
Guest Speakers for the Sports Industry Academy
Here’s a snapshot of some of our guest speakers for 2025. A final line-up will be confirmed in March, 2025.
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Josh Beauregard-Bell – Basketball Agent
Wasserman
Josh is currently a sports agent within the Basketball Division of Wasserman. Josh assists in the management of some of the top NBA and WNBA players including, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors and Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty.
Josh holds a B.A. degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara
Walter Boggan – Executive Director
Sports Industry Academy
Walter has had the unique experience of having leadership roles in both, the sports industry and higher education. He has worked in many sports management roles for NBA Hall of Famer, James Worthy, Reich Katz & Landis Sports Group and Williams & Connolly, LLP (Sports Division) just to name a few. He has also created and implemented many educational programs on behalf of the University of California, Santa Barbara. In addition to his role as Director of the Sports Industry Academy, Walter holds the title of Director of Admissions, Outreach and Diversity Initiatives for U.C. Santa Barbara’s Graduate Division.
Walter holds two B.A. degrees from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a M.A. in Sports Management from the University of San Francisco. Walter is also a graduate of Vallejo Sr. High School.
Kat Calderon – Sales Executives
Los Angeles Clippers
Kat Calderon is an Account Executive with the Los Angeles Clippers and has worked in the Sport Industry for the past 5 years. In her current role, Kat focuses on selling season tickets, suites, mini plans, and individual game tickets to reach personal goals and company quotas. She is also responsible for building relationships with clients and businesses to secure deals and generate new sales opportunities.
Kat holds a B.S. from CSU San Marcos and a M.A. in Sport Management from the University of San Francisco.
Livis Freeman – Assistant Professor and CEO
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communications ,
4 Our Fans, Inc.
Livis Freeman is currently a faculty member within the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is also the CEO of 4 Our Fans, Inc. where he develops the community and public relations identity of professional athletes. Some of his clients have and currently include former NBA Players, Antawn Jamison, Jerry Stackhouse and Brendan Haywood and golfer, Charles Howell, III.
Livis holds a B.S. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Ivan Hudson – Digital Partnerships Coordinator
Chicago Bulls
Ivan Hudson is currently Digital Partnerships Coordinator for the Chicago Bulls. Prior to his role with the Bulls, Ivan worked with several top sports organizations, including, G3 Marketing, the DeVos Sport Business Program and Excel Sports Management.
Ivan holds an Associate Arts degree from Santa Rosa Junior College, a B.S. degree from Indiana University and a MBA/MSBM from the University of Central Florida.
Brandon James – Founder & Creative Director
C2R Productions
Brandon is currently the Founder & Creative Director for C2R Productions, a video productions company based in Los Angeles, CA. He has worked/collaborated with several current and former professional athletes including, Alan Williams (NBA), Jaleel Okafor (NBA), Aaron Gordon (NBA), Josh Childress (NBA), C.C. Sabathia (MLB), and Antawn Jamison (NBA) just to name a few. Brandon also has years of experience crafting multimedia messages for many educational and non-profit organizations, including the University of California, Santa Barbara, and United Way of Greater Los Angeles. Brandon was also the Director and Editor of the ‘Wilson Park Chronicles’ a documentary about the historic excellence of baseball in the city of Vallejo, California.
Brandon holds a B.A. degree in Communications from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Antawn Jamison – Assistant General Manager, and Former NBA Player
Washington Wizards
Antawn played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels, when he was named national player of the year in 1998. He was selected by the Toronto Raptors in the first round with the fourth overall pick of the 1998 NBA draft before being traded to the Golden State Warriors for former Tar Heel teammate Vince Carter. Jamison was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team with the Warriors. During his career, Jamison was a two-time All-Star and won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2004. He was a member of the United States national team in 2006. After retiring from playing, he became an analyst for Time Warner Cable SportsNet and is currently the Assistant GM for the Washington Wizards.
Antawn holds a B.A. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Damon Jones – Vice President, & Assistant General Manager
Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Club
Former Chief Legal Officer, Washington Commanders Football Team
Damon is currently the Vice President, Assistant General Manager and Baseball Legal Counsel for the Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Club where he is responsible for baseball operations and baseball legal affairs for the Club, including the negotiations of player contracts and representing the Dodgers in all arbitration cases.
Damon also spent time in the NFL as the Chief Legal Officer of the Washington Football Team.
Damon holds a B.A. degree with honors from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School.
Eddie Maisonet – Sr. Editor, Combat Sports
ESPN
Eddie Maisonet currently serves as a senior editor for ESPN, focused on combat sports coverage (UFC, boxing and WWE) for our digital editorial group. We produce content focusing on live-event coverage, analysis and feature storytelling throughout the year.
