting network under John Pascarella at Sporting KC from 2011 to 2015. He trained and managed the network after being a regional scout (2008-2011) in MLS’ first scouting network developed by Jeff Agoos, Technical Director and Head Scout for New York Red Bulls. Matt also worked for The Scouting Network (TSN of London, ENG) under Derek Bragg from 2007 to 2009.

Mentor for Soccer Analytics and Soccer GM & Scouting

Mushtaque Mohammed

(United States)

Mushtaque Mohammed is currently the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Vice-President. Mushtaquee is from Trinidad and Tobago and has been involved in Sports Administration for over 35 years. As the Senior Sports Officer at the University of Trinidad and Tobago, Mushtaque lectures in the Department of Kinesiology, Physical Education, and Sports. He holds a Master's Degree in Sports Organisation Management and Sports for Development. In Trinidad and Tobago, he served in various roles in Sports Administration which includes General Secretary and President of the Trinidad and Tobago Volleyball Federation (TTVF) for over twenty-five years and had a sixteen-year stint at the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee, firstly as an Executive Member, then as a Vice President. Mushtaque has worked at the last four Olympic Games. Regionally, he has been President of the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association since 1994 and in 1992 he joined the North, Central America, and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) as a board member but currently serves as an Executive Vice President. He is also Vice President of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and President of the Development Commission. Mushtaque is a very powerful administrator in the Volleyball sector that includes managing and evaluating officials.

In 2012 and 2016 he participated Olympic Games as an International Technical Official on behalf of the FIVB. He believes that Sport is an avenue to assist the development of people not only physically, but also to shape their characters and wellbeing. In a society where there is so much need for mentoring youths, he decided to dedicate his life towards making this contribution. Mushtaque is excited to assist and mentor you with your career path.

Mentor for Sports Administration

Jen Mueller

(Seattle, Washington, United States) 

Jen Mueller, America’s Expert Talker, pursued a career in sports broadcasting after repeated comments of “talks too much” from teachers and family members. Jen currently works as a member of the Seattle Mariners television broadcast on ROOT SPORTS and as the Seattle Seahawks sideline radio reporter.

Jen founded Talk Sporty to Me in 2009 as a way to leverage sports fandom in business conversations. She provides practical conversation strategies based on more than 15 years spent in sports broadcasting.

Jen is the author of two books, Talk Sporty to Me: Thinking Outside the Box Scores and Game Time: Learn to Talk Sports in 5 Minutes a Day for Business.

A life-long sports fan, Jen spent 10 years as a high school football official. She graduated from Southern Methodist University in 2000 with degrees in broadcast journalism and public policy.

Michael Oke

(Sunderland, Ontario, Canada)

Mike Oke is the Peterborough Petes' General Manager. Prior to his role with the Petes, he worked with International Scouting Services (ISS) as Chief Scout and was promoted to the position of General Manager/Chief Scout in September of 2008. Among his many duties, Oke was responsible for overseeing the day to day operations of ISS as well as the scouting staffs responsible for producing reports on players eligible for the NHL Draft, as well as the WHL, QMJHL, OHL, and CHL Import Drafts. 

Mike was an Assistant Coach in charge of video with Team Pacific at the 2008 WorldUnder 17 Hockey Challenge, worked as the Director of Player Personnel and Assistant Coach with the Oshawa Generals from 2004-2006. He spent four years as Assistant Coach at Wilfrid Laurier University of the Ontario University Athletic Association, where he played a role in the Hawks trip to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) National Hockey Championships in 2001 as well as four years as Full-Time Head Coach/Manager with the Trenton Sting of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League, winning the OPJHL Eastern Conference Championship in 1998. He is a graduate of the Sports Administration program at Durham College. 

