By Dr. Brandon Spradley, Dr. Sandra Geringer, and Robert Herron |
Dr. Bonnie Tiell is a Professor of Sports Management at Tiffin University and serves as a member of the national faculty for the United States Sports Academy. She is a graduate of the Academy’s doctoral program and was named the 2014 Alumna of the Year for her contributions to intercollegiate athletic administration and global sports governance.
Dr. Tiell was recently interviewed to discuss ways to improve opportunities for women and women of color in sport management. This interview was conducted as a part of a conference presentation for the 2021 North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) annual conference, which focused on racial justice and diversity in the field of sport management. In the interview, she provides helpful tips and advice to students looking to work in sport management.
She emphasizes the importance of education and training. Dr. Tiell states, “Education is obviously important, that’s the business we’re in, but with education is tangible training…if you expect someone to perform a certain job function, and to have credibility and experience, they cannot do it without the training.”
Dr. Tiell also mentions that students must understand the value of networking and finding a mentor. “I believe I’m a collector of relationships, people collect coins, I collect relationships…and somehow I developed a knack to leverage relationships.”
Her advice for students looking to work in the realm of sport management is to take the initiative to learn about the career they desire, develop relationships that are mutually beneficial, and look for opportunities to grow and expand their skillset.
Watch Dr. Tiell’s interview below to learn about her journey in the field of sport management.
