Power The Journey

Brent Rodgers is the Senior Vice President of Field Operations for Staffmark Group, leading the U.S. operations for RGF staffing. Staffmark is one of the largest staffing companies in the world with sister brands including Indeed, Indeed Flex, and Glassdoor. Brent joined Staffmark in 2000 as the Director of Strategic Sales in the Southeast Region, in 2006 as a Vice President he turned his focus to drive innovative entrepreneurial change through a service offering with Staffmark specialty divisions, cost-per-unit engineering solutions, Staffmark drivers, and employee management services. In 2019, Brent assumed responsibility for US Commercial Operations supporting over 250 locations. Prior to his career with Staffmark, Brent was a baseball student-athlete competing at the college level. 

Joseph Scowden is the current Sales Manager for Momentum Solar in Houston, one of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States. Only after six months at Momentum Solar, he became their top sales rep in the company. Prior to starting at Momentum solar, Joseph worked in Business Development Analytics at Choice! Energy Management, a nationwide leader in energy, telecom, and utility management solutions. Joseph was a collegiate football player for the University of Columbia from 2016-2020 and attributes a lot of his success early in his career to the traits he gained when playing sports at Columbia.

On this episode of Power the Journey, various professionals in the sports wagering industry examine the industry’s commitment to responsible gaming and discuss what the future of responsible gaming positions will be. Keith Whyte is Executive Director of the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) in Washington, D.C. and has over twenty-five years of national experience in gambling issues.  Recognized widely for his work to promote responsible gambling and prevent gambling addiction, he has given invited presentations at conferences and events in 43 US states and 26 countries. Cait DeBaun is vice president, strategic communications and responsibility at the American Gaming Association (AGA). She leads the AGA’s responsibility efforts and integrated communications strategies to promote the social and economic value of the $261 billion gaming industry. Cait currently oversees the AGA’s Have A Game Plan® PSA campaign, working with sports leagues and teams and sportsbook operators to educate consumers on responsible sports betting. Alana Sacerdote is the Senior Responsible Gaming Program Manager at Penn Interactive, operator of The Barstool Sportsbook and iCasino. Alana has over ten years of experience which includes both brick-and-mortar gaming, as well as online real money gaming. She leads Penn Interactive’s responsible gaming efforts, which include proactive player and employee education and training, creation and implementation of responsible gaming internal procedures, player protection, and ongoing quality monitoring. Jamie Salsburg is the creator and host of the “After Gambling” Podcast, a blogger, brand strategist, and entrepreneur. As a former problem gambler, Jamie created the website and podcast "After Gambling" to help people who are struggling with compulsive gambling. He also provides peer support for recovering gamblers, as well as their friends and family. Jamie is a former collegiate athlete and remains a huge fan of sports. Jamie has not gambled since July 15th, 2010, and outside of work currently enjoys spending time with his wonderful family. This conversation is moderated by Chris Soriano, Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer at Penn National Gaming.

On this episode of Power the Journey, various stakeholders of the online sports wagering industry discuss the business of each organization and projected growth leading to expanded career opportunities for young professionals. Trey Atkinson is the Director of Operations at Penn Interactive and a former Guilford College lacrosse player. In this role, he is responsible for oversight of player experience, payments technologies, fraud risk management, operational efficiencies and profitability of Penn Interactive’s real money gaming products including the Barstool Sportsbook & Casino and HollywoodCasino.com. Trey started his career in Regulatory Compliance with an agency of the Treasury Department, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Siska Concannon is the co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Affiliated Sports Fans based in Philadelphia. She brings close to 20 years of experience in driving growth strategies through e-commerce, having worked with companies like GAN, Penn Entertainment: with the Barstool Sportsbook, and organizations in Finance & Manufacturing. For the past 8 years, she has been focused within the online sports & casino wagering industry, having successfully led the marketing strategy & operation for 15 online casinos & 2 major sportsbook brands across all legalized US States and other global markets. Siska is passionate and focused on female empowerment within the gaming and sports industry, often championing women business leaders initiatives and allies. Scott Sadin is the Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer at U.S. Integrity. U.S. Integrity is an anomaly detection firm that leverages proprietary algorithms to identify potentially suspicious sports betting related activity. USI services premier sports properties, sportsbook operators and regulatory bodies. In his capacity as COO, Scott oversees product development, corporate strategy, investor relations and compliance. Scott previously worked in financial services at Apollo Global Management and Michael Dell’s registered investment adviser MSD Partners. This conversation is moderated by Alex Graham, Manager of Marketing Compliance & Partnerships at Penn Interactive.

