Previous Speakers

Adam Neuman joined the Big Ten Conference in January 2020 as Chief of Staff, Strategy and Operations. He assists Commissioner Kevin Warren in creating a movement of leadership in sports, academics and social responsibility to meet the challenges of our times. In January of 2021, he retained his Chief of Staff duties and was promoted to Deputy General Counsel.

The Commissioner’s Office seeks to provide the tools and culture to inspire student-athletes of the 14 Big Ten universities to assume meaningful personal and professional roles during and after their collegiate athletic careers. Neuman serves as a strategic advisor and aide to the Commissioner, implementing Commissioner Warren’s ideas and vision into practice, ensuring student-athletes are at the center of all decisions.

Neuman is a licensed attorney with the State Bar of Illinois and New York.

Carol Stiff serves as an advisor for FAST Studios’ Women’s Sports Network and is the president of Stiff Sports Media Consulting, LLC, where she consults with brands and companies looking to get behind women’s sports. She is a 30+ year veteran of ESPN and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee credited with advancing the growth of women’s sports at the collegiate and professional level and was responsible for the acquisition and programming of a variety of sports including NCAA women’s basketball, various NCAA Men’s & Women’s championships, WNBA, and professional softball across multiple ESPN properties. Carol also served as Vice President of content integration for espnW, integrating women’s sports across ESPN platforms.

Driven by frustration at not being able to follow the careers of her friends, former teams, and coaches after she retired from professional soccer, Haley Rosen founded Just Women’s Sports in 2020 to change the game for women’s sports coverage.

Today, Just Women’s Sports is the leading multimedia platform exclusively dedicated to women’s sports, providing fans with in-depth coverage, exclusive interviews, highlights and analysis through editorial content, live programming, podcasts, video series, a bi-weekly newsletter, and a first-of-its-kind live scoreboard dedicated to major women’s sports leagues.

Prior to founding Just Women’s Sports, Rosen worked at a tech startup in San Francisco where she combined her curiosity in the enterprise usage of virtual reality with her experience as a professional athlete.

Rosen was recognized as part of Forbes 30 Under 30 Class of 2022 and has been honored as one of Sports Business Journal’s New Voices Under 30.

In June 2021, Burke Magnus was promoted to the new title of president, programming and original content.  A 26-year ESPN veteran, he previously served as executive vice president, programming acquisitions and scheduling since May 2015, adding oversight of ESPN’s relationship with BAMTech in June 2017 and of original content in November 2020.    

In making the announcement, Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman, ESPN and Sports Content said, “Burke is a talented leader and collaborative colleague who has been instrumental in guiding ESPN through what has undoubtedly been one of the most challenging and critical periods in our history.  He is an industry-leading programming strategist who continues to take on new challenges with his signature combination of relationship building and creativity.”  

Magnus is responsible for all programming and rights acquisition and scheduling, as well as ESPN and ESPN+ original content development and scheduling (including ESPN Films and 30 for 30 franchise). In his role, Magnus is responsible for rightsholder relationships, content strategy and cross-platform programming rights acquisition/scheduling on a global basis. He is a key driver of Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer priority, including ESPN+, through his team’s close collaboration with DMED (Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution).  

In late 2020 and 2021, he guided ESPN and The Walt Disney Company through one of its most active and notable sports rights acquisition periods. He helped drive new, cross-platform (linear, direct-to-consumer, digital, social, etc.) agreements and/or extensions with the NFL, MLB, NHL, SEC, LaLiga and more. Additionally, he led a programming team that collaborated with numerous league, conference and event partners to navigate the postponement, cancellation and rescheduling of thousands of events across ESPN platforms in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak.  

Previous agreements forged during Magnus’ time as executive vice president include the NBA, the Masters and PGA Championship, UFC, the German Bundesliga, and more. 

Magnus previously served as senior vice president, programming and acquisitions (January 2014 – May 2015), and senior vice president, college sports programming, since March 2008.   

For years, Magnus set the strategic direction of the company’s college sports content which included acquiring, scheduling and programming college football, college basketball and NCAA Championships across the ESPN networks. He played an integral role in securing long-term rights to the College Football Playoff, the Rose, Sugar and Orange Bowls, the NCAA and some of the nation’s top college athletics conferences, including the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC.  

From November 2004 through March 2008, Magnus served as vice president and general manager of ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network. He guided all programming, production and operations and led the inter-departmental team responsible for the growth and development of the network and related multi-media initiatives. Under his direction, men’s college basketball ratings increased over multiple consecutive seasons and new initiatives such as Bracket Buster Saturday and College GameDay (basketball) were introduced.  

