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The Assembly 2025 >
The Assembly 2025 Agenda
Monday - June 16 - Arrive in Austin
3:00 PM - Host Committee Meeting
5:30 PM - Salon Dinners around Austin
6:00 PM - Governing Board Meeting
7:30 PM - Host Committee and Governing Board Dinner
9:00 PM - Hospitality Suite presented by Blinkfire, Cargas and WolfCycle
Tuesday - June 17
Get ready for a power-packed day designed to inspire and energize! We kick things off with a deep dive into the evolving landscape of sports ownership, led by Goldman Sachs, spotlighting how private equity and diverse investors are reshaping the game. Then, shift into high gear with an interactive workshop on leading high-performance teams that will leave you rethinking how you build the future with your people. After lunch and key organizational updates at our Annual Membership Meeting, choose your own adventure with dynamic breakout sessions—whether it’s VP Circle case challenges, industry trends, or hands-on working groups. Cap off the day with a stylish Welcome Reception and the Medal of Leadership Celebration, honoring trailblazers who are elevating the industry and redefining what it means to lead like a PRO.
8:00 AM - Breakfast & Registration Open presented by RealResponse
9:00 AM - Welcome and Introductions
The Banker’s Role
9:15 AM - Partnering to Drive Value: From Ownership Transactions and Structures to Infrastructure Financing Discussion with Goldman Sachs
To set the level, Goldman Sachs will lead a conversation on their learnings around Ownership Dynamics where we will be invited to examine how evolving ownership models, including the expansion of private equity stakes are shaping sports organizations. And, as ownership diversifies, new perspectives enter the industry yet the role of minority owners and how they may (or may not) shape culture and operations depends on organizational goals. As leaders, charged with achieving organizational goals and challenged to keep investors aligned, this discussion will help with your thinking on balancing financial priorities with value drivers such as organizational culture and community impact.
Featuring:
• Dave Dase, Head of the Southeast Region, Global Co-Head of Sports
• Stacy Johns, Chief Business Officer, Los Angeles Football Club
• Moderated By: Jeff Fong, EVP Finance, San Francisco 49ers
10:45 AM - Workshop: Leading High-Performance Teams with Novus Global featuring C-Suite Circle Cohort/Alumni
As humans, we each walk through life, navigating the world based on our unique perspectives which becomes quite the kaleidoscope of perspectives when working with a team. When we look toward the future, we often plan based on the past, repeating patterns we've always known. But there is another way. What if you could shape the future from a bold, inspiring vision of what's possible? Imagine the power of working together, as a team, to create alignment and forge agreements that build a picture of a future that brings a new sense of energy to the team — a future that reduces frustration and inefficiencies, and leads to a team getting more done, in less time, with greater satisfaction.
Featuring:
• Kristin Frade, Director of Novus Global Sport, Leagues & Organizations
• Garland Hunt Jr., Executive Coach
• Lori Krueger, Executive Coach
12:15 PM - Lunch
1:15 PM - Leadership in Action
From the Advisory and Governing Board to Committee and Member Resource Group Chairs, everything at PRO is brought to life by members, for members. Get in on the Game Plan through key initiatives, elections, priorities, and new leadership opportunities.
Featuring:
• Executive Committee
• Committee Leaders
• Member Resource Group Leaders
3:00 PM - Breakout Sessions (3 options)
Breakout 1: VP Circle with The Venn Collective - Capstone Presentations
Join the VP Circle Cohort for an engaging session where teams tackle real-world leadership challenges! They’ve addressed key issues—from leadership transitions and cultural shifts to new stadium developments—across four fictitious professional sports leagues: football, basketball, soccer, and hockey. Join each executive team as they present strategies to boost morale, energy and engagement across their respective franchises, followed by an interactive Q&A with judges and the audience. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to see creativity and collaboration in action, as you vote on which teams excels in leadership!
Featuring:
• Kerry Watson, Baltimore Orioles
• Trennis Jones, Austin FC
• China Jude, Pistons Sports and Entertainment
• Liz Geist, Chicago Bears
• Kendall Tyson, Seattle Kraken
Breakout 2: Industry Trends with Navigate
In today’s competitive sports landscape, data isn’t just an asset—it’s a strategic advantage. Navigate invites you to explore how the power of data is reshaping the way sports organizations operate, compete, and connect with fans.
This session will unpack the most compelling insights from research and data, and dive into the trends shaping the future of professional sports. We will discuss fan engagement analytics and sponsorship valuation to marketing performance tracking and predictive modeling. Whether you're optimizing business decisions or elevating revenue potential, we’ll show how leveraging the right data at the right time can lead to measurable impact.
Join Navigate as we explore real-world examples, cutting-edge tools, and emerging innovations that are helping teams, leagues, and brands make smarter, faster, and more informed decisions in a data-driven era.
Featuring:
• Ally Corbin, Vice President of Custom Research
• Maya Pandya, Consulting Analyst
Breakout 3: Driving Value through Operational Excellence with Asana
In today’s fast-paced business environment, organizations are under constant pressure to deliver results while maintaining efficiency and alignment. This breakout will explore how teams can leverage Asana’s program management capabilities to drive operational excellence, improve cross-functional collaboration, and achieve strategic goals with greater clarity and speed. Learn best practices for streamlining work, increasing visibility into project progress, and eliminating bottlenecks. Discover how Asana empowers teams to focus on high-impact initiatives, optimize resources, and deliver measurable business value through improved execution.
