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On this episode of the Sports Business Classroom Audio Experience “Alumni Takeover” series, host Arthur McKibben is joined by Chief Operating Officer for UNLV’s Sports Innovation Initiative, Jay Vickers. Vickers, is a senior leader with more than 20 years of experience in the areas of management, fundraising, sales, marketing, and customer service with a proven record of measurable outcomes. A graduate of Notre Dame, Vickers was a member of the Fighting Irish football team from 1996-2000 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
In this episode, Arthur and Jay discuss:

• What Jay’s current role as Chief Operating Officer entails
• Advice for listeners looking to gain exposure to elite athletes, sports teams, and front-office opportunities
• What having awareness of good leadership looks like
• The biggest challenges a person could face trying to have a career in sports

Before working in intercollegiate athletics, Vickers gained several years of experience as a marketing manager with an extensive background in customer service, sales, marketing, and management at numerous major corporations including Pfizer and Hershey’s. He is a founding member of Game Changers United, the U.S. Soccer Federation Board for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, and leads the Las Vegas Super Bowl Host Committee internship program partnership with UNLV. As a results-oriented leader, Vickers has had success at two Mountain West programs, Fresno State and UNLV, in the PAC-12 at Arizona, in the BIG 10 at Wisconsin, and in the MAC at Northern Illinois University. He has a comprehensive understanding of the role of higher education external divisions aligning with institutional priorities while increasing private philanthropy. We are thrilled to feature him on the podcast and can’t wait for you to hear the valuable insights he has to offer.