Magnus joined ESPN in 1995 as a program associate and in 1996 was promoted to program planner. In 1998, he advanced to program manager and later became director of brand management in 2000 (later changed to director, programming and acquisitions), primarily responsible for ESPN’s men’s college basketball programming and scheduling. From 2002-04, Magnus was a member of the ESPN Original Entertainment (EOE) team where he served as the project manager for several programs, including the biopic on the life of Dale Earnhardt entitled “3”, which was critically acclaimed and the second-highest rated movie of 2004 on ad-supported cable.   

Magnus has been named to the annual CableFax 100, which salutes the industry’s top power players and game changers, each year since 2018. He was honored with the National Football Foundation’s prestigious Legacy Award in 2013 for his support and leadership in promoting college football. In 2006, Magnus was also named to the distinguished Sports Business Journal Forty Under 40, honoring the most promising young executives in sports business under the age of 40.  

A native of Ridgewood, N.J., Magnus graduated from Holy Cross in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in history and then received his master’s degree in sport management from the University of Massachusetts in 1994. During this time, he also served as a programming intern for CBS Sports from 1993 to 1994. UMass awarded him the Distinguished Alumnus Award by the McCormack Department of Sport Management in 2011.  

Magnus is an active board member for a variety of organizations, including the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, and the McCormack Advisory Board for the Department of Sport Management at UMass. He is also on the Board of Advisors for the Allan “Bud” Selig Sports Law and Business program at the Arizona State University Law School, and he is part of the National Football Foundation Awards Committee, which annually selects the National Scholar-Athlete and Campbell Trophy recipients.

Amanda is the USGA’s Managing Director of Broadcast, Digital Media and Ticketing and oversees the organization’s global media business including domestic and international broadcast/streaming rights, the USGA app and website(s), data and content licensing, new business, and innovation. Amanda also leads the Admissions team where her focus is on revenue generation, go-to-market strategy, ticket/credential operations and the overall fan experience for the U.S. Open and the USGA’s other ticketed championships. Before her time at the USGA, Amanda worked in marketing at Modell’s Sporting Goods HQ, global merchandising at the National Basketball Association and on the advertising side at The Golf Digest Companies.

Regarded as the world’s premier point guard, Sue Bird is the WNBA’s All-Time Leader in Assists and known for being selfless, driven, encouraging and smart. Bird is a seasoned veteran and a born leader who has dominated at every level. She is one of only seven women to win an Olympic Gold Medal (she’s won four), a World Championship Gold Medal (she’s won four) an NCAA Championship (she’s won two), and a WNBA Championship (she’s won three). Sue is also a five-time Euroleague Champion, an eleven-time WNBA All-Star, was voted by the fans as one of the WNBA’s Top 15 Players of All Time and chosen by the league as a member of the WNBA’s Top 20 players.

Off the court, you can currently find Sue working as basketball operations associate for the Denver Nuggets or advocating for equality, health and wellness and expanding opportunities for girls.

Tina Shah is Executive Vice President and General Manager for Turner Sports. Shah is a primary day-to-day point of contact with league partners including the NBA, NCAA and MLB, and she is responsible for business strategy on behalf of the NBA Digital portfolio (consisting of NBA TV, the NBA App, NBA.com and NBA League Pass). She leads business affairs, business development, rights acquisitions and strategy functions for Turner Sports, along with the programming and data, analytics and insights teams. Shah also oversees business strategy and operations, products, marketing and analytics for Bleacher Report. She reports directly to Lenny Daniels, President of Turner Sports.

Joseph Markowski serves as Executive Vice President at DAZN, overseeing Partnerships, Rightsholder Activation, Marketing, Communications and Strategy for the North American business.

In 2018, Markowski orchestrated the commercial and operational launch of DAZN in the United States. Under his guidance, DAZN became an immediate player in the media landscape by challenging the combat sports pay-per-view model and offering fights from Canelo Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin, Anthony Joshua, Bellator MMA and others at a low subscription price. In March 2018, DAZN expanded into the big four sports American leagues by launching ChangeUp, a nightly MLB whiparound show featuring live look-ins from all 30 teams.

Ezra Kucharz joined DraftKings as chief business officer in October 2017. In this role, Kucharz is responsible for DraftKings’ business and corporate development functions, business strategy, international growth, ad sales, strategic partnerships, live events and digital media, further solidifying the company’s position at the intersection of sports, tech and media.  He is an award-winning innovator, leader and entrepreneur bringing transformational growth and scale to numerous organizations.

Prior to DraftKings, Kucharz served as President of CBS Local Digital Media and Special Advisor to CBS CEO leading large scale organizations throughout his tenure. In this role, Kucharz oversaw online and mobile business across CBS Radio’s 115 stations nationwide and concert business and more than two dozen CBS Television stations. During his tenure, Kucharz’s leadership elevated CBS Local to the number one digital organization in broadcast TV and radio. Kucharz has also held several senior-level positions at NBC Universal, founded one of the first online digital sports media companies, Total Sports, and worked for NASA in their Space Shuttle and International Space Station Medical Operations divisions after serving as an Army Officer assigned to the Armor Branch.