Vin McCaffrey is the founder and CEO of Game Plan. He founded the company in 2008 as a means to help college athletes find jobs. Over the years, Game Plan has transformed into a platform that integrates eLearning, mentorship, and career services for athletic organizations. Prior to founding Game Plan, McCaffrey worked in a variety of sales and corporate development roles. He is a graduate of Lehigh University, where he was a member of the men’s basketball team, and in 2008, he earned his MBA from Indiana University.

JR Butler is the Founder and CEO of Shift Group, a sales recruiting and training firm that specializes in helping college, professional, and Olympic athletes transition into the world of Technology Sales.
Prior to starting Shift Group, JR was Chief Revenue Officer at Pillir, a fast growth low code software company out of Arizona. Prior to becoming a CRO, JR built and ran multiple sales teams at Turbonomic, helping the company go from a Series A start up to a $2B acquisition by IBM.
JR started his career at a value added reseller in Massachusetts, focused on data center solutions from EMC, Dell, HP, Cisco and VMware.
JR grew up playing multiple sports but went on to play Division 1 hockey at Holy Cross in central Massachusetts where he grew up. He was a sophomore on the 2006 team that beat Minnesota in the biggest upset in College hockey history. JR comes from a hockey family, with two brothers that played at the college level, with one going on to play in the NHL and the Olympics and a father whose in the Massachusetts Hockey coaches hall of fame.

Dr. Janelle Wells and Dr. Doreen MacAulay are both from WellsQuest, which is a consulting firm that empowers leaders to foster an innovative workplace that is proactive, measurement based, and conscientious. Dr. Wells also serves as an associate professor in the USF Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management Program, within the School of Marketing and Innovation, and Dr. MacAulay is an instructor USF’s School of Information Systems and Management, teaching organizational behavior analysis and strategic management.

Dr. Andrew Mac Intosh is the Chief Program Officer for RISE. He leads the translation of RISE's mission to educate and empower the sports community into programs for varying audiences and contexts. He has worked in the business sector for over 10 years leading the implementation of organizational development initiatives and developing performance management along with training and development strategies. He’s also worked both within the United States as well as internationally helping various organizations to design and implement sport initiatives that build life skills and character.

Before RISE, he worked at Michigan State University's Institute for the Study of Youth Sport as a Research and Teaching Assistant. Andrew has also spent time working in Detroit assisting with the development of evaluation systems for youth sport programs and with the design and facilitation of training programs for coaches and mentors.

Dr. James Borchers is a repeat guest. Dr. Borchers is the President and CEO of the U.S. Council for Athletes’ Health, as well as the Chief Medical Officer for the Big Ten Conference, and the Director of Sports Medicine at the Ohio State University. He joined us to discuss mental health for administrators and how mental health education can help in preventing burnout among athletic staff members.

Game Plan content partners USCAH and RISE and organizational leadership subject matter expert WellsQuest discuss how professional development can aid in staff retention and avoiding burnout. Topics include mental health for staff, creating inclusive environments, and foundational leadership skills.

Liz Reyes is the Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Development at the University of Illinois. She has oversight and leadership of the Illini Way Student-Athlete Development program and serves on the leadership team of Department of Intercollegiate Athletics’ Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Prior to Illinois, she has worked with the Cleveland Browns, the University of Arkansas, Baylor University, and the University of Washington.

Katie Martinez is the Director of Student-Athlete Development at the University of Memphis. She’s had previous stints at Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University, and the University of North Dakota. She earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice at North Dakota State and a master's degree in higher education at Old Dominion. She is on the Membership and Recruitment Committee and the Student-Athlete Development Programs and Practices Committee within N4A, and she is the proud dog parent.

Charlotte West is a well-respected athletic administrator and has been an instrumental advocate for women’s sports and a pioneer for Title IX. She served as SIU’s Director of Athletics for Women for nearly 30 years, during which time she led the women’s golf team to a National Championship and women’s basketball to a fifth place finish nationally. She was the first recipient of the Honda Award and the Woman Administrator of the Year, which are both given nationally to women who have achieved great things for women’s athletics.

She’s served on numerous NCAA Committees, and was the Director of National Championships and President of the AIAW, while serving on the US Olympic Committee. She’s been inducted into multiple halls of fame - NACDA, the Missouri Valley Conference, and SIU. For her efforts, SIU named their softball facility after her and a room at NCAA HQ has been named in her honor.

Judy Sweet is frequently referred to as a trailblazer and a pioneer in sports - especially for women in sports. She was one of the first female athletic directors in the NCAA to oversee both men’s and women’s programs at UC San Diego. While at UCSD, she served as the first female membership president of the NCAA from 1991. Sweet has been a major proponent of Title IX, and served as the Title IX representative of the Women Leaders in College Sports board, after having served as president there as well. She was a member of the US Olympic Committee’s Task Force on Minorities, and is a co-founder and former president of the board of the Alliance of Women Coaches.For her efforts, she has earned the Honda Award for outstanding achievement in women’s athletics, has been inducted into halls of fame at both the University of Wisconsin and UC San Diego, and she recently earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from UC San Diego.