Mentor for Hockey Analytics and Hockey GM & Scouting

Dean Oliver

(Washington, District of Columbia, United States) 

Dean is known as a pioneer in the analytics that helps govern many basketball teams, from the NBA to high school. His book, Basketball on Paper, was written at the same time as Moneyball and helped him to enter the NBA in 2004 as the first statistical consultant, working for the Seattle Supersonics. He has since worked with several other NBA teams' front offices and has been part of several very successful organizations. Dean went to ESPN during the 2011 NBA lockout, where he headed up the development of their sports analytics group, working on both basketball and football with on-air talent, producers, and executives at the company.

He earned a bachelor's degree in engineering at Caltech while playing on the basketball team. While serving as an Advanced Scout in college basketball, Oliver received his Ph.D. in environmental engineering at North Carolina and Stanford. Dean's work has been published in numerous places, is in regular use on television and radio, and he is often asked to give talks to business and educational groups. His book has been lauded by legendary basketball coach Dean Smith, and by sabermetrics pioneer, Bill James.

Mentor for Basketball Analytics

Chuck Patterson

(Columbus, Ohio, United States) 

Dr. Chuck Patterson, founder and President of Career Planners, has a doctorate in higher and adult education with over 30 years of experience as an academic advisor, athletic counselor and college instructor at The Ohio State University, the University of Missouri and Miami University of Ohio, along with high school experience as a guidance counselor, teacher, and coach.

Dr. Patterson is a published author and lecturer in the fields of career exploration, student development, academic success and athletic counseling; a member of the National Academic Advising Association and served as an advisor on college athletic policies, regulations, and ethics to professional sports management personnel. 

Dr. Patterson consults with SMWW students, helping to make key decisions in the students' sports career plans.

Dewayne N. Penney

(Portland, Oregon, United States) 

Dewayne Penney has been a Sports Career Advisor at Sports Management Worldwide since 2017. He attended Ulysses Grant High School in Portland, Oregon, and his Bachelor of Business Administration at Warner Pacific University (2013). He is also in the process of attending the “Master of Business Administration” degree program at WPU in the fall (2021).

Dewayne is widely respected for his sports knowledge, communication skills, mentorship, and ability to develop the skills and knowledge you need to succeed. Being an ex-athlete has really inspired him to help others achieve their goals.

Nick Polk

Nick Polk, former NFL Atlanta Falcons Director of Football Operations for 17 seasons, was responsible for Salary Cap Management including draft negotiations, contract proposals, player contracts, coaches contracts, trades and trade value analysis, CBA Compliance, football budgets, League liaison, daily cap monitoring and strategy.

Who wouldn’t want to learn from Nick for one hour a week?! He has sat across the table negotiating with hundreds of agents and he knows what works and what doesn’t work on behalf of clients, players and coaches. Prior to Atlanta Falcons, Nick worked his way up the ladder from coaching at NCAA D1-D3 schools, and then moved on to the Football Administration side with NFL Europe and Arena League. If you want to work on the team side, Nick will help you grow in your position. If you are an agent, who wants to improve their knowledge of contract negotiation, Nick will share his first hand experiences of do’s and dont's.

Mentor for Salary Cap Analysis & Contract Negotiation Course

Phil Pritchard

(Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

Pritchard, a lifelong hockey fan and so-called hockey player, travels the globe to promote the game of hockey, the Hockey Hall of Fame and the museum as well as exhibits its collection. Phil has visited more than 35 countries and attended a number of key amateur and pro hockey events, including the Olympic Games and World Championships.

Since joining the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988, Phil has been instrumental in the museum’s growth, including its 1993 move to Toronto and, more recently, the 2009 opening of the new home of the museum’s vast archival collections.  The D.K. “Doc” Seaman Hockey Resource Centre and Archives now occupy approximately 18,000 square feet in Toronto’s Lakeshore West district. The state-of-the-art research center further supports the Hockey Hall of Fame's continued growth and development. The facility is also is the permanent training and practice facilities for both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlies Hockey clubs.

