The Dallas Mavericks Speakers Bureau was created in a continued effort to make an impact in the community. The bureau consists of Mavericks broadcast announcers and staff who speak to community groups and organizations within the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Topics include life on the road, coaching strategies, and motivational speeches.
Since 1996, Chris has been an integral part of the NBA’s 2011 World Champion Dallas Mavericks broadcast team. First serving for eight years as their courtside analyst for Fox Sports Southwest and currently since 2005, serving as the Mavs game night Emcee. He was also selected to emcee the 2010 NBA All Star Game in AT&T Stadium in front of a crowd of 108,000 people. The largest crowd to view a basketball game in U.S.history.
In addition to his Mavericks correspondence, his television experience included five years working as a sports reporter at ABC affiliate WFAA TV in Dallas. Chris’ work garnered an Emmy. Before going to WFAA, Chris worked on a tv show he wrote, produced, and hosted. “On The Beam” a syndicated African American entertainment television show that was seen by more than 20 million households in 46 cities across the US, Japan, the Caribbean, and in 17 countries in Africa. That show won an Ace award for Cable Television excellence in 1991.
Chris's radio career is legendary in itself, starting his career at age 14 in Memphis Tennessee. He has worked non stop in radio ever since.
Broadcasting for over 45yrs, including 30 consecutive yrs at K104 fm in Dallas serving as sports director and broadcasting the morning show with legends Tom Joyner and the award winning Skip Murphy & Company. That show was the number 1 morning show in DFW for 8 consecutive years. He has also hosted his own #1 sports talk show on 1310 the Ticket and at 105.3. the Fan, as part of the Gbag Nation, & as one of their stable of solid sports talk show hosts.
In 2019 he became only journalist inducted into the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame. Chris has also been nominated for the Texas Radio Hall of Fame in 2017.
Chris has covered every major sporting event the world has to offer: 28 Super Bowls, 21 NBA Finals, 2 Olympics, 15 Final Fours, 8 World Series, 26 Championship Boxing Title Fights, 25 NBA All Star Games, 8 Baseball All Star Games, 5 Pro Bowls, 15 College Football Bowl Games and even the World Cup.
Chris is also a very popular speaker, host and emcee. He’s spoken at major corporate seminars, civic groups, schools, charities, churches, sports banquets, golf tournaments, and more.
From hosting events to providing career guidance to our youth, he truly enjoys reaching out and changing lives. Thus it was a natural fit to expand his Dallas Mavericks role by being an Inclusion Ambassador.
Skills
Speaking, hosting events, teaching, team building. communicating.
Qualifications
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism University of Oklahoma
Links
Twitter: @mrchrisarnold
Facebook: mrchrisarnold/a>
Linkedin: mrchrisarnold
Instagram: @mrchrisarnold
Interests
Sports, my family, movies, barbeque, traveling, history and maps
Entrepreneur. Pioneer. Trailblazer. Khalia Collier wears many hats as the VP and Chief of Staff of Basketball Operations for the Dallas Mavericks and owner of The St. Louis Surge.
At just 23 years old, she took on the challenge of building the first sustainable women’s basketball franchise in the Gateway City. Over a decade and two national championships later, The Surge has changed the game by redefining winning on and off the court playing in the Global Women’s Basketball Association (GWBA).
The St. Louis native took on the task of unifying communities through the power of sport with her previous role as Vice President of Community Relations for the St. Louis CITY SC, Major League Soccer franchise. On behalf of both organizations, Collier consistently focused on strengthening the region and developing our next generation.
Collier’s civic leadership is all about being connected through personal community service, serving on several boards, giving back to young people and growing the platform for women’s leadership. It was a natural transition to accept the opportunity to continue trailblazing once again with the Dallas Mavericks.
Collier has always loved sports and the business of the game. She started playing basketball at the age of five and continued into her high school and collegiate career where she was inducted into the hall of fame. Collier obtained a bachelor’s degree in communications from Missouri Baptist University.
