Tuesday Ten
Join me (no, not on Tuesday) on Friday, February 27, when I will be joined by Rocky Harris, Chief of Staff (Sr. Associate Athletic Director) for Arizona State Sun Devils Athletics. Rocky appears as part of my media partnership with Q1 Productions. Q1 is hosting the 2nd Annual Sports Fan Engagement Forum in Kansas City, MO on March 2-3, 2015.
Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@CadChica) as I will be live-tweeting and, Wi-Fi willing, broadcasting live from the forum.
**
Who Is Rocky Harris?
Rocky Harris joined Sun Devil Athletics in February 2012 as the Sr. Associate Athletics Director for Communications. He was named Sr. Associate AD for External Relations in June 2012, and has since been named Chief of Staff. As Chief of Staff, Harris is responsible for facilitating key departmental priorities, managing a wide range of matters of institutional importance on behalf of the Athletics Director, and serving as the primary strategic liaison with University and community constituencies. Harris acts on behalf of the Athletics Director in his absence and participates in strategic planning on special projects, including fundraising, outreach, and capital programs. As the Sr. Associate AD for External Relations, Harris oversaw media relations, marketing, ticketing, customer service, sponsorships and the Sun Devil Club.
Harris arrived at ASU after serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo and AEG Global Partnerships. In his tenure with the Dynamo and AEG, Harris helped initiate a $110 million stadium project in downtown Houston, and assisted in doubling the season ticket base and sponsorship revenue. He also managed the MLS All-Star game communications, marketing and sales plan that resulted in the fourth highest attended all-star game across all sports in United States history.
Before the Dynamo, Harris was the Director of Sports and Marketing Sponsorships at Reliant Energy, where he oversaw the largest naming rights deal in the National Football League and helped create the Reliant Energy Scholarship for Champions. He also was a member of the Houston World Cup Host Committee, Super Bowl XXXVIII Host Committee, as well as an NFL Media Representative for Super Bowls XXXVII, XXXVIII, and XXXIX.
Harris’ other work on the professional sports level includes the Director of Media Relations with the Houston Texans and the Media Relations Coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers. Prior to joining the NFL, Harris worked at a web-marketing agency in San Francisco and a sports marketing agency in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Alongside his business initiatives, Harris helped create the foundation “Dynamo Charities,” and serves on the Board of Trustees for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which recognized him as the 2010 Houston Man of the Year. He has also been awarded the Houston Business Journal 40 Under 40 Award, the Major League Soccer Marketing Executive of the Year Award and the Pete Rozelle Award for overseeing the NFL’s top public relations staff.
Harris received his master’s degree in sports management from the University of San Francisco where he graduated summa cum laude and earned the 2002 Director’s Award for being the top graduate student in the program. Prior to USF, Harris earned his bachelor’s degree in communications from Arizona State University. Both his mother and father earned their bachelor’s and master’s degrees from ASU. His father was an ASU student-athlete and his mother was an ASU professor. Harris and his wife Elizabeth have two daughters, Hope and Grace.
**
Where To Watch
Watch the show live and join the conversation on Google+ or bookmark this page and watch the show below.
**
Connection Central
With Rocky
With Arizona State Sun Devils
**
Next Week
Wi-Fi willing, I will be broadcasting live from Kansas City at the 2nd Annual Sports Fan Engagement Forum, hosted by Q1 Productions. I’ll be talking with some of the speakers and attendees who traveled from around the country to discuss how to engage today’s sports fan in the digital and social space. They are the leaders and innovators from around the world of sports: pro, college, business, sponsorship, education, media and more.
Join in the conversation with the hashtag, #q1SFE15, or follow me on Twitter (@CadChica).
***