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College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management

  • headshots of Saad Alshamari, Pedro Gomes Amaral, Gabrielle Pisacreta, Kemardo Tyrell

November 2024 HRSM student, faculty, staff and alumni notes

Posted on: November 7, 2024; Updated on: November 7, 2024
By Allen Wallace, awallace@sc.edu

In the News

Faculty and Staff Notes

  • We’re happy to welcome the newest members of the HRSM team: Christopher Caldwell (Sport, Media and Entertainment Initiative Director, Department of Sport and Entertainment Management),  Murray Cohn (Department of Sport and Entertainment Management Executive in Residence) and Sarah Davis (Administrative Assistant for Organizational Development and Innovation).
  • Khalid Ballouli and Scott Smith were presented with their 2024 Garnet Apple Awards, first announced in the spring.
  • Armen Shaomian earned USC’s Michael J. Mungo Undergraduate Teaching Award.
  • Brian Mihalik, with funding provided as part of an HRSM Innovation Grant, led a 360-degree VR production team to shoot and produce 360° virtual reality content specifically aligned with the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
  • Darron Kirkley obtained a new certification: Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional (CLMP) from The Loyalty Academy.

Student Notes

  • Makenna Albanese (Master of Sport and Entertainment Management) accepted an athletics operations internship with Major League Baseball at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Florida.
  • Congratulations to Sport and Entertainment Management Ph.D. student Saad Alshamari on his first publication! His paper, “Examining the Relationship Between Pre-Sport Mega-Event Programming and Physical Activity Participation,” co-authored by Stephen Shapiro and Ryan Dastrup, was published in the journal Sport, Business and Management.
  • Peter Aysseh (Sport and Entertainment Management) accepted a clubhouse operations internship with the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders for summer 2025.
  • Abigail Boatwright (Retailing - Retail Management) obtained a new certification: Loss Prevention Qualified (LPQ) from The Loss Prevention Foundation.
  • Gianna Derro, Jack Jenkins, Lindsay Keegan and Zoe Straughn (all Sport and Entertainment Management) accepted internships with Soda City FC and Freedom Sports and Entertainment for the fall season.
  • Simone Harris (Retailing - Retail Management) was chosen as Miss Black USC 2024.
  • Diesel Knight (Sport and Entertainment Management) started a new position as student brand ambassador with Wasserman Next Gen.
  • Kathryn Kuchinski (Sport and Entertainment Management) was named October Tutor and Academic Coach (TAC) of the Month for her work at the Dodie Anderson Academic Enrichment Center.
  • Isabella Larson (Sport and Entertainment Management) started an internship with RockBlock Consulting.
  • Jordyn Lewis (Retailing - Fashion Merchandising and Digital innovations) started a new role as a keyholder at Kendra Scott.
  • Katie Lewis (Sport and Entertainment Management) gave a presentation entitled “Preparing for the Future: Engaging Your Younger Volunteers Now” at the GiGi's Playhouse Inc.- Down Syndrome Achievement Centers National Leadership Conference.
  • Kacie McDonald (Hospitality Management) earned the ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification.
  • Julia Miller (Retailing) represented USC at the International Collegiate Sales Competition hosted by Florida State University, and placed 8th of 160 students who competed in the Speed Sell. Julia also recently earned a new certification: Certified Professional SalesPerson (CPSP) from NASP - National Association of Sales Professionals.
  • Savannah Miller and Brooke Zerbe represented USC at IMEX, the business industry's largest trade show, in Las Vegas.
  • Kendra Niewczyk (Sport and Entertainment Management) began an internship at Colonial Life Arena.
  • Kason Pippin (Sport and Entertainment Management) began a new role as group sales and premium services intern at Colonial Life Arena.
  • Regan Reilly (Retailing) accepted a buyer services internship with AmericasMart Atlanta/Andmore for next semester.
  • Madi Schnepfe (Tourism Management), in her role as College of HRSM social media/marketing intern, produced an Instagram Reel which has been viewed more than 1.1 million times.
  • Hospitality Management Ph.D. student Damla Sönmez presented “Wake Up and Tune In: Using Music to Energize Early Classes” at the 2024 Oktoberbest symposium on teaching.
  • Kinsley Spearman (Sport and Entertainment Management) was accepted to volunteer for the International Skating Union World Figure Skating Championships in Boston in March 2025. She will be working in transportation operations with The Skating Club of Boston.
  • Madilyn Steffe (Sport and Entertainment Management) was accepted into the NAB Leadership Foundation Media Sales Academy through the National Association of Broadcasters.
  • Nicole Tognetti (Sport and Entertainment Management) and Reagan Uffelman (Hospitality Management) accepted offers to work at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in 2025.
  • Sport and Entertainment Management Ph.D. student Kemardo Tyrell’s paper was selected as one of three finalists for the Best Research Paper Award for the upcoming Sport Marketing Association (SMA) conference. The paper is entitled "Mathematical Modeling of Virtual Reality Diffusion in NCAA Division I Athletics: Application of Bass Diffusion Model."
  • Maria Amelia Vale de Gato (Hospitality Management) was selected as a mentee for the 2024-2025 Women’s Mentorship Program at Bellwether.
  • Aiden Varrialle (Sport and Entertainment Management) accepted a ticketing internship with Gamecock Athletics.
  • Morgan Vermeulen (Sport and Entertainment Management) accepted an internship for spring semester with Alexandra Madison Weddings, where she will serve as a marketing coordinator.
  • Mariah Williams (Retailing - Fashion Merchandising and Digital innovations) started a new role as a keyholder at Urban Outfitters.
  • Ryann Wiltsie (Sport and Entertainment Management) obtained a new certification: Event Safety Access Training from the Event Safety Alliance.
  • Brooke Yates (Sport and Entertainment Management) accepted a position with the Washington Commanders as an inside sales representative, following her graduation this December.

