Executive Leadership

Andrew Kearns

Chairman, Global Technology Investment Banking

Morgan Stanley

Andy is a Managing Director, Chairman of Global Technology Investment Banking and a member of the Executive Committee, Investment Banking Division, at Morgan Stanley. Over the course of his career, Andy has helped lead more than 100 IPOs and other financing transactions for many of the most innovative clients in the technology industry. He has advised on dozens of Merger & Acquisition transactions aggregating more than $125Bn in value.

David Moseley

Director of Basketball

Mavericks

David Moseley is the Director of Mavericks Basketball and a former professional basketball player. He is known for his coaching and leadership abilities and has helped numerous players improve their game and achieve success on and off the court.

Jay Coakley, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus

University of Colorado, Colorado Springs

After 33 years at UCCS, Jay retired from full-time teaching in 2005 but continues to do research and lecture as an award-winning sociologist and author of THE academic textbook on the subject – Sports in Society: Issues and Controversies, with the 13th edition published in 2020.

Joanne Pasternack 

CEO

Oliver+Rose

Joanne Pasternack is the CEO of Oliver+Rose, a consultancy firm that helps businesses build social impact programs. She has a background in sports philanthropy and has worked with organizations such as the San Francisco  49ers and Golden State Warriors.

William “Bill” Tierney

Former Lacrosse Coach

University of Denver

William Tierney was the University of Denver’s head Men’s Lacrosse Coach. Bill’s lifetime accomplishments include thirty-six years of coaching, seven national championships, and twenty-seven regular season and conference tournament championships, and being the second coach to achieve over 400 wins as a coach. Coach Bill Tierney is a highly accomplished and respected figure in lacrosse, serving as the Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach at the University of Denver for 15 years. With an impressive coaching pedigree, he led Princeton University to six NCAA National Championships in 22 seasons.

Brian Doyle

Founder

Won Club, Inc. & BDuck Capital

Brian’s notable achievements include successfully orchestrating the upgrade of an exclusive secondary ticketing marketplace to Vivid Seats in 2016, resulting in a billion-dollar exit for the founding team; playing a pivotal role in recognizing the leadership potential of Baseball Advanced Media, leading to a subsequent acquisition; making strategic decisions which extended to selecting AppLovin, MoPub, and Freewheel from over 1000 ad tech providers, contributing to their growth and eventual billion-dollar exits..

Kristi Nyhus

Chief Operating Officer

Hakman Capital Corp.

Kristi attended Princeton University where she competed on the Women’s Varsity Volleyball team and threw the discus and hammer. Before launching her 30+ career in the finance industry, Kristi started City Beach Volleyball Club and coached Hillsdale High School’s Varsity Volleyball team. During her finance career, Kristi held a variety of roles in Audit, Human Resources and as COO at a several start-up and large corporations including Deloitte, Smith Barney, Wells Fargo and her family’s business. While focusing on raising her kids, Kristi dedicated herself to volunteer work including coaching soccer, basketball and volleyball as well as launching a service learning program ‘to inspire kids to create positive change in the world’ that is now integrated into the local school system.

Cindy Shanholt 

Owner of vanCalle Investments, LLC

Retired Dancer, Choreographer, Teacher, and Coach

Cindy went to Vassar College, majored in psychology. After college, Cindy danced in NY, eventually moved back to SF and worked for Dean Witter and then LF Rothschild. Her passion was always teaching children so she returned to her alma mater to co-create The Mind Body Department as well as coach soccer, tennis, and softball, and choreograph the musicals for 28 years. Cindy also had her own Dance Studio and coached AYSO and CYSA. She is most proud of winning Teacher of the Year and developing great young people. She has coached an MLB player, an NFL player, and a player on the Women’s Mexican National Team.

Kawser Amine

Professional Women’s Soccer Player

Afghanistan

Kawser Amine is a professional soccer player from Afghanistan. She has represented her country internationally and has advocated for greater opportunities and recognition for women in sports. She also holds a degree in journalism and hopes to use her platform to inspire and empower Afghan girls and women.

Jonathan Paul (J.P.) Arencibia

Former Professional Baseball Catcher & AAA Bench Coach for Syracuse Mets

J.P. Arencibia played seven seasons in Major League Baseball and won a Rawlings Gold Glove Award in 2013. He now works as the AAA Bench coach for the Syracuse Mets.

Mindi Bach

Executive Communications Director

Rakuten

Mindi Bach is a sports journalist who has covered various sports leagues including the NFL and NBA. She has worked for several media outlets such as ESPN and Fox Sports before lending her talents to the corporate world with Rakuten.

Rob Balucas

Paraplegic Athlete

Rob Balucas, a paraplegic athlete, was training for his first half IRONMAN triathlon when a cycling accident rendered him paraplegic. He made a vow to return to the sport within a year and went on to race in 3 sprint-distance triathlons the following year. Using the Strava app to track his rehab, he advised Strava’s engineers to include handcycling as an activity. He has played a significant role in shaping the wheelchair athlete community at CAF.

Asante Cleveland

Former NFL Player & Host of SPKN’s Original Series “Beneath the Armor”

Asante Cleveland is one of the hosts of SPKN’s original series “ Beneath the Armor” on athlete mental health. He is a former NFL tight end who played college football at the University of Miami. He had entered the NFL in 2014 and played for the San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, and LA Chargers before retiring in 2018.

Alison Foley

Former Head Women’s Soccer Coach

Boston College

Alison Foley is a former head coach of Boston College’s women’s soccer team, who led the team to 13 NCAA berths (11 consecutive). She is also an NCAA Regional Advisory Committee member, an author, professor, and CEO at Foley Athletic Advisors.