Kucharz holds degrees from Boston University, University of Houston and Duke University. Kucharz resides in New Jersey with his wife and kids.

Nicolina O’Rorke was named Senior Vice President, NBC Sports Enterprises and General Manager, Sports Betting and Gaming, NBC Sports Group, in October 2020. She is responsible for the day-to-day sports betting operations for NBC Sports Group, including Rotoworld and the NBC Sports Predictor app, and develops and executes the division’s betting strategy. O’Rorke was named SVP, NBC Sports Enterprises, in December 2019, which is comprised of the division’s new business initiatives, including sports betting, audio and esports. During that time, she led the team working on the deal that established PointsBet as the official sports betting partner of NBC Sports Group.

Prior to her current role, O’Rorke also served as Chief Financial Officer, NBC Sports Regional Networks, since July 2015. The NBC Sports Regional Networks are comprised of nine regional sports networks in top markets across the country. During that time, she was an integral leader on the RSN management team and served as a board member at five of the RSNs, which are joint ventures with team owners from the NBA, MLB and NHL.

O’Rorke joined NBC Sports from NBC News where she served in a variety of senior finance roles since 2009, most recently as Chief Financial Officer, NBC News from 2013 – 2015. There she oversaw finance for all NBC News broadcasts and platforms and was a key member of the leadership team. Prior to joining the News Group, O’Rorke served in various finance positions within the NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Group, most notably working on the acquisition and integration of Oxygen Media. In 2010, she completed General Electric’s Experienced Financial Leadership Program. O’Rorke began her career in investment banking at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (ultimately acquired by Credit Suisse First Boston).

O’Rorke co-leads the NBC Sports Group Women’s Network @ NBCUniversal, an employee resource group dedicated to fostering women’s professional and personal development within the company.  In 2019, she was named a Game Changer by SportsBusiness Journal, was named one of CableFAX’s Most Influential Minorities in Cable.

O’Rorke graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and received her MBA from Columbia University. She resides in Larchmont, N.Y., with her husband and their two sons.

As executive vice president and general manager of ESPN+, Russell Wolff is responsible for leadership, management and oversight of all aspects of ESPN+, the industry-leading multi-sport, direct-to-consumer streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN.

In the role, Wolff works with the leadership teams at DTCI and ESPN to drive the ESPN+ business and grow its subscriber base. Wolff drives the collaboration across programming, product development, technology, content, finance and marketing teams in both business segments. He also works closely with teams in both DTCI and ESPN on the overall management and commercialization of ESPN-branded digital products globally.

Lenny Daniels is President of Turner Sports, a division of WarnerMedia. In this role, he is responsible for all aspects of Turner Sports’ day-to-day management including production, programming, scheduling, league relations, business development, ad sales, marketing, digital, talent, events and operations. Appointed to the position in 2014, Daniels also leads the development of Turner’s data infrastructure and business capabilities to grow revenue and consumer insights across all of the brands within the sports portfolio.

Additionally, Daniels leads the overall strategy for the division including acquisitions, programming and expansion of the company’s sports media rights.  Turner Sports’ expansive portfolio of premium sports content includes the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, ELEAGUE and professional golf; a digital portfolio including Bleacher Report and B/R Live – Turner Sports’ new premium live streaming service – along with NCAA.com and PGA.com and an accompanying collection of mobile websites and connected device apps.  Daniels also guides Turner Sports’ partnership with the NBA to jointly manage NBA Digital and its vast portfolio – NBA TV, the NBA App, NBA League Pass and NBA.com.

TJ leads all Global Content Partnerships at Twitter, after spending the previous few years managing Twitter’s partnerships with major U.S. Sports Leagues, including the NFL, NBA, and MLB. He is responsible for helping Twitter’s sports partners amplify their global content strategies. TJ has been recognized for his diverse experience and expertise on sports trends across the industry and digital landscape, and was recently named to Sports Business Journal’s 40 under 40.

David Gandler is Co-founder and CEO of fuboTV, the live TV streaming service that is transforming how people watch sports, news and entertainment.

Under David’s leadership, fuboTV has quickly evolved into a leading virtual MVPD with a focus on innovation. fubo launched in 2015 as a streaming soccer service and today is a sports-focused cable replacement for the entire family. The company is consistently first to market across a number of areas including product and technology (first and still only vMVPD to stream in 4K), advertising (launched dynamic ad insertion in January 2018 ahead of most competitors) and content (distribution agreements with 100+ channels and 600+ local network stations in 98% of the U.S).