Featuring:
• Jason Kennedy, Enterprise Account Executive
• Shaun Lowe, Head of Solutions, Enterprise & Emerging Enterprise
6:00 PM - Welcome Reception presented by OVG Arena Alliance
The 2025 Medal of Leadership honorees will be celebrated for advancing the professional sports industry, both inside their organization and beyond by elevating the standards of leadership excellence. The opening celebration elevates PRO members who are building strong, healthy and fair organizations and communities. Inspired by two leaders who epitomize what it means to be a PRO and have lifted inclusive leadership to new heights: Jason Jenkins and Cynt Marshall. You are invited to attend and consider your position of influence to benefit the greater good.
Meet The 2025 Honorees
 Pam Frasco
Vice President of Social Impact & Equity and Director of the Cavs Foundation for the Cleveland Cavaliers & Rock Entertainment Group
 Chris Granger
President, OVG 360
for Oak View Group
 Todd Taylor
President of Business Operations
for Pacers Sports & Entertainment
 Sheila Sickau
Senior Marketing Manager – Football Development for the Kansas City Chiefs
9:00 PM - Hospitality Suite presented by Blinkfire, Cargas and WolfCycle
Wednesday - June 18
This day is all about unlocking the numbers, navigating ownership dynamics, and elevating your leadership game. We’ll kick off with a behind-the-scenes look at how Forbes values sports teams—including what matters most (and what doesn’t) when it comes to your club’s financial worth. Then, roll up your sleeves for a hands-on workshop to reimagine the valuation model for today’s evolving sports landscape. After lunch, we dive into the complex relationship between owners and operators, and how elite leadership teams align strategy from the boardroom to the playing field. The day caps off with an exclusive leadership workshop led by Robert Kaplan of Goldman Sachs, offering tools to think like an owner, communicate vision, and lead with clarity and confidence.
8:00 AM - Breakfast & Registration Open presented by Bloombase
The Valuator’s Role
9:00 AM - Welcome and Reflection on Day 1
9:15 AM - A Peek Behind the Curtain on Team Valuations
The Forbes valuation team will provide a peek behind the curtain on sports team valuations. From what goes into the valuation (and what doesn't), how teams can differentiate themselves, who they talk to as part of the process, how team sales impact the process each year (both within the league and outside the league), and how difficult it must be to rank the clubs (how do you distinguish between teams 25 to 30 in MLS, for instance). It would also be interesting to learn about how you see the value for some of the emerging and lower division leagues, that don't traditionally get published, with so much interest in purchasing sports teams and investing in new leagues.
Featuring:
10:45 AM - Workshop: A Valuation Model Make-Over with EES
Now that we've gained insights, we will have an opportunity to dive into the model and how it could evolve by exploring Building Brand Value: Leaders' roles in optimizing the team valuation. Building upon the Forbes' insights, this workshop will dive further into valuation, looking at the importance of key factors, ways to drive and sustain additional revenue streams and the role leaders play in curating the valuation storyline.
Featuring:
12:15 PM - Lunch Break
The Owner/Operator’s Role
1:15 PM - From Boardroom to the Field of Play: How the Best Owners and Operators Align
The growth of private equity and increased emergence of multi-sport ownership groups has shifted the sports landscape from the boardroom to the field of play.The demands placed on leaders between traditional ownership and investor models compared to an evolving investor-owner model requires flexible leadership capable of aligning investor expectations, communicating effectively within new owner-operator relations, and successfully managing in all directions of the enterprise. Alignment is key in determining shared commitments, but leaders in sport business must be adept at dissecting the elements needed to create effective owner and operator governance to maintain the focus on key business priorities.
Featuring:
• Catie Griggs, President of Business Operations, Baltimore Orioles
• Emma Rodriguez- Ayala - CAO, Ariel Investments, Project Level
• Peter John Holt, Managing Partner, Spurs Sports & Entertainment
• Moderated By: Brandon Comer, Managing Partner, Alterity Capital
2:45 PM - Workshop: Reaching Your Leadership Potential with Robert S. Kaplan, Partner and Vice Chair, Goldman Sachs
How do the best leaders consistently grow and adapt? In this engaging 90-minute workshop, Robert Kaplan—Partner and Vice Chairman at Goldman Sachs, investor in the Kansas City Royals, and former President & CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas—will provide a high-impact framework to help you unlock your full leadership potential. Through candid insights, real-world examples, and interactive discussion, Kaplan will explore:
- Thinking & Acting Like an Owner – Developing an ownership mindset to make high-impact decisions
- Communicating a Clear Vision & Strategy – The keys to articulating and executing big-picture goals
- Understanding & Managing Yourself – Enhancing self-awareness, resilience, and decision-making
- Developing Your Leadership Style – Identifying strengths and shaping your leadership approach
This session is a rare opportunity to learn from one of the most respected voices in leadership and finance. Whether you’re leading a team, managing high-stakes decisions, or navigating ownership dynamics, this workshop will challenge and elevate your leadership game.
4:00 PM - Recognition & Wrap Up
5:30 PM - Optional Dinner
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