Part of his duties includes traveling with the Stanley Cup, a position he has held since his first week on the job. As “Keeper of the Cup”, Phil has also gained great notoriety for his role of walking the Stanley Cup out onto the ice to be presented to the NHL champions, a duty he has performed since 1994. The trophy is given to each player of the championship team for a day which means Pritchard travels more than 150 days a year.  He was also part of the “priceless” Mastercard television ads and more recently the Discover “Peggy” commercials as well as the Honda Fit and Enterprise commercials, he has also been in several different television shows and specials promoting the Stanley Cup.

In addition to his responsibilities with the Hockey Hall of Fame, Phil has served for many years on the Board of Directors for the International Sports Heritage Association (ISHA) as well as the Canadian Association of Sport Heritage (C.A.S.H).  Pritchard is a committee member for the Lester Patrick Award (which selects outstanding contributions to hockey in the United States) and sits on the International Ice Hockey Federations “Historical Committee”.

In 2006, he was inducted into the Sheridan College Hall of Fame and in 2009, he received the Schroeder Award from the International Sports Heritage Association (ISHA). It is the ISHA’s highest honor. He is also a member of the Award of Distinction Club at Durham College in Oshawa (his Alma mater)

With a British background, but now calls Burlington, Ontario his home, is a past member of the Selection Committee for the Sports Hall of Fame in his hometown and is involved with Oldtimers hockey, minor sport and other fundraisers and charities within his community. 

Mentor for History of Hockey Course

Scott Rezendes

(Washington, District of Columbia, United States)

Scott has spent over a decade in the professional game in a variety of leadership roles – advocating for players, managing clubs, and scouting countless matches. His grasp of the domestic player pool at all levels is comprehensive and current. He has worked extremely hard to develop and maintain tremendous relationships throughout the industry with league executives, club management, coaches at all levels, agents and athletes.

Read more about Scott's bio here. 

Scott is a guest mentor in Soccer Management and Scouting, a speaker at the Soccer Career Conference, and mentor for the upcoming Soccer Apprenticeship. 

Aaron Schatz

(Framingham, Massachusetts, United States) 

Aaron Schatz is the creator of Football Outsiders and most of the original statistical methods used in NFL analysis, as well as lead writer, editor, and statistician on the book series Football Outsiders Almanac. He also writes for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine and is the main analyst for the ESPN Fantasy Football Weekly podcast.

During the 2011 season, he was a regular panelist on the ESPN2 show Numbers Never* Lie. Before Football Outsiders, Aaron spent five years on the radio at WBRU Providence and WKRO Daytona Beach, and three years as the writer and producer of the Lycos 50, the Internet's foremost authority on the people, places, and things that are searched online. He has written for a number of publications including The New Republic, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Slate, The American Prospect, and the Boston Phoenix.

Mentor for Football Analytics

Manny Schmidt

(Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) 

Manny Schmidt is the founder and President of Link Management International and has been a key influencer within the Sports and Entertainment Industry for more than 19 years. Based in Edmonton, Alberta Canada and a graduate of the University of Alberta, Manny oversees all aspects of Link Management, its various operational divisions and all members of the Link Management Team. Since first established in 1995 as a leading provider of business and personal market branding solutions for the sports, entertainment and service sectors, Manny has lead Link Management to expand its market presence with the formal introduction of the Link Management International Sports Agency in 2009 and The Link High-Performance Athlete Development Division in 2013. The Link Management International Sports Agency is a full-service micro agency that specializes in the development, representation, and management of elite athletes throughout North America, with an active and growing client base in its Hockey, Football, and Olympic Divisions.

Over the years Manny has had the opportunity to work with and guide the careers of numerous top Professional Athletes, Olympians, and Entertainers and has been called upon as a strategic advisor to many corporate executives both in North America and aboard. As part of his experience, Manny has structured and negotiated multi-million dollar transactions and professional contracts have led the design and implementation of numerous specialized brand positioning and marketing campaigns and have facilitated the partnerships of various personal endorsement deals along with a variety of product and property sponsorship deals. As President and CEO of Link Management International, Manny oversees and remains responsible for all contract negotiations and strategic direction of its clients, and to continue to guide the ongoing growth of the firm as one of the leading full-service micro sports agencies in the industry.

