Faculty
Leadership
At USF you study with faculty who have leadership experience in the industry — and you learn by doing, not just by listening. Our professors have unmatched experience in sport globally — they are front office and league executives, athletic directors, media hosts and broadcasters, and advisors to businesses across the industry. Because they all play active roles in sport, they bring fresh industry insights and practices to every class they teach, including navigating new athlete name, image, and likeness opportunities, sport betting implications, and technology-enabled disruptions. At USF, your professors, guest speakers, staff, alumni, and fellow students give you referrals to key people for insights on career strategies, organizations of interest, and new opportunities.
Academic Director
- UC Berkeley, PhD in Economics, 1997
- Sports Economics
- Sports Finance
- Sports Valuation
- Sports Antitrust
Full-Time Faculty
Professor Agha teaches courses in quantitative analysis and strategic management and previously taught sport finance and sport economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She worked in international business operations for several years and has also consulted to the sport and fitness industry by conducting economic impact studies, competitive analysis, and feasibility studies for clients in MLB, NBA, minor league hockey, local organizing committees, and fitness organizations...
- PhD, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- PhD, University of New Mexico
Dr. Michael M. Goldman is a marketing and sales teacher, researcher, and advisor to organizations in the U.S., India, Kenya, and South Africa. From investigating how to retain baseball season ticket holders of the San Francisco Giants, to advising the MTN Group on leveraging their FIFA World Cup sponsorship, to developing sales skills workshops with the Los Angeles Clippers, Michael has worked with students, managers and clients to enhance their abilities to acquire, grow and retain profitable...
- Gordon Institute of Business Science, DBA, 2014
- Gordon Institute of Business Science, MBA, 2005
- Sport fan and consumer behavior
- Athlete, team or event sponsorship
- Sport sales and demand generation
- Sport marketing strategy
A professor at the USF since 1997, Dr. Howell was the first full time professor hired into the Sport Management Master's program where he has taught numerous courses that focus on the intersection of sport, culture and commerce. He has since held multiple roles at the institution. In 2010 he was part of a three-member Interim Athletic Director team that oversaw all operations of USF's Athletic Department. He is currently the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative, a member of the Athletics...
- PhD, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
- MS, University of Washington, Seattle
- PGCE, Bangor University, Wales
- BA, Bangor University, Wales
Part-Time Faculty
Prior to teaching at USF, Michael Gilleran held several positions in the Bay Area sports community, serving as the director of athletics at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco, the executive director of the Santa Clara University Institute for Sports Law and Ethics, and as the commissioner of the West Coast Conference and a member of the NCAA Enforcement Department. Mr. Gilleran teaches Sport Law at the San Francisco Downtown campus. Mike was also a collegiate basketball student...
- BA, Journalism, Seattle University, 1971
- Juris Doctor, Seattle University, 1975
- Washington State Bar Examination
Rob Halvaks teaches the Managing Sport in Dynamic Environment course at the Orange County campus and is one of the faculty mentors for the master's project. Professor Halvaks is the retired deputy commissioner and chief financial officer of the Big West Conference and has participated on a number of NCAA governance committees, including the Championships and Administration Cabinets and the Playing Rules Oversight Panel.
Prior to joining the Big West, Mr. Halvaks served as associate executive...
- MA, Ohio University
- BA, University of Michigan
Laura Hazlett is a talented and strategic executive with an impressive track record on complex projects that involve multiple stakeholder groups. Laura spent four years as the chief financial and administrative officer of the California College of Arts, was the chief financial officer for athletics at UC Berkeley, and served as a consultant to the University of Oregon. While with the University of Oregon, Laura was the financial point person for the development of Matthew Knight Arena, acting...
- PhD, Finance, University of California, Los Angeles
- MS, Economics, University of California, Los Angeles
- BA, Mathematics, Arizona State University
- BS, Economics, Arizona State University
Patrick "Ed" Lamb is currently an independent director and advisor for various companies in tech, manufacturing, real estate and entertainment. Mr. Lamb has over 30 years of CFO experience in various public, public subsidiary and private entities, specifically in the financial services arena. He has public and private company board experience and has an extensive background with the debt and equity capital markets, acquisitions and divestitures, operations, and various financing and...
- BYU Marriott School of Business, BS and MAcc, Accountancy, with a minor in Managerial Economics
Richard has practiced law in California since 1983. His practice includes an emphasis on sports and entertainment law, real estate, and business transactions and litigation. He is currently a partner at the law firm of Hymes, Schreiber and Walden, LLP, and the founder and CEO of Dishon & Walden. Richard is the co-author of the textbook Sport, Ethics, and Leadership (Routledge, 2018) and teaches Sport Law at the USF Orange County campus. Richard was featured in the August 2018 issue of Complianc...
- JD, University of Texas Law School
Industry Instructors
Each semester, industry professionals share their expertise with Sport Management students by teaching elective courses. This enables USF Sport Management students to learn dynamic trends, context, and specific aspects of sport-related careers from executives actively working in sport. Elective options vary each semester. A sample list of past elective course offerings are as follows:
- Digital Strategy in Sports Media, taught by Eddie Maisonet, General Editor at ESPN
- Collegiate Athletics, taught by Cheryl Levick, Former Director of Athletics, Georgia State University
- How to Land Your Dream Job, taught by Tom Davis, Chief Marketing Officer, Big West Conference
- International Sport Management, taught by Dr. Kenneth Cortsen, Owner, Sport Management Perspectives, Assistant Professor, University of Northern Denmark
- Social Media & Content, taught by Danny Pedroza, Sports Content Operations, Apple
- Inner Workings of Sports Marketing, taught by Casey Leppanen, former Director of Marketing & Fan Development, San Jose Sharks
- Athlete Activism – The 5 Waves, taught by Rodney Knox, Sr. Director at MasterClass, former Director at Nike
- Sports Technology and Innovation, taught by Marilou McFarlane, Founder of Women in Sports Tech and SportsTechWorks
- Athlete Marketing, taught by Ted Yeschin, Vice President at Wasserman
- Sport Law, taught by Derek Howard, a practicing attorney across the United States in a variety of sport-related litigation. In 2020 he was again selected by SuperLawyers as one of the Top 100 Attorneys in Northern California.