She has received numerous honors, including the St. Louis Business Journal’s 30 under 30 and 40 under 40 award, The YMCA’s MLK Human Dignity Award, Power 100 award, Glamour’s Missouri Woman of the Year award, the prestigious Jack Buck Award for community impact, and many others. Collier is frequently invited to deliver keynote addresses and share her success story
Recent Videos/Articles
Celebrating Women’s History Month:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=879126866723044
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1356132891839424
St. Louis American Article:
NPR Profile Article:
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/term/khalia-collier#stream/0
Complex Magazine: https://www.complex.com/sports/2019/08/khalia-collier-is-changing-basketball
ESPN Undefeated: https://theundefeated.com/whhw/ciara-brings-attention-to-female-ownership-in-sports-with-new-deal/
TedX Building the leaders of tomorrow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tcv_q12WlNE
OneFutureSTL:
G2F Summit: Winning Mentality https://www.facebook.com/crossovermediallc/videos/639244436534494/
Ladue News Article: http://www.laduenews.com/business/columns/persons-of-interest-khalia-collier/article_07f97cce-828c-5d59-88b7-598d8ea36181.html
Max STL: Bigger than Basketball: http://www.thevitalvoice.com/bigger-than-basketball-khalia-collier/
30under30 Business Journal: https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/print-edition/2014/09/26/st-louis-character-khalia-collier-drives-to-the.html
Chuck Cooperstein is in his 14th season as the radio play-by-play voice of the Dallas Mavericks on 103.3 FM ESPN. Cooperstein has been a regular on the Dallas/Fort Worth sports scene since 1984, broadcasting at KRLD, WBAP and The Ticket before joining 103.3 FM ESPN at the station’s inception in 2001. During the off-season, Cooperstein hosts an evening sports talk show; he is also the host of the new Big 12 Conference weekly podcast.
Prior to joining the Mavericks, his extensive sports broadcasting background included play-by-play stints with TCU and the University of Texas football, as well as TCU, Texas A&M and SMU basketball. He also has broadcast college basketball, college football and NFL games nationally on Westwood One. Cooperstein has received a Katie Award for his play-by-play expertise from the Dallas Press Club.
The Long Island native has a Bachelor of Science degree in broadcasting from the University of Florida. He married his wife, Karen, in 2010; she is the owner/principal of Crater Lake Consulting, a PR/marketing and philanthropy consulting firm. Together, they are both very engaged in philanthropy, serving as active supporters of the Mavs Foundation, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, and Ronald McDonald House of Dallas. They founded their own nonprofit, Coops’ Kids Foundation, in 2017 and host on an annual fundraiser, Talk of the Town, featuring Chuck, Eric Nadel and Brad Sham, which has raised over $450,000 in four years.
Chuck has one son, Jeffrey, who graduated in May from the University of North Texas with a degree in journalism.
Brian Dameris is an Emmy nominated studio and game analyst for Mavs TV broadcasts on Bally Sports. For the past ten years he has been co-host of KTCK The Ticket’s Mavs Postgame Show and can also be heard weekly on his Mavs podcast “Take Dat Wit You” with Mark Followill. He is also a regular contributor at D Magazine.
Previously, Brian was Chief of Staff at Charitybuzz, a leading online charitable fundraising platform. Charitybuzz enables celebrities, brands, and charities to leverage the digital marketplace to maximize their fundraising, raising $75 million annually for charity.
Brian worked with Mark Cuban on his portfolio of investments, including consulting with the companies Cuban invests in on his ABC show “Shark Tank.”
As Director of Basketball Development with the Dallas Mavericks, Brian led the first analytics department in the NBA. He also ran the annual Global Games basketball tournament and was involved in the team’s international development.
Brian started his career as the fifth employee at Broadcast.com in 1995. He spearheaded the company’s Initial Public Offering in 1998, resulting in a then record-setting opening on Wall Street. He ran the Mergers & Acquisitions Group, buying 3 companies for a combined $250 million in 9 months, then selling to Yahoo! for $5.8 billion in April of 1999.