Manny Schmidt is a graduate of the Athlete Management course and has successfully been mentored by Dr. Lynn Lashbrook & met all the requirements of becoming an SMWW Agent Advisor. This includes agent regulations and player association legalities, contract negotiation, endorsements, sponsorships, ethics, collective bargaining agreements, draft preparation, marketing and recruiting. Manny is well adept at preparing you for your sports career and has the ambition to attain the knowledge, skills, and experience needed for a successful professional athlete. He will do whatever possible to represent your interests and help you achieve your goals as not only a sports professional but also your life after sports as well. Manny takes a fully integrated approach to his clients' wealth, personal life, career, and post-career challenges with the goal to simplify and enhance your life.   Manny is also a regular guest speaker at the annual Hockey Career Conference at the NHL Draft.

Mentor for Athlete Management - Sports Agent

Ric Serritella

(New Jersey, United States) 

About Ric Serritella: Established in 2002, NFL Draft Bible Founder Ric Serritella began his independent scouting service as a publication used by all 32 NFL teams. An early adaptor to technology, the NFL Draft Bible produced the first ever livestream video show and live podcast on location from the NFL Draft. In addition to owning the NFL Draft Bible, Serritella has also served as executive producer of the T.Ocho Show (2010) on NBC Sports, producer for The Mike & The Mad Dog Show (2002) on YES Network, producer for NFL Now with Mike Francesa, one of the only nationally syndicated NFL shows at that time (2003), producer on ESPN Hollywoood (2005) and helped start up the Wall Street Journal YouTube channel (2007). He has interviewed the likes of Donald Trump, Roger Goodell, Archie Manning, Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson, Danica Patrick, Venus Williams, Howard Stern, Don King, Jay-Z, Madonna, Bon Jovi, amongst others. He was also responsible for helping build the fiber-optic system for MLB Network during his time at HTN Communications, writing for USA TODAY, working for CBS and AEG Live. He served as Director of Media for the Parabolic Performance NFL Draft Prep program from 2015-2018. In 2017, Serritella served as the Director of Player Personnel for the College Gridiron Showcase. A graduate of Johnson & Wales University (JWU) in Providence, RI, Serritella earned a B.A. in Sports Entertainment & Event Management and was honored with the Inaugural S-E-E-M Success Board Achievement Award by the school in 2009. While attending JWU, he interned for the New England Patriots and ESPN X-Games. A proud member of the PFWA & FWAA, Serritella currently resides in his home state of New Jersey, with his wife Samantha and daughter Oceanna.

Mentor for Football Agent Apprenticeship

Naeem Shabir

(Manchester, United Kingdom) 

Naeem has been passionate about esports for over 5 years. During these years of continually learning about the expansive esports industry, Naeem has written a book to codify his knowledge on the industry as well as speaking at numerous conferences, panels, and forums, including ESI and World Economic Forum. Naeem has also co-founded Intergalactic Gaming, a UK-based company building a next-gen social competitive gaming and esports platform. In its first year of beta, IGGalaxy has exceeded 150k sign-ups, 1k tournaments across 10 esport titles – distributing over $100k in prizes.

Mentor for Business of Esports

Tommy Smyth

(Queens, New York, United States) 

Irish-born Tommy Smyth joined ESPN in February 1993 as a soccer analyst for ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN International. He is an anchor of ESPN Soccernet Press Pass, ESPN International's global football roundtable discussion and is a game analyst for Italian Serie 'A', La Liga, the UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cup qualifying matches.  Smyth's list of credentials is extensive.  He has covered the 2010 FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Football Championship 2008 (Euro 08), worked on three other FIFA World Cups (1998, 2002 and '06) and the 1998 FIFA Men's World Cup in France. He also provided studio analysis for ESPN2's World Cup 2Night, and ESPN & ESPN2's pre-game and halftime coverage.  