Alumni Notes

  • Pedro Gomes Amaral (Sport and Entertainment Management, '24) was promoted to account executive with Charlotte FC.
  • Ashley Brusca (Sport and Entertainment Management, '14) started a new position as events director with the Golden State Warriors.
  • Laura Chronister (Retailing - Retail Management, '00) was a panelist at the 2024 Lowe’s Women’s Leadership Summit.
  • Sarah Anne Cox (Retailing, '18) completed the Unum Accelerated Leadership Program.
  • Sydney Daigle (Retailing - Fashion Merchandising and Digital innovations, '23) was promoted to associate merchant at Abercrombie and Fitch.
  • Skylar Deichmann (Sport and Entertainment Management '22, Master of Sport and Entertainment Management '23) was promoted to senior manager of new business with the Allen Americans Professional Hockey Club.
  • Ray Ellingwood (Sport and Entertainment Management, '24) accepted a position as a business development representative with Arrive Logistics beginning in January 2025 in their Chicago office.
  • Jessica Evans (Sport and Entertainment Management, '24) accepted a full-time position at King & Society Construction as a pre-construction and design assistant.
  • Aaron Gao (Master of Sport and Entertainment Management, '20) started a new position as business development manager with Winking Studios.
  • Calvin J. Gerald-Kornmann (Integrated Information Technology, '03) was a featured speaker at the Hack The Railroad 2024 Conference in Columbia, Maryland.
  • Ken Goodwin (Integrated Information Technology, '02) is included in the 2024 edition of Who’s Who In Black Charlotte.
  • Lily Grant (Hospitality Management, '12) started a new position as a senior conference planner with Aptive Resources.
  • Aaron Henderson (Sport and Entertainment Management, '13) was named to the Black Sports Business Academy Board of Advisors.
  • Natalie Hinson (Sport and Entertainment Management, '23) started the MBA program at Lander University.
  • Molly Hogue (Hospitality Management, '15) was promoted to associate director, retention & lifecycle marketing at Condé Nast.
  • Holden Humphries (Retailing - Retail Management, '23) was accepted to LSU’s Flores MBA Program and will begin his studies there in spring 2025.
  • Jaxon Kopack (Hospitality Management, '23) started a new position as assistant project superintendent at Duininck Golf.
  • Alexia Lopes (Sport and Entertainment Management Ph.D., '22) accepted a new position as an assistant teaching professor with the David B. Falk College of Sport & Human Dynamics at Syracuse University.
  • Kelli Lynch (Sport and Entertainment Management, '20) started a new position as manager, premium partnerships- Prudential Center with Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment.
  • Jacob Munoz (Master of Sport and Entertainment Management, '23) accepted a new position as equipment team attendant with the Los Angeles Lakers.
  • Lee Shawn Nelson (Retailing, '93) was elected to the Washington, D.C. Ward 5 Advisory Neighborhood Commission.
  • Jacob Painter (Sport and Entertainment Management, '21) passed the Florida Bar Exam and was sworn in to practice law in the State of Florida, after graduating cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law. He will begin his career as a legal intern with Independent Sports and Entertainment (ISE) in their Chicago office, assisting their baseball division during the upcoming MLB salary arbitration season.
  • Gabrielle Pisacreta (Retailing - Fashion Merchandising and Digital Innovations, '19) helped launch the new NHL collection from lululemon and Fanatics, and is featured on the Fanatics website as a stylist for the collection.
  • Emili Revis (Retailing - Fashion Merchandising and Digital Innovations, '24) started a new position as assistant production manager at Moukuyobi Threads under L.A. Airline Printing & Design Inc. in Los Angeles.
  • Jackie Rose (Master of Sport and Entertainment Management, '22) started a new position with ASM Global as operations manager at Soldier Field in Chicago.
  • Josephine Rose (Sport and Entertainment Management, '22, Master of Sport and Entertainment Management and MBA, '24) completed USC’s Marketing for Executives course.
  • Trent Rosebrough (Sport and Entertainment Management, '17) accepted a new position with CSC as account manager for the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
  • Megan Ryan (Master of Sport and Entertainment Management, '10) a new position as ceremonies, events & entertainment at FIFA World Cup 2026  - Canada, Mexico and the United States.
  • Jenna Schioppo (Retailing - Fashion Merchandising and Digital innovations, '23) started a new position as sales assistant at Polly King & Co. in New York City.
  • Meredith Solheim (Retailing, '20) started a new position as senior analyst, assortment planning at The Home Depot.
  • Hannah Stackhouse (Sport and Entertainment Management, '21) started a new position as assistant director of development, athletics at the University of Maryland.
  • Brooke Steaman (Sport and Entertainment Management, '17) was promoted to senior director, ticketing and premium with the Henderson Silver Knights and Vegas Knight Hawks.
  • Madeline Stedman (Sport and Entertainment Management, '17) started a new position as account director at Hirschfeld Marketing Solutions.
  • Paul Stubbs (Hospitality Management, '22) will be transferring from the Westin Copley Place Boston to the Westin Charlotte, where he will serve as assistant room operations manager.
  • Marissa Womack (Sport and Entertainment Management, '24) accepted a marketing internship with the Sacramento Kings.

 

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