He kept pursuing personal passions during his career as he has co-founded two non-profits. He spearheaded the efforts to open and co-founded the KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) charter school’s Dallas location, now with four schools serving 1,300 students. KIPP is a leading inner-city college-preparatory program with over 70 schools across the country. He also co-founded the Miracle League of DFW, building a baseball field and starting a league specifically for mentally and physically-challenged youth.
Brian has spoken to many schools and organizations, including TCU, Baylor, UT Dallas, SMU, Lockheed Martin, Women in Technology, Grand Prairie and South Grand Prairie High Schools, Grapevine Chamber, Hurt-Euless-Bedford Chamber, Fort Worth Rotary Club and more.
He has served on the Board of the Dallas International Film Festival, is a member of The Dallas Assembly and a graduate of the Leadership Dallas Class of 2001. He moonlighted as a stand-up comedian and has performed in Los Angeles’ famous Comedy Store. He is a graduate of Baylor University and received his MBA from SMU.
Nwanye Davis currently serves as the Vice President of Client Services & Retention within the Dallas Mavericks Corporate Sponsorships division. While helping to increase the Mavericks client portfolio, Davis takes pleasure in assisting people in finding their voice.
Davis earned an undergraduate degree in business management and a master’s in business administration. Davis resides in the Dallas area with her two sons, and when not working, she enjoys brunching or a quiet evening at home.
Katie Edwards has been a driving force to expand the community impact of the Dallas Mavericks and nonprofits across the region with a 20+ year career in the DFW philanthropic community. As Chief Impact Officer and President of the Mavs Foundation for the Dallas Mavericks, Katie is responsible for leading and managing all corporate social responsibility initiatives of the Dallas Mavericks including community programs and Mavs Foundation efforts. In her role, she leads partnerships with nonprofits, key supporters, players, coaches and fans to ensure the Mavericks organization achieves its mission of building a stronger community and making a difference in the lives of North Texans.
She leads a team that executes community programs and grant making that support core impact areas of: K-12 education, health and wellness initiatives, military and first responder support, racial equity and social justice, and environmental efforts. In 2020, she spearheaded the work to provide more than $3 million dollars of critical support during the COVID pandemic and led the expansion of programming for the Mavs Take ACTION! plan to address racial inequities and promote social justice in the DFW community. In her role as Chief Impact Officer, she also Co-Chairs the Dallas Mavericks Advisory Council and manages strategic partnerships and governmental relations for the organization.
Katie has 20+ years’ experience in the North Texas nonprofit and philanthropic community and previously served as Vice President of Community Engagement with the Center for Nonprofit Management, an organization providing best-practice education and management consulting to nonprofits. In her 14-year tenure with CNM, she also served as VP of Marketing and VP of Programs & Operations, building relationships with thousands of nonprofits and partners each year. She was part of the core planning team with Communities Foundation of Texas that launched North Texas Giving Day, the largest community-wide giving event in the nation, and led the work to write and distribute the first State of the Sector report demonstrating the size, scope and power of the nonprofit sector in North Texas.
Before joining CNM, Katie worked with a private firm for publicity and promotions and makes her way back to the NBA after first interning in sports marketing with the San Antonio Spurs during college.
She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration/Marketing & Communications from Trinity University in San Antonio and multiple certifications in Nonprofit Management and Nonprofit Leadership. Katie resides in the Lake Highlands area in Dallas with her husband Glen, their two young children, David and Maddie and their rescue dog Lucy.
Erin Finegold White is Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Events & Experiences and Chief of Staff at the Dallas Mavericks, where she is responsible for off-court publicity for the organization, internal communications, including the heritage and archives of the team, executive speaking engagements and mavs.com editorial content.
Finegold also leads the Mavs events & experiences department, producing large-scale fan engagement events including Mavs Ball, Tipoff Luncheon, Pre-Game Plaza Parties and Season Ticket Member Appreciation Events. In fall 2022, the events & experiences department built a 6,000 square foot museum at the Hall of State during the State Fair of Texas called Mavs Vault, which housed over 200 artifacts and media from the team’s archives. The exhibit garnered over 9 million media impressions and over 130,000 fans took a stroll through the archives.