He co-hosted Latin Futbol Weekly on ESPN2, seen in more than 200 countries via ESPN International (1993-99). At ESPN, he has called over 2,500 international matches from all over the world, leading up to the 2002 World Cup he co-hosted ESPN International's "Road to World Cup 2002," aired in over 150 countries. Smyth has also provided game analysis for Major League Soccer's NY/NJ Metrostars as well as national MLS telecasts on ESPN and ESPN2. Smyth has also worked as an analyst for ESPN's coverage of MLS.

Mentor for Soccer Management & Scouting 

Mike Smith

Mike Smith has been in the game of hockey all of his life, a true lover of the game. Mike began his hockey career in 1976 as an Assistant Coach for the New York Rangers, he also worked as an Amateaur Scout for U.S. college students. As Mike rose through the ranks as a coach, he got his first Head Coaching position in 1979 for the Tulsa Oilers, of the Central Hockey League.

In 1982 Mike earn the position of Assistant General Manager and Assistant Coach for Team USA during the World Championships, where he was involved in roster management and coaching.

Mike progressed in his role of a Front Office personnel and eventually made his full time switch to the Player Personnel side of hockey when we was hired as the Director of Recruitment for the Winnipeg Jets of the NHL, in 1981.

Through the years, Mike has served as an AGM to a number of teams before reaching the height of General Manager for the Chicago Blackhawks in 1993 until 2003.

Now, Mike serves as the Co-Founder to Coleman Analytics, a cutting-edge hockey analytics company that helps develop the new generation of players and hockey statistics. Mike consults with many NHL teams in his role at Coleman and continues to have a strong pulse on the game.

Mentor for Hockey Player Development

Mike Stoeber

(Jacksonville, Florida, United States) 

As the Jacksonville Jaguars Assistant Director of Football Technologies, Mike Stoeber is an expert in the field of digital video editing with XOS Digital.  Prior to Jaguars, Stoeber was the Senior Field Support Representative at XOS Digital, working daily with teams to help them implement the technology into their scouting and coaching departments.

Stoeber's football career began at the University of Florida where he was Director of Football Operations and Director of Game Analysis.  He also has a Master's degree from the University of Florida in Sports Administration. Stoeber has his finger on the pulse of the industry and is well aware of what teams are hiring and what they are looking for. He is perfectly suited to teach you.

Mentor for Digital Video Editing - XOS

Oscar Suarez

(Phoenix, Arizona, United States) 

Oscar Suarez is a certified agent with the MLBPA and has been in business since 1988. However, his initial tasks were in the accounting and insurance world having served as the VP of audit for two major insurance companies and as the CFO of the individual division of another insurance conglomerate. 

He has and still represents numerous clients in their baseball contractual needs and also in other facets of their daily lives, ie financial, real estate consulting, winter ball placement and other international job opportunities. His clients include MLB players such as Armando Reynoso, Elmer Dessens, Ricardo Rincón, Francisco Cordova, Juan Castro, Joakim Soria, Ed Vosberg, Dennys Reyes and Oscar Villarreal to name a few. 

In addition, he has sent various players to Asia, including Balvino Galvez, a longtime star for the Tokyo Giants, Japhet Amador, Karim Garcia, Julio Franco, Domingo Martinez and Carlos Baerga.

Oscar is also very involved with his son, Gabe’s sports career, having helped him when he played but also at present assisting him with his different business ventures, ie independent baseball franchises which help in the placement of players and non-playing personnel who are looking for an opportunity to return to affiliated baseball or continue to excel in the indy circuit.

Finally, he has also assisted field staff personnel with their contractual needs especially with international opportunities; clients include ex MLB managers, Tim Johnson and Al Pedrique.