Tresa Gowland

Partner and Managing Director 

Moontide Agency

Tresa Gowland is a strategist with over 20 years of experience in brand building, business development, and marketing. She is a Partner and Managing Director at Moontide Agency, a marketing agency specializing in corporate innovation and business growth.

Shaun Hamilton, MPH, CHES

President

IJRU

Shaun Hamilton is the current President of the International Jump Rope Union (IJRU). He holds a Master’s degree in Public Health and is a Certified Health Education Specialist. Hamilton is dedicated to promoting jump rope as a fun and healthy activity for people of all ages and abilities.

Jim Harbaugh

Head Football Coach

University of Michigan

Jim Harbaugh is the head football coach at the University of Michigan. He has a successful coaching career, with notable stints at the San Francisco 49ers and Stanford University. He has a reputation for intensity and competitiveness.

Brittany Hochevar

Professional Beach Volleyball Player & Multiple US Olympic Medalist

Brittany Hochevar is a professional beach volleyball player from the United States. She has won multiple medals representing the US in international competitions, including a silver medal at the 2019 Pan American Games. Hochevar is also a speaker and mentor, sharing her experience and insights with others.

Odessa “OJ” Jenkins

Founder and President 

Women’s National Football Conference

Odessa Jenkins is the founder of the Women’s National Football Conference, which aims to provide opportunities for women to play football and combat gender inequality in sports. She is a former three-time national champion football player at Texas Women’s University and a seasoned coach and athlete.

Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart.

Head Gymnastics Coach

University of Denver

Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart is the head coach of the gymnastics team at the University of Denver. She has over 20 years of coaching experience, and has won numerous awards including the Midwest Independent Conference Coach of the Year six times.

Alex Sarama

Coach Developer

Basketball Immersion

Alex is a basketball coach who educates coaches worldwide on team and player development, focusing on combining personal and empirical evidence-based knowledge to stimulate their thinking. He specializes in the Constraint Led Approach and has worked with major organizations and professional teams, including the NBA and NCAA.

Chris Waddell

US Olympic & Paralympic Metal Winner

Motivational Speaker

Chris Waddell is a former US Paralympic skier and wheelchair athlete who became the first paraplegic to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2018. He is also a motivational speaker, advocate for people with disabilities, and founder of One Revolution, a nonprofit organization promoting the message of “It’s not what happens to you, it’s what you do with what happens to you.”

Allison Wagner, OLY

Director of Athlete and International Relations

U.S. Anti-Doping Agency 

Allison Wagner is an Olympic medalist who competed at the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics. She won a bronze and silver medal in the individual medley events at the 1992 Olympics and set world records in the 400 m IM and 4 × 100 m medley relay. She now works with USADA to ensure fair play for all athletes.

Chuck Walton

Founder

Academy Management Group

Chuck Walton is a management consultant and founder of Academy Management Group. He has expertise in leadership development, strategic planning, and business management. He has worked with numerous clients and delivered successful results through his consulting and coaching services.

Kris Weems

Athlete Development Coach

Golden State Warriors

After playing at Stanford University, Kris Weems went on to play professional basketball and is currently an Athlete Development Coach for the Golden State Warriors. University. He has been with the Warriors since 2013, contributing to multiple championship wins.

Dr. Jen Welter

Linebackers Coach 

XFL’s Vegas Vipers

Dr. Jen Welter is a former professional football player who became the first female coach in the NFL. She has coached men’s football teams both in the United States and abroad and is also a motivational speaker and author.

Jay Coakley, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus 

University of Colorado, Colorado Springs

After 33 years at UCCS, Jay retired from full-time teaching in 2005 but continues to do research and lecture as an award-winning sociologist and author of THE academic textbook on the subject – Sports in Society: Issues and Controversies, with the 13th edition published in 2020.

Trevor Cote, Ph.D, HSP, CMPC

Clinical Sport Psychologist

Amplify

Dr. Trevor Cote is a licensed clinical sport psychologist with experience working with athletes of all levels. He specializes in the mental skills and well-being of athletes and has worked with a variety of sports teams and organizations.

Brian Gearity, Ph.D, ATC, CSCS, FNSCA

Associate Dean & Director of Sport Coaching Program

University of Denver, Graduate School of Professional Psychology

Chief Academic Officer

Dr. Brian Gearity is the Founding Director and Associate Tenured Professor of undergraduate and graduate Sport Programs at the University of Denver. A teenage powerlifting champion and Division III football player, Dr. G’s passion for weight training set him on the path to becoming a strength and conditioning coach at the high school, collegiate, and professional level, including stops with the Cleveland Guardians Baseball team and University of Tennessee. A Fellow of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), he is Editor-in-Chief for NSCA Coach, the NSCA’s journal dedicated to the practice of coaching, and Associate-Editor-in-Chief for Strength & Conditioning Journal. He also serves on the editorial board for Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, Sport Coaching Review, International Sport Coaching Journal, and the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity.

Clayton Kuklick, Ph.D., CSCS

Clinical Associate Professor

University of Denver Graduate School of  Professional Psychology

Clayton Kuklick is a clinical assistant professor in the Master of Arts in Sports Coaching program in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology. He has embraced his educational experiences by having a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education with an emphasis area in sports pedagogy from Kutztown University, a Master’s of Education in Kinesiology: Human Performance from Georgia College and State University, and a PhD in Human Performance and Recreation: Administration and Teaching from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Joseph Mills, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

University of Denver, Graduate School of Professional Psychology

Dr. Joseph Mills’ work employs progressive theories of human behavior to uncover hidden issues that negatively impact learning, development, and performance. They have been invited to prestigious universities, published in peer-reviewed journals, and praised by top coaches for their insights.