DaWon Baker is the Associate Athletic Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Colorado University. He’s had prior stints at Nebraska and the NCAA as a part of the postgraduate internship program. In 2019, he co-founded the Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Council of Excellence organization that provides support and resources for diversity officers who work in athletics. He is also an advisory board member for Return On Inclusion (ROI) and an advisory committee member for the Winning Edge Leadership Academy. And finally, a former track and field student-athlete from the University of Missouri and an alum of UCF, where he worked under the tutelage of Dr. Richard Lapchick - a well-respected national expert in diversity management, race relations, academics, sports and social issues.

Dr. Kayleigh McCauley-Sayer is the Director of Membership Services at Move United. Prior to that she worked at Lewis & Clark College in various capacities, including being the executive director of the Center for Social Change and Community Involvement and directing student support services, Title IX programming, and student-athlete development. She’s had stints at the University of New England, East Stroudsburg University, and Texas A&M-Corpus Cristi. She is also the founder of Out in Athletics, which offers comprehensive LGBTQA+ diversity and inclusion consulting and programming for athletics.

Kat Zempolich is a Co-Founder, Board Member, and Director of Podcasting for Morgan's Message and a co-host of The Mental Matchup. She attended Duke University, where she was a member of the Duke Women’s lacrosse team. After earning her B.A. in Public Policy in 2018, she attended Duke’s School of Business and graduated in 2019 with a Master of Science.

Dr. Kensa Gunter works in private practice in the metro-Atlanta area providing clinical and sport/performance psychology services to adolescent and adult populations. She also offers consultation services to organizations and athletic personnel including coaches, certified athletic trainers, athletic administrators, and sports nutritionists. She received her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Sport & Exercise Psychology from Argosy University and completed her internship and post-doctoral fellowship at UC Davis. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Georgia, a Master’s in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York and a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from Argosy University.

[Part 2] May is national Mental Health Awareness month so this month we will be talking with experts in the mental health and wellness field about a variety of topics related to athletes and the professionals who support them.  We are starting the month focusing on the college student athlete and today’s guest is …. Dr. Christine Jehu

Dr. Jehu (she/her) is a coffee obsessed clinical sport psychologist & podcaster. She's truly a psychological ninja with a PhD in psychology & a black belt in karate. Dr. Jehu's own podcast is called Beyond the Couch, where the mission is to break the stigma of mental health & normalize help seeking. In the show she leaves the psychobabble at the door, and speaks openly about growth & struggles, challenges the status quo, and dives deep into exploration in all areas of health & wellness, because all roads lead back to our mental health.

May is national Mental Health Awareness month so this month we will be talking with experts in the mental health and wellness field about a variety of topics related to athletes and the professionals who support them.  We are starting the month focusing on the college student athlete and today’s guest is …. Dr. Christine Jehu

Dr. Jehu (she/her) is a coffee obsessed clinical sport psychologist & podcaster. She's truly a psychological ninja with a PhD in psychology & a black belt in karate. Dr. Jehu's own podcast is called Beyond the Couch, where the mission is to break the stigma of mental health & normalize help seeking. In the show she leaves the psychobabble at the door, and speaks openly about growth & struggles, challenges the status quo, and dives deep into exploration in all areas of health & wellness, because all roads lead back to our mental health.

Maura Attardi serves as director of financial wellness at Money Management International, the largest provider of nonprofit financial counseling and education in the United States. She has a focus on athletes and has built a reputation as a trusted education partner in the field of professional sports. These partnerships have included a relationship with NFL Player Engagement, ongoing services provided to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and collaboration with the National Hockey League. She is a former Division I women’s soccer player and captain at Villanova University, and her areas of expertise include: athlete financial education, psychology of money, financial communication, organizational financial wellness, and financial wellness platforms.

Amy Lins is Vice President of Enterprise Learning at Money Management International. Amy holds a Bachelor’s in Curriculum and Instruction with a math and computer science teaching concentration and a Master’s in Business Administration with a finance concentration. Amy has taught secondary math and computer science, worked in information technology at a Fortune 500 company, and for the last 19 years has served MMI in several capacities.

Dr. James Borchers is the President and CEO of the U.S. Council for Athletes’ Health, as well as the Chief Medical Officer for the Big Ten Conference, physician and Director for the Division of Sports Medicine at the Wexner Medical Center, and a Professor of Clinical Family Medicine and Sports Medicine at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. He previously spent 18 years as a team physician for the Ohio State Athletics Department, including five as the head team physician and eight working with the football program.