Mentor for Athlete Management - Sports Agent

Rick Sund

(Seattle, Washington, United States)

Rick Sund has more than 40 consecutive years of managerial NBA experience spanning five decades. The longtime league executive was the Atlanta Hawks Executive Vice President and General Manager from 2008-2012. Under his leadership, the Hawks won nearly 60 percent of their games (184-128), reaching the playoffs in each of his four seasons and advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals three times. After retiring in 2012, he remained with the Hawks as Senior Advisor of basketball operations until 2019.

Formerly the General Manager of the Seattle Sonics from 2001-07, Sund and the Sonics were the inaugural champions of the Northwest Division in 2004-05, advancing to the semifinals in the Western Conference.

Sund was also a member of the Detroit Pistons organization when he became Vice President of Player Personnel in 1995 and was later named Executive VP and General Manager of Basketball Operations.

Prior to his time with the Pistons, he served in several executive capacities with the Dallas Mavericks. Sund was part of their expansion season in 1979 until his final season as their Vice President of Basketball Operations in 1994.

Sund began his NBA career in Milwaukee under the tutelage of famed basketball executive Wayne Embry, spending five years with the Bucks after graduating with a Master’s in Sports Administration and Management from Ohio University in 1974.

He was a two-sport athlete at Northwestern University, where in basketball (as a 6-4 guard) he earned Co-SIDA Academic All-American (third team) honors in 1973 and was twice named Academic All-Big Ten, while also seeing action as a tight end and wide receiver his senior year on the football team. He holds a Bachelor’s in Political Science from Northwestern University.

He is currently a consultant to the Beijing Ducks in the Chinese Basketball Association where he has been working since 2019.

Born on June 4, 1951, Sund has completed three marathons and a mini-triathlon. Richard Walker Sund is a native of Elgin, Illinois, and is a member of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame as well as the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame. He and his wife Lea are the parents of two children, daughter Hali and son Patrick and they also have two grandchildren. They presently live in Seattle, Washington.

Mentor for Basketball GM & Scouting

Mike Tanier

(Mount Ephraim, New Jersey, United States) 

Mike Tanier taught mathematics in the New Jersey public school system for 17 years before embarking on a full-time sports-writing career.

Starting at Football Outsiders while still a teacher, he became the Sunday NFL preview writer for the New York Times, mixing stats and analysis with off-the-wall humor.

After several years at the Times, Tanier spent two years as the primary NFL writer for Sports on Earth. He's now an NFL Lead Writer for Bleacher Report, sometimes Football Outsiders contributor, author of two sportsbooks, father of two, and America's poet laureate of Jay Cutler jokes.

Mentor for Football Analytics

Marc Trestman

(Toronto, Ontario, Canada) 

Marc Trestman is an American football and Canadian football coach. He led the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) to back-to-back Grey Cup victories in 2009 and 2010, and another as head coach of the Toronto Argonauts in 2017. He was also named CFL Coach of the Year in 2009. In addition, Trestman has served as offensive coordinator and position coach for several different teams. He played college football as a quarterback for three seasons with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, and one season at Minnesota State University Moorhead.

Trestman also served as the head coach of the Chicago Bears from 2013 to 2014, and most recently, served as head coach for the Tampa Bay Vipers of the XFL.

Marc teaches the Football Player Development Course with SMWW.

Mentor for Football Player Development

Maikel Tsuji

(Honolulu, Hawaii, United States) 

Born and raised in Amsterdam, Maikel comes from a soccer influenced family and played professionally for eight years in Holland, Spain and the US. Maikel moved to the US in 2004 to pursue his career in soccer and ultimately decided to go back to school where he attended Hawaii Pacific University and majored in Business Management.

Maikel started working as a financial specialist for some major financial institutions. While doing that, he was also the Director of Coaching for a local soccer club in Hawaii, the coach of a local high school team, and the Soccer Field Manager for the Special Olympics in Hawaii.

Maikel is the Director of Soccer Operations with SMWW and works closely with Co-Director Paul Dolby. Maikel not only represents professional athletes from different sports across the board such as: the 2022 USL Championship Goal Keeper of the year Jordan Farr, and two time Indy 500 Champion and Hall Of Fame Inductee Al Unser Jr.™ but he also teaches the Soccer Agent, Soccer GM and Scouting and the FIFA Agent Prep courses all offered by SMWW.

