The David and Nicole Tepper Department of Sport and Entertainment Management starts 2026 with a new chair, for the first time in more than a decade.

Professor Stephen Shapiro steps into the new role after eight years as a faculty member, administrator and leader in the department and the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management. He says he’s excited to take on the new challenge.

“Matt Brown was such a great chair for the last 12 years and really has led us records in rankings and enrollment. My goal is to build on this momentum by driving continued departmental growth and innovation, and by reinforcing our position as a leader in sport and entertainment management. I'm excited for this opportunity, but it's big shoes to fill,” he says.

Shapiro holds the Canteen Corporation Endowed Chair in Sport and Entertainment Management, has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles, and has been recognized with the University of South Carolina’s Garnet Apple Teaching Innovation Award and the College of HRSM’s Patricia G. Moody Distinguished Researcher Award.

“We look forward to his vision and leadership in guiding the David and Nicole Tepper Department of Sport and Entertainment Management as it builds upon its legacy and expands its reputation,” says College of HRSM Dean Michael Sagas.

Shapiro says innovation has been and will continue to be a key to success for the department.

“Being ahead of the curve in terms of what's going on in the industry is really important for us. We want to put our students in a position to be competitive in the job market, and that requires us to constantly evolve and innovate inside and outside of the classroom, while enhancing industry partnerships and impactful scholarship. Our goal is to both preserve what we’ve built and remain forward-looking, proactively identifying emerging opportunities and ensuring our students are well positioned for success through relevant, future-focused knowledge and experience.he says.

“Innovation” is an easy goal to set, but difficult to achieve in a competitive industry. Shapiro says the department can make it happen through its foundation: a faculty that combines academic excellence with hands-on leadership experience.

“We have amazing research faculty who are publishing innovative scholarship and who understand where the industry is going. We also have  great  professional faculty with extensive industry experience and connections. These faculty have established strong industry partnerships and a pipeline to internships and jobs in sport and entertainment. The integration of research in key emerging areas such as sports gambling, NIL, and the growth of women’s sports with hands-on industry partnerships enables us to adapt quickly to change within the dynamic sport and entertainment landscape, ensuring our students graduate with relevant, forward-looking experience,” he says.

Shapiro will lead a department which has a well-established reputation as one of the world’s best of its kind, currently ranked No. 7 in Niche’s Best Colleges for Sports Management in America and No. 9 worldwide in the SportBusiness Postgraduate Course Rankings. The department received a transformative $5 million gift from David and Nicole Tepper in October 2025.

Shapiro hopes to see that sterling reputation grow. Plans for the future include offering graduate classes in Charlotte, expanding the graduate online program as well as the department’s overall presence worldwide, and continuing to build the entertainment side of things.

“I think we have a strong entertainment management side of our program, but there's room for growth,” he says. “We have the opportunity to equip students interested in music, festivals, and live entertainment with the skills needed to succeed both within and beyond sport, recognizing that sport and entertainment often overlap and that elements of entertainment are central to many careers in both industries.”