The United States Sports Academy’s 2004 Alumnus of the Year Dennis Lindsey was recently promoted to executive vice president of basketball operations for the NBA’s Utah Jazz franchise. Lindsey previously served as the team’s general manager since 2012. He earned his Master of Sport Science degree in sports management from the Academy in 1994. In his new role Lindsey will oversee the Jazz basketball operations staff and develop and maintain the organization’s long-term strategic vision. Lindsey has served as the Utah Jazz general manager for the past seven years, assembling teams that have reached the NBA Playoffs for the last three years and advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals in 2017 and 2018. Lindsey finished as the runner-up in the voting for the 2018 NBA Executive of the Year. His [...]

When Dr. Angel Mejico graduated from her United States Sports Academy doctoral degree program, one of her instructors gave her a piece of advice that has stuck with her ever since. “He told me, ‘take everything you learned here and go do something great with it,’” Mejico said, and she did just that. While working as a visual arts teacher at El Cerrito Middle School in California’s Corona-Norco Unified School District, Mejico founded an art academy and annual art expo which has gained notoriety around the state. Because of her efforts in the classroom and school district, Mejico was named one of California’s five Teachers of the Year in 2019. Mejico earned her Doctor of Education degree in sports management with a sports leadership emphasis from the Academy in 2016. [...]

When Dusty Gunn started his master’s degree program at the United States Sports Academy, he always had the goal of becoming an athletic director at a prestigious institution in the back of his mind. Now, after spending time as a coach, teacher, healthcare administrator and non-profit director, Gunn has been hired as the Director of Athletics at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga, Tenn. The school has an extensive and notable history, having first opened in 1876 and being recognized as the first school in the Chattanooga area to be racially integrated in 1954. Gunn earned his Master of Sports Science degree in sports coaching from the Academy in 2008. “When I started my master’s program at the Academy, this was always the goal,” Gunn said. “I knew that one [...]

Entrepreneur and health coach Cindy Hodo said her master’s degree from the United States Sports Academy has been beneficial to her career along every step of the way. Hodo is the owner and founding partner of Quest Group, a boutique advertising agency and health and wellness coaching business based in Birmingham, Ala. She earned her Master of Sports Science degree in sports management in 1989 while she worked in marketing for the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. “The people at the Senior Bowl encouraged me to pursue a master’s degree at the Academy and I was able to do that while still working full time,” Hodo said. “Getting my master’s degree from the Academy was hugely beneficial to my career then, and it still resonates today.” After earning her master’s [...]

After working for six years in an assistant professor role at Bowie State University, Academy graduate Dr. Joseph Spears has been rewarded with a promotion and granted tenure. Spears, who lives in Maryland, was awarded tenure and promoted to the rank of associate professor of sports management at Bowie (Md.) State University, where he also serves as NCAA faculty athletic representative. Spears earned his Doctor of Education degree in sports management from the Academy in 2011. He holds master’s degrees in higher education from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md., and in divinity from Virginia Union University in Richmond, Va. Spears earned a bachelor’s degree at Logos Christian College in Jacksonville, Fla. With a background in religious studies, Spears said he chose to study at the Academy to blend his [...]

Faculty and staff at the United States Sports Academy are preparing to serve as part of the 2019 Crawfish Relay organized by Academy alumnus Anthony D’Onofrio. D’Onofrio is the director of the graduate athletic administration program at Endicott College in Boston, Mass. He is also the owner and director of the Crawfish Relay, a 200-mile running and cycling relay that begins in New Orleans, La., and ends at the historic Flora-Bama at the Alabama-Florida state line on the Gulf Coast. D’Onofrio earned his Master of Sports Science degree in sports management in 1997. D’Onofrio has worked in athletics administration, sports management, event organization and marketing since earning his Academy degree. “The biggest thing that my Academy education did for my career was that it helped me to build my professional [...]

United States Sports Academy graduate Dr. Thomas Sather said his master’s and doctoral degrees from the institution opened doors to his career serving the U.S. Navy and the Defense Health Agency (DHA). Sather is the chief of policy and programs, education and training of the DHA, a joint, integrated Combat Support Agency that enables the Army, Navy, and Air Force medical services to provide a medically ready force and a ready medical force to combatant commands in peace and wartime. He previously served as in several roles for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps for 19 years. He earned both his Master of Sports Science (M.S.S.) degree and Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degrees from the Academy. “The United States Sports Academy was key to opening doors of opportunity for me,” [...]

After being named one of the top assistant basketball coaches in the country last year, United States Sports Academy alumnus Drew Richards has been hired as the head men’s basketball coach at Lander University in Greenwood, S.C. Richards was ranked as one of the best assistant coaches in NCAA Division II by CoachStat.net, a website that uses analytical data to compile a comprehensive ranking of men’s basketball coaches in a variety of categories, for his work as associate head coach at the University of North Carolina Pembroke (UNCP). He was hired by Lander University in March 2019. Richards earned his Master of Sports Science degree in sports management from the Academy in 2013. He holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Missouri State University, where he was a four-year [...]

Lee Central High School coach and teacher George Wallace said the United States Sports Academy’s flexible scheduling and option to continue working in the sports field while learning benefited his family and career. Wallace earned his Master of Sports Science degree in sports management from the Academy in 2000. He teaches adaptive physical education to students with special needs at Lee Central in Bishopville, S.C. Like many other Academy graduates, Wallace was able to work as an educator and coach while earning his degree. “I have been appreciative through the years for the Academy and the opportunity it afforded me,” Wallace said. “The opportunity to advance my education without having to alter or stop my job and family responsibilities was very important to me then and would be very important [...]

United States Sports Academy 2018 Alumnus of the Year Scott Novack has played a major role for USA Rugby as the team he manages recently began a historic run and set its sights on Olympic qualification. Novack, a Colorado native, is the program operations manager for USA Rugby’s Men’s Eagles Sevens team, which recently recorded five consecutive podium finishes – including one championship – in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens series. The U.S. is the only team to reach the medal round in all five tournaments this season. The team is in first place in the world rugby sevens standings and at the end of the season, the top four teams earn berths to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Novack is a nationally acclaimed sports administrator and high performance director. [...]

In recognition of Black History Month, United States Sports Academy chair of sports management Dr. Brandon Spradley is writing a series of historical pieces dedicated to former black athletes and coaches from Mobile, Ala., for the institution’s daily sports blog, The Sport Digest.   Spradley earned his Doctor of Education degree in sports management from the Academy. In 2013, Spradley partnered with the Mobile County Training School (MCTS) Alumni Association to capture the unsung stories of key figures from that school. In continuing his dedication to that project, Spradley has written a series of articles for The Sport Digest, the Academy’s blog dedicated to contemporary issues in sport. Spradley’s articles highlight three key people who were represented in the project: Theodore Spradley III, Curtis Horton Sr., and Larry Shears. Spradley [...]

United States Sports Academy alumna Fay Minor was recently hired to be the Program/Sports Director at the YMCA in her hometown of Natchez, Miss. Minor, a former collegiate and professional basketball player, earned dual Master of Sports Science degrees in sports management and sports coaching from the Academy in 2010. She chose to pursue a graduate education from the Academy because the institution encourages everyone, male or female, to pursue careers in sport. “I love sports and when I started researching schools, the Academy had me mesmerized,” Minor said. “The idea they encouraged women and believed women could succeed in sports as a coach or an administrator was awesome. I started reading about female athletes who attended the Academy and moved on to administrative positions in sports. “I was proud [...]