In 2018, her team launched the Mavs Influencer program, creating new MFFLs through social media.
Prior to her role at the Mavericks, Finegold led communications for Red Bull Media House in the mountain and south regions, promoting athletes, artists and events, including Red Bull Air Race, Flugtag, Cliff Diving and Sound Select. She has also held marketing and communications roles at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, including its Grand Opening in 2009, and Slingshot, an independent advertising agency.
Finegold has a B.A. in Mass Communications and minor in Leadership from the University of Denver and is the founder of BvB Dallas, a powderpuff football game and fundraiser that has raised over $6 million for Alzheimer’s research and patient care in North Texas.
She and her husband, Justin, reside in Dallas with their two (high-energy) kiddos.
Finegold enjoys speaking about communications, event production, career guidance, leadership and women in sports, and has experience guest lecturing at various colleges and universities. She especially enjoys meeting and talking to high school, college and graduate students hoping to work in sports and entertainment.
Brad Freeman is the Senior Director of Youth Basketball and Mavs Gaming for the Dallas Mavericks. Freeman started full time with the Mavericks in May 2019 after spending a year with them as a High School Basketball Consultant. In his current role, he oversees the elite programing for Mavs Academy, the Mavericks Youth Basketball department. He also oversees the business and team operations for Mavs Gaming, the Mavericks professional esports team in the NBA 2K League.
Prior to joining the Mavericks, Freeman spent 16 years as the Director of Basketball for Prestonwood Sports Organization and 25 years as a high school and college basketball coach. He most recently coached at Dallas Christian College where the team won a national championship in 2013. Prior to his stint at DCC, Freeman coached 21 years in secondary schools. His last high school position was the Head Boys Basketball Coach at Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano where he posted a 172-82 record with an impressive 71-9 district record and four Coach of the Year honors. His teams made it to the State title game in each of his last three seasons at PCA, winning the school’s first state championship in 2010. Freeman began his coaching career in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD before moving on to Krum High School where the team posted a 37-0 record and state championship in 1994. From there he moved on to be the head coach at Whitewright High School and then Allen High School before taking the position at Prestonwood.
Freeman played basketball at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, TX where he received a Bachelor of Science in Education degree. He also holds a Master of Science in Education degree from Baylor University with a concentration in Sport Administration. While coaching, Freeman was an active member of the Texas High School Coaches Association and the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches. He was also a founding board member of the North Texas Basketball Coaches Association where he served as the Treasurer for 10 years.
Freeman has been married to his high school sweetheart, Marthanne, for 34 years and they have three children, two daughter-in-laws and one grandchild on the way.
Sean is in his 10th season as the arena voice for the Mavericks.
Born on the banks of the Mississippi River, he spent his early childhood in Memphis, and graduated high school in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
He has managed to carve out a lifetime of careers that all center around communication and storytelling. (According to his maternal grandmother, he received all of his childhood vaccinations with a phonograph needle.)
As an original MFFL, Sean started attending Mavericks games in 1980, driving down from Little Rock, unbeknownst to his mom. (Sorry for the lies, Mom.)
His career includes 3 years in Spain (playing football and teaching English), 20+ years in musical theatre, and over 15 years as a corporate trainer and curriculum designer.
The best job he has ever had, though, is sitting at midcourt in the American Airlines Center during Dallas Mavericks games.
To paraphrase several other smart people: “A rough night at the AAC is still better than a fantastic night anywhere else.”
Sean is quite literally the luckiest MFFL. Ever.
Theo Hodges joined the Dallas Mavericks in October of 2018 as VP of Ticket Sales. In his current role of Chief Revenue Officer, he is responsible for driving the club’s local, regional, national and international business opportunities while overseeing Marketing, Corporate Sales, Premium Seating and the Ticket Sales departments.