Mentor for FIFA Agent Prep

Al Unser Jr.™

(Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States)

Al Unser Jr.™ was born to race. Son of Al Unser Sr. Al Jr.™ knew he had big shoes to fill and he's been nothing short of amazing in doing so. Al Unser Jr.™ debuted as a professional race car driver in 1982 and Al quickly sped off to success by winning the Can-Am Championship in his first season. Al competed in his first Indianapolis 500 in 1983 and finished an impressive 9th for his first-ever start in the event. In the 1985 season of the CART Circut, Al lost the championship by one point to none other than his own father!

The rest of the 1980s were successful for Al, who became the youngest-ever IROC Championship winner in 1986. Unser also won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1986 and 1987. In 1989 Al was ready to grasp his first-ever Indianapolis 500 win, but a bump with Emerson Fittipaldi caused Al to spin out and Emerson won the race under a Caution Flag. Al didn't let that deter him though as he won the Indianapolis 500 in 1992 and 1994. Al won ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year in 1994 in part due to his Indy 500 win and winning eight of 16 races of the season.

Al retired from racing in 2009 and was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame in the same year. He was also inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 2007. Al released his memoir "Al Unser Jr.™: A Checkered Past" in 2021. Included with the textbooks for this course you will receive Al's book...autographed!

Mentor for Motorsports Management

Jim Van Dam

(Indianapolis, Indiana, United States)

Jim Van Dam was born and raised in Grand Rapids, MI where he studied Sports Management at Davenport University. After college, he interned with the Detroit Pistons before working with the Tampa Bay Lightning in their ticketing department for 8 seasons. He is now entering his 4th season with the Indianapolis Colts where he serves as Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service. He currently resides in Carmel, IN with his wife Lyndsay

Mentor for Sports Sales and Marketing

Dane Vandernat

(Kansas City, Missouri, United States)

Dane Vandernat enters his fourth year as the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl’s Director of Player Personnel. He brings 10 years of NFL personnel and scouting experience to this role, having worked his way up the ranks within the Oakland Raiders organization. Vandernat first joined the Raiders in 2008, serving as a training camp intern in the Internet department prior to completing a salary cap and agent administration internship with the NFLPA. He then re-joined the Silver and Black as a player personnel assistant in 2009 before becoming a pro scout for the team two years later. In 2015, Vandernat was promoted to Oakland’s director of pro personnel, where he oversaw daily operations, worked closely with the team’s general manager and evaluated prospective players. The Upland, Calif., native graduated from Cal Poly Pomona and earned a master’s degree in Sport Management from the University of San Francisco.

Mentor for Football GM & Scouting"

Brodie Waters

(Jacksonville, Florida, United States)

Brodie Waters serves as Senior Vice President for General Sports Worldwide, based in Michigan and the United Kingdom. Brodie has vast experience in contract negotiations, sports consulting and client management, Brodie takes a lead role in many of General Sport’s initiatives in North America.

In addition to overseeing General Sport’s Player Representation division for North America, Brodie also leads the Consulting division, where he works primarily with companies involved in the technology sector, specifically with NFTs

Brodie began his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the personnel department, but his wider vision saw him leave the club side of the business to launch Axcess Sport & Entertainment alongside Michael Huyghue. During his time with Axcess, Brodie’s contract negotiation ability provided Axcess with the opportunity to represent many NFL first draft picks, where he handled both contracts and endorsements. His reach rapidly expanded beyond football, and he began working with athletes in golf and baseball, as well as various entertainers.

Following his time with Axcess, Brodie started IMAC Consulting, where his extensive contacts in the sports and entertainment industry led to opportunities to work with NFL clubs, professional sports leagues, athletes, and media personalities. A focus of the business became his development of the Roster Management System, a proprietary software system used widely by NFL teams and licensed by ESPN which has established him as a leader in the area of sports analytics.