Eddie is also an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco’s Sport Management master’s program. At USF, Eddie teaches “digital strategy in sports media” which helps students find ways to survive and thrive in a constantly evolving industry that drives the content sports fans consume on a daily basis.
Eddie holds a B.A. from Langston University and a M.A. in Sport Management from the University of San Francisco.
Janet Sevilla – CEO, Sevilla Catalyst for Change, Former Vice President, Community Impact, Atlanta Dream, WNBA
Janet is currently the CEO of Sevilla Catalyst for Change and the former Vice-President of Community Impact with the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA. She was the former Community Affairs Manager for the Atlanta Braves Baseball Club and previously worked for the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer and the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA.
Janet holds a B.A. degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Bobby Thompson – Associate Athletic Director, Administration and Student Success
Loyola Marymount Athletics
A proud native of Oakland, California - is the Associate Athletic Director for Student Athlete Services for Loyola Marymount University. Leveraging his Howard University Communication & Culture undergraduate education, University of San Francisco Sport Management Master’s Program education, and his valued life experiences, Bobby has discovered a passion for positively impacting people - particularly athletes - at the intersection of human learning and development, social responsibility, and multi-hyphenate identity awareness. Prior to his work at LMU, Bobby directed and led holistic student-athlete development initiatives, services, and programming for Cal's 850 student-athletes for five years, where he enriched the transformational growth and cultural awareness of student-athletes, focusing on career preparation, character and leadership development, and community engagement. Inspired by LeBron’s #MoreThanAnAthlete charge, Bobby is excited to continue empowering people to understand how we are all more than what we do.
Angela LaChica – CEO
LaChica Sports & Entertainment
Angela LaChica is a 25-year veteran of the sports industry having consulted to major sports properties, top professional athletes, and leading nonprofit organizations. Her clients have included the NFL, NBA, MLB, ESPN, NIKE, Adidas, NCAA, Players Coalition, Unstoppable Foundation, LeBron James Kings Academy, Los Angeles Chargers, Anquan Boldin, Kawhi Leonard and more.
Angela’s wide-ranging expertise includes social justice advocacy and training; development and execution of strategic national marketing and media campaigns; and special event planning and management. Her social impact projects often leverage her expertise across all of these platforms.
Angela achieved national recognition in 2016 as one of the lead negotiators behind the scenes for the NFL’s $89 million multi-year commitment to social justice initiatives. She now provides ongoing guidance to the NFL’s top management and partners on the strategic implementation of those initiatives.
In addition to leading LaChica Sports & Entertainment Group, Angela serves as the Managing Director for the Players Coalition, a 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organization of professional athletes working to impact social justice and racial equality.
Angela was recognized as the 2020 Women to Watch by the California Women’s Leadership Association. Additional public recognition includes Women Who Mean Business Award, San Diego Magazines’ People to Watch Nominee and Outstanding Emerging Professional Award.
Connect with Angela at info@lachicasports.com and on LinkedIn at: http://bit.ly/1LoWeEh
Marty Gorsich – CEO
Century Club of San Diego, Host of the PGA TOUR’s Farmers Insurance Open
Marty Gorsich is the CEO of the Century Club of San Diego, the host organization for the PGA TOUR’s Farmers Insurance Open, held at Torrey Pines golf course each January. During his 12 years with the organization, his leadership has helped drive significant overall revenue growth, elevated the overall guest experience at the event, and produced various innovative ideas that have solidified the Farmers Insurance Open’s reputation as one of the PGA TOUR’s premier events and a staple of the San Diego sports and social calendar.
Gorsich has a long and distinguished career in the sports industry, including 14 years in various business development roles with the San Diego Padres, where he was intimately involved in the transition from Qualcomm Stadium to Petco Park. He has also held positions with the San Diego Sports Commission and the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers.
More Guest Speakers to Be Added Very Soon!
Past speakers have also included the following executives:
LaDonte King, Vice President, Launch Student Sucess (2024)
Kristen Keller - Associate Athletic Director, Communications and Digital Strategy, UCSB Athletics (2024)
Lauren Hall - Program Director , Rose Bowl Institute (2024)
Trevor Bukstein – Former Assistant General Manager
Phoenix Suns
Celeste Ghering - Former Vice President, Field and Events Production
Fox Sports Network
Carlos Reed - Director of Athletics
Bishop O'Dowd High School, Oakland, California
Serena Winters - Lead Reporter and Media Editor in Chief
Lakers Nation