Prior to joining the Mavs, Theo spent over 10 years driving ticket and premium sales revenue for various teams in the NHL, MLB, NBA, and MLS. Theo is a St. Louis, MO native, and a 2001 graduate of Indiana University, with a degree in Business Marketing through the Kelly School of Business.
Theo was also a batboy for the St. Louis Cardinals and a student manager for the Men’s Basketball team at Indiana University.
Simone Hogan has been at the Dallas Mavericks for over 5 seasons and currently serves as the Director of Ticket Operations. Hogan’s duties involve creating processes and procedures that improve the fan experience, from online purchases to onsite ticket scanning. Hogan brings extensive knowledge from her prior experience in the non-profit sector to this role.
Hogan is an alum of Dallas Carter High School and received a degree in Business Management from Northwood University. Additionally, Hogan is an active member of Intix Community, a representative organization dedicated to advancing ticketing practices. As a proud mother of two, Hogan displays dedication and enthusiasm for her job in every aspect.
Ben Hunt is the Director of Camps & Community Basketball for the Dallas Mavericks. Hunt started with the Dallas Mavericks in June 2015.
Hunt is from Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, and begun his basketball college career as a two-year letterwinner for the Stephen F. Austin State University Lumberjacks (NCAA D1) in 2001-2003.
Following SFA hunt played his junior and senior seasons at Texas Wesleyan University in Ft. Worth, Texas. He led the Texan Wesleyan Rams to the 2006 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics D1 championship, scoring a career high 34 points and hitting the game winning shot for the Rams.
Hunt made his professional career debut with the Mavs Summer League team in 2006 that competed in Pro Summer League in Long Beach, CA. He then went onto sign with the Perth Wildcats in the National Basketball League in Australia.
Following his playing career Hunt moved back to Texas to became a Physical Education teacher and the Head Boys Varsity Basketball Coach at Uplift North Hills Preparatory in Irving, Texas.
Hunt also spent two year as Athletic Director at Uplift North Hills Preparatory before becoming Dean of Students from 2013-2015.
Hunts responsibilities with the Mavericks include managing all Mavs Basketball Academy’s Programs, Youth Leagues, Coaches Association and the Ballkid Program.
Bobby Karalla has been with the Mavericks since 2013 and has loved every step of the journey.
He reports on the team, both on and off the floor, with a particular focus on player development, emerging stats and analytics, and the little things that make the sport fun. He tells stories in all digital mediums, including through articles, video, and podcast formats.
Born and raised in DFW, Bobby graduated from Lewisville High School in 2009 and the University of Texas at Dallas in 2013.
In her role as Chief People Officer, Tarsha LaCour is responsible for leading the people strategy in one of the most renowned sports teams in the nation. As the HR leader for the Dallas Mavericks, her responsibilities include identifying and developing leaders, creating the company’s diversity and inclusion strategy, aligning managers with the company’s vision and priorities, payroll and benefit management and employee engagement. She was appointed to this position in March 2018.
Previously, Tarsha served as a Human Resources leader with AT&T, supporting six officers and more than 10,000 employees in the Technology Operations organization. She has held numerous management roles in Human Resources including diversity and affirmative action, human resource and payroll management systems, and human resource generalist functions. She has also held lead operations roles as chief of staff to the Chief Diversity Officer and chief of staff to the SVP of Architecture and Engineering.
Tarsha has a passion for people, and her natural ability to connect with and understand the needs of employees has positioned her as a trusted resource within the organizations she has supported. She leverages more than 25 years of Human Resources experience to positively impact employee engagement and employee satisfaction within these organizations. Employee engagement actions led by Tarsha have resulted in record low attrition rates over the last few years, a best-in-class compensation structure, employees developed to promotions, and back-to-back NBA Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Awards.
Not only is Tarsha leading in the world of sports and business, she also serves on the board of Community in Schools of the Dallas Region, addressing the basic needs of children and working to improve grades and test scores, behavioral issues, and a myriad of other services to eliminate barriers to success.