Mentor for Sports Cryptocurrency

Tom Weisenbach

(Indianapolis, Indiana)

Tom Weisenbach With over 26 years of experience in motorsports, Tom Weisenbach brings a wealth of knowledge and industry connections to the SMMW faculty, making him an invaluable resource for students. His deep understanding of all facets of the motorsports world, coupled with his passion for education, equips him to guide and prepare the next generation of motorsports professionals.

Weisenbach's career has spanned teams, tracks, sanctioning bodies, sponsors, drivers, agencies, and international motorsports nonprofits—where his current organization boasts members in 21 countries. Reflecting on his diverse experience, Weisenbach notes, “Drivers know driving, teams know teams, and track people know tracks. I’ve done everything except drive (though I did complete the Bob Bondurant Performance Driving School). It’s been an amazing 26 years!”

He emphasizes the importance of versatility and a hands-on approach: “A diverse skill set and a willingness to get your hands dirty are essential for a successful career in motorsports.”

Since 2006, Weisenbach has run his own agency, currently representing four clients, including two based in Italy. His vast experience and commitment to the industry make him a standout mentor for aspiring motorsports professionals.

Mentor for Motorsports Management

Jan Wieland

(Helsinki, Finland)

Jan Wieland (Founder and CEO Blacktop Management) is of both German and Finnish descent. He founded Blacktop Management after a series of injuries put his pro basketball career to an end. Jan played in the USA in high school and college as well as a pro in Europe. His broad horizon from playing in different countries helps Jan understand very well the needs and problems both upcoming and established basketball players may face, along with challenges many teams face. Throughout his years of living and playing basketball both domestically and internationally, Jan has built up connections on every level and placed his players in 25 different countries around the world. Jan holds a business degree in HR Management and is a FIBA Certified agent, who speaks English, German, and Finnish fluently. (FIBA License # 201 202 4814) Jan speaks at the annual Basketball Career Conference in Las Vegas regularly. He will also be speaking at the Basketball Career Conference in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Mentor for Basketball Agent

John Wooten

(Arlington, Texas, United States) 

When the Godfather of the NFL speaks, people listen, people learn and people change.

Since 1959, the year he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 5th round, John Wooten has been a fixture in professional Football. After retiring from the game in 1969, Wooten has held a multitude of executive roles in player personnel and scouting with NFL teams including the Cowboys, Ravens, and Eagles, and currently acts as chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance.

"Respectfully, professionally and affectionately, John Wooten is known as the Godfather, because of the breadth and depth of his service and what he has meant to the NFL as a player, scout and front office executive," acknowledges Ray Anderson, former NFL Executive Vice-President of Football Operations.

Wooten has long fought for diversity and inclusion in the sport, helping to establish the "Rooney Rule" requiring teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operations positions in the league. As chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, Wooten has helped establish processes to develop talented minority candidates for NFL positions.

A longtime mentor in our Football GM and Scouting course, John Wooten brings a perspective that not many in the business of sports can replicate.

Mentor for Football GM & Scouting

Ike Worth

(Portland, Oregon, United States)

Ike was recently hired in June of 2018 after interning with Sports Management Worldwide and has come on to assist Alyssa Rutherford, Dr. Lynn Lashbrook, and the SMWW Staff with the Agent Advisor Program, client recruitment, student services, and curriculum development for future courses.

Ike is a Portland native, but sought out his bachelor’s degree from Bond University, in the Gold Coast of Australia. Ike studied Sports Management at Bond, to pursue his love of sports and to better understand the global appeal of the industry and its impact.

He came to SMWW to learn the ways of being an agent to professional athletes and hopes to represent clients by the start of next year.

Sports Management Worldwide offers a great opportunity to be mentored by Dr. Lashbrook while working alongside like-minded people to grow SMWW and further its positive impact on the world of sports and those looking to be a part of it.