A former student-athlete, he played football at Ohio State while earning his undergraduate degree in Chemistry, before going on to earn his MD from Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine and his Master of Public Health from Ohio State. He is board-certified in both family medicine and sports medicine and has been named one of the region’s top doctors, as well as one of the Best Doctors in America.

Dr. James Borchers is the President and CEO of the U.S. Council for Athletes’ Health, as well as the Chief Medical Officer for the Big Ten Conference, physician and Director for the Division of Sports Medicine at the Wexner Medical Center, and a Professor of Clinical Family Medicine and Sports Medicine at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. He previously spent 18 years as a team physician for the Ohio State Athletics Department, including five as the head team physician and eight working with the football program.

A former student-athlete, he played football at Ohio State while earning his undergraduate degree in Chemistry, before going on to earn his MD from Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine and his Master of Public Health from Ohio State. He is board-certified in both family medicine and sports medicine and has been named one of the region’s top doctors, as well as one of the Best Doctors in America.

Mark Trumbo is the Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Engagement at Syracuse. He’s served in several capacities at Syracuse since 2013, including academic coordinator and student-athlete engagement coordinator. In 2017, Trumbo received the John Maxwell Transformational Leader Top 100 Award, which is presented to leaders across all industries making a significant impact in their community. In 2018, he was named “Advisor of the Year” for his contributions to SAAC. He’s also been named to Greater Syracuse’s “40 under 40” list. Prior to Syracuse, Trumbo spent time at Ball State University and Burris Laboratory School in Indiana.

Timothy F. Bryson is the Program Director for Student-Athlete Career Development at the University of Maryland. In his role, he oversees career readiness initiatives, manages employer relations, and assists students with internships, graduate/professional school, and full-time job placements. Tim also manages the department’s signature InTERPship Academy and Barry & Mary Gossett Fellows Program. Outside of his Maryland responsibilities, Tim is the founder of Walk With TFB, LLC, and a current PhD student. He earned his bachelor’s degree from South Carolina and his master’s from THE Ohio State University, and he is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

LaToya Farris is the Associate Director for Student Athlete Development at the University of Miami, commonly referred to as The U, where she oversees career and leadership development programming for student-athletes. LaToya has had stints at The Ohio State University and Kansas State University. She is a member of N4A and Women Leaders in College Sports, and a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Kara Hess is the Senior Director of Leadership Development and Events at Women Leaders in College Sports. She is also a former volleyball AND basketball student-athlete, and spent some time working with the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association before joining the Women Leaders team in October of 2018.

DeeDee Merritt is the director of leadership development at the NCAA. At the national office, Merritt administers the NCAA Pathway Program, the Champion Forum for Football and Basketball, the new Lessons in Management program, the McLendon Summit, the Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute, Leadership Academy Workshop, and DiSC behavioral assessments. Prior to the NCAA, she spent 15 years as an administrator at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she oversaw a plethora of programs and projects.

Follow her on Twitter: @Deidre927

Julian Jones is the Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Development at Kansas State and the Chief Diversity Officer. He’s had stints at Clemson and the NCAA, and among many other things he serves as a Huddle Up facilitator for the Institute for Sport and Social Justice.

Follow him on Twitter: @Julian__Jones

Penny Semaia is the Senior Associate Athletic Director of Student Life at the University of Pittsburgh. He is a former football student-athlete at Pitt, and has helped with numerous community programs in the Pittsburgh area including collaborating with the Pittsburgh Public School District to initiate the We Promise program and teaming up with the Troy and Theodora Polamalu Foundation.

Follow him on Twitter: @PennyS66

Dr. Maya Ozery is the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Development at Kansas University. She has had stops at Georgetown University, the University of Richmond, and Longwood University. A former student-athlete and a former member of Israel’s National Women’s Soccer Team, Maya serves as a lead facilitator for the NCAA Leadership Forum and NCAA Leadership Academy Workshop.

Follow her on Twitter: @Maya_Ozery

Tori Niemann currently serves as the Assistant Athletic Director of Student-Athlete Development at Clemson University. A former women’s basketball student-athlete, Tori has had professional stints at Western Illinois University, Clemson, and the University of North Carolina -- all before returning to Clemson in May of 2021. In her role, she oversees all aspects of student-athlete development and personally directs Clemson's Leadership Academy.

Follow Her on Twitter @toriniemann

Today On Power The Journey. Hailing From the great state of Texas, she was a basketball standout that took her talents to the University of Oregon and then to Cal State-Northridge where she received a Business degree in Management. She jumped into working in sports, as the Digital and Social Media lead for the Dallas Cowboys that headed to ESPN as a Social Media Manager. She was the Director of social content and strategy for IGN Entertainment before becoming the Chief Operating Officer at INFLCR. She is a Tech Disruptor, a Social and Digital Media Innovator and an Expert Leader. Introducing Neeta Sreekanth.