Tarsha graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Art in Political Science, and a Master of Legal Studies from Washington University School of Law. The third of four children, Tarsha grew up in Houston, TX and now lives in Frisco, TX. She has two girls, Sydney, 17 and Jordyn, 14. She is a volleyball, basketball, soccer and dance mom. Tarsha’s zeal for her work is superseded only by her devotion to cultivating strong values, confidence and perseverance within her own children, women and young girls across the nation.
Emmy-award winning sportscaster Dana Larson joined Bally Sports Southwest in July 2002. She anchors the nightly pregame and postgame shows for the region’s professional sports teams, including the Texas Rangers and Dallas Mavericks. Larson also hosts an assortment of interview and documentary specials spotlighting prominent athletes in the Southwest region and co-hosts several of Bally Sports Southwest’s weekly magazine shows.
Larson joined Bally Sports Southwest after working 1½ years as a sports reporter at Austin NBC affiliate KXAN-TV. She began her broadcasting career in April 2000 as a weekend sports anchor/reporter for KWTX-TV in Waco, upon graduating from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. In 2021, Larson became the first female to win the NSMA Texas Sportscaster of the Year award.
Larson graduated Magna Cum Laude from SMU with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications. She resides in Plano with her husband, former SMU basketball standout Jay Poerner, and their daughters, Reese and Brooklynn.
Danielle Mansell currently serves as Vice President, Service & Fan Experience for the Dallas Mavericks (NBA) and has worked across multiple leagues and cities during her 15-year sports career. She began her career in sports with the Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA), while still working in the tech sector. Mansell was excited to land a role with the newly formed Thunder team and take on Premium Service. While with the Thunder, Mansell handled Courtside, Club and Suite accounts, negotiated 3-, 5-, and 7-year lease extensions, worked on bespoke events and grew her client relationship skills.
After five amazing seasons in OKC, including a Finals run, Mansell was challenged to take on a new role with the New Jersey Devils (NHL) and the Prudential Center as Director of Client Service. Mansell and her team work tirelessly to improve the overall client service experience with a long-standing fan base and find new ways to connect with members.
Mansell completed three seasons in New Jersey before she was offered an opportunity to work with the OKC Energy (USL) team as Director of Ticket Sales and Service, a role that gave her the chance to not only take on the sales side of the business but also move closer to home and start a family with her husband, Joshua.
When the Dallas Mavericks offered her a chance to return to the NBA, Mansell and her family jumped at the opportunity and headed south. Since joining the team, Mansell and her staff have navigated an interesting client journey - from Covid and the Bubble, to welcoming record numbers of MFFLs and a first-time ever Season Ticket Member waitlist! Mansell is passionate about what the Mavs organization brings to the community and their MFFLs and customizing member experiences.
When Mansell isn’t selling out tickets, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their two young kids, traveling and cooking. She is an active member of her community, including a proud alumna of Leadership Dallas ’23 and a member of Junior League of Dallas.
Phillip Gregory McKibbins is the Chief Technology Officer for the Dallas Mavericks, specializing in digital transformation through technology strategy, adaptation, and automation.
He holds Executive Education certificates from the Wharton School of Business and the Darden School of Business, an MBA in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University, and Engineering Degrees from the University of Southern California in Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering.
Phillip possesses a background in developing complex infrastructures and solutions for Fortune 500 companies, startups and professional sports teams in the NBA, MLB and NFL.
Phillip's achievements include winning a Sports Emmy Award and the Workfront Technology Leader Award. Currently, he leads the technology vision for the Mavericks, focusing on innovative content delivery and fostering a culture of collaboration.
Phillip is a servant leader with a professional philosophy that centers on using technology to improve lives while considering social and ethical impacts.
