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How USF’s MS in Sport Management Prepared Jonathan De Anda to Build Opportunity Through Sport
For Jonathan De Anda ’21, sport has always been more than competition, it has been a vehicle for opportunity, mentorship, and community connection.
Today, as General Manager of the Salinas Regional Sports Authority (SRSA) and recipient of the Salinas Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 Young Professional of the Year Award, Jonathan exemplifies how a graduate education can prepare leaders to create meaningful impact at the local level.
A proud graduate of the University of San Francisco’s MS in Sport Management program, Jonathan intentionally pursued graduate school with a clear goal: to return home and serve his community through sport. “I knew I wanted to come back and give back through sports,” he said. “USF helped me turn that vision into a plan.”
Raised by parents who immigrated from Mexico in search of better opportunities for their children, Jonathan grew up understanding the power of access, particularly access to education, mentors, and safe spaces for recreation. Soccer provided structure and guidance in his early life, but he also experienced firsthand the limitations facing many communities like Salinas: outdated facilities, pay-to-play barriers, and limited exposure to high-level opportunities.
Those experiences now inform his leadership vision at the Salinas Soccer Complex, a community-centered facility serving more than 11,500 visitors each week. Jonathan has been instrumental in transforming the SRSA complex into a year-round destination for youth development, recreation, and regional sports tourism.
Recent improvements, including the addition of two artificial turf fields with lighting, expanded operations from an eight-month season to year-round access, dramatically increasing participation. In 2025, Salinas hosted the Alianza Cup, one of the largest Hispanic soccer tournaments in the nation, drawing nearly 27,000 attendees over three days - placing Salinas on the national sports tourism map.
But Jonathan is quick to point out that his work at the SRSA extends beyond soccer tournaments and sports infrastructure. “Real impact happens at the grassroots level,” he explained. “It’s about creating healthier communities, building confidence in young people, and opening doors that didn’t exist before.”
That philosophy aligns closely with what drew him to USF’s MS in Sport Management program. During his time at USF, Jonathan developed transferable skills he now uses daily; budgeting, strategic planning, leadership, marketing, and stakeholder communication. Courses in leadership and critical thinking helped him manage teams and collaborate effectively with a board of directors, while sport marketing coursework strengthened his ability to tell the story of SRSA’s mission and impact. “USF Sport Management gave me tools I still use every day,” Jonathan said. “From managing budgets to leading people and working with community partners, that foundation has been critical.”
USF Sport Management gave me tools I still use every day. From managing budgets to leading people and working with community partners, that foundation has been critical.”
Equally important was the USF network. Jonathan remains connected with professors and classmates, frequently tapping into those relationships for mentorship, collaboration, and professional insight. For students interested in mission-driven careers, that network provides lasting value well beyond graduation.
Jonathan’s career illustrates an often-overlooked pathway in sport management, one rooted not in professional franchises, but in city parks and recreation, nonprofit leadership, and community-based sports organizations. These roles offer opportunities to blend sport, public service, and social impact, often at the level where change is most visible.