Greg Nared offers more than 25 years of experience in sales, marketing, athlete management, client relations and sports marketing. Most recent he holds the position as the Sr. Vice President Community & Player Relations at the Dallas Mavericks. His primary focus is to provide strategic direction for youth basketball, community, player relations, and Mavs Entertainment. Greg has played an integral role in having one of the most innovative youth basketball programs in the NBA. Greg operated and owned the Greg Nared Agency where he worked directly with professional athletes in both golf and basketball, including marketing the clients or products in promoting their career within his or her given field as well as any interests off the field of play. Greg is also responsible for meeting with team owners, managers, coaches, and other individuals to develop rapport and partnerships promoting the organization as well as the clients GNA represents. Much of his day is spent in contract negotiating, working with athlete sponsors, networking, speaking with other professionals and keeping abreast of current trends and information that may affect decisions the organization and agent recommends to the clients. Lastly, Greg’s expertise and experience in investments, business management, finance, risk analysis, and trends in sports helped facilitate success in recruiting, developing, and sustaining clients and sponsorships.
Prior to working at the Greg Nared Agency, Nared worked as the Vice President for Golf for the William Morris Agency in Beverly Hills, California. Greg was responsible for working directly with LPGA / PGA executives in helping to promote the athletes career. Greg also worked on negotiating contracts in the best interest of the athlete. His role included improving salary, making provisions for injuries, and taking other options in lieu of salary increases. He made recommendation to athletes regarding long-term as opposed to short-term benefits. Greg also worked on Brand and PR plans for athletes. In doing so, he worked on a short-term and long-term strategy that best fit the overall goals and objectives for athletes. Nared recruited athletes to increase the client base. Lastly, Nared worked very closely with Professional Golfer Extraordinaire Michelle Wie. He was responsible for day-to-day operations with the Wie family. He negotiated corporate sponsorship and appearance fees contracts, coordinated public relations, handled Michelle’s schedule, and worked as an adviser to Wie.
Nared also delivered 15 years of athlete management and strategic planning to Nike. First joining Nike as the East Coast Field Representative for professional basketball in 1992, Greg led in the strategic development of NBA brand athletes including Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and Penny Hardaway. Nared was involved in orchestrating Sports Marketing efforts in support of all product engines. He cemented the bond between Nike and key players, teams, and coaches through attention to service detail, personal relationship building, basketball knowledge and intuition. Nared negotiated contracts, managed marketing and advertising campaigns. He was then promoted in 1995 to work as the Product Line Manager for Nike Basketball consisting of men’s, women’s, and Jordan apparel. Two years later, he was promoted to work as the Business Affairs Manager for Tiger Woods where he managed all aspects of business around Tiger including product development, budget, marketing, promotions, and public relations. He also was a key advisor to Tiger in non-Nike business as well. Nared played a key role in new business development for Nike Golf and Tiger, managed relationships with Tiger’s sponsors and helped to generate over $10 million in incremental sales with key partners such as General Motors, Tag Heuer, EA Sports, American Express, and Upper Deck. Greg played a huge role in developing the Tiger Woods brand today. Before joining Nike, Greg was a Sales Manager for the Washington Bullets (Washington Wizards). He managed a team of sales representatives that sold season tickets to both individuals and corporations in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
A native of Wilmington, Ohio, Nared holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Maryland in College Park where he lettered in basketball for 4 years. Nared founded the Boost Foundation, a non-profit organization serving Portland’s at-risk youth. He also served as a board member for Self Enhancement, Inc. a Portland, Oregon based non-profit organization for 4 years. Greg speaks around the country at schools and on behalf of corporations about the value and importance of education.
In the 2002 edition of Details Magazine, Greg Nared was named one of the top executives under the age of 40.
Tray Thompson serves as the Community Relations Manager for Mavs Gaming, where he works to bridge the social and digital gaps through organic DE&I community programs, creating a more unified and equitable world for all.
With over 6 years of professional business experience in sports, Thompson has managed sales & corporate business administration with the Dallas Cowboys (Legends Hospitality), San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Mavericks, and, now, Mavs Gaming Esports.
A former Duncanville HS Alum & 2012 UIL 5A 4x400 Meter Relay Champion, Tray earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Northwood University and competed on Northwood’s NCAA D2 Track & Field program as a 400 meter, and 800-meter mid-distance sprinter.
