"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships."
-MICHAEL JORDAN, NBA HALL OF FAME BASKETBALL PLAYER
ALICIA MARINELLI - FOUNDER/PRESIDENT
Alicia Marinelli is a sport business professional that has worked in multiple marketing & sales capacities in the sport & entertainment industry including positions with Madison Square Garden, New York Knicks, Olympic/Professional Cycling organizations, and the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Triple-A Affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. Early in her career she realized the passion she had for helping young professionals succeed in the sport industry, a business that is difficult to break into.
Resulting in following that passion to help others, Marinelli created and revamped internship programs at five different sport organizations. The goal was to enable young professionals to receive meaningful and educational sport business experiences that would serve as a springboard for future opportunity.
In 2011, Marinelli's sport industry success was featured as part of East Stroudburg University's nation-wide marketing campaign. In 2012, Marinelli innovatively created one of the first high school sports internship programs while she was working at the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. This program gave high school students studying sport management the chance to experiment working at the ballpark prior to attending college. In the same year, Marinelli created the first annual iRUNpigs 5K at Coca-Cola Park. To-date the event has raised over $60,000 for IronPigs Charities, the team's nonprofit organization that provides educational and recreational opportunities for Lehigh Valley youth. In 2014, she was elected as President of Kutztown University's Sport Management Advisory Board, advising faculty and staff on the current trends in the industry and helping students secure employment in the field. In 2017, she joined the Pennsylvania Sport Business Conference serving as a Judge for the Annual Case Competition, a showdown between groups of students from area colleges studying sport management. In that same year, Marinelli joined the Alumni Advisory Board at her alma matter, East Stroudsburg University.
Marinelli has now taken it one step further by creating and introducing Living Sport's International Sport Business Program. Her mission is to do even more for people, by using sport as a catalyst to experience the world and to inspire personal and professional growth.
Currently, a number of Marinelli's former interns and mentees continue to work in sports and have found success in professional, collegiate, recreational, and nonprofit sport organizations. Through Living Sport she plans for those numbers to significantly rise.
Marinelli received her Master's Degree in Sport Management from East Stroudsburg University where she graduated with honors. She was a dual major at Misericordia University obtaining a Bachelor's Degree in both Marketing and Sport Management. She was one of the first female Sport Management graduates at Misericordia.
KRISTIN SCHEITRUM - DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING
It was only natural that Kristin Scheitrum took her long-time love for sports from the court to the office. Following her career as a Division I basketball player at Mount Saint Mary's University, Scheitrum built an expansive professional resume working in numerous sectors of the sport industry including marketing, event planning, sponsorship sales and services for professional sports teams, and national fundraising campaigns.
Scheitrum began her professional sports career in Minor League Baseball, selling and activating corporate sponsorships for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Triple-A Affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. She continued expanding her experience in the industry by working in client services for the Chicago Sky WNBA team and in global marketing solutions for the Brooklyn Nets, New York Islanders and Barclays Center. Most recently, Scheitrum worked in the fundraising side of the sport industry by further developing the West Coast market for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's Cycle for Survival events. Here she oversaw 25+ cycling events in cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle.
She is excited for her next chapter as Director of Partnership Development & Marketing at Living Sport. This opportunity allows her to connect with passionate young individuals looking for a unique opportunity that provides personal and professional growth in the sport industry.
Scheitrum received her Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, with a minor in Spanish, from Mount Saint Mary's University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. While at The Mount, she had the opportunity to study abroad in Costa Rica where she learned the value of seeing the world and experiencing new cultures for personal growth.
JONATHON KLEINER - MARKETING & CLIENT SERVICES COORDINATOR
Jon Kleiner joined Living Sport as a member of the inaugural Barcelona 2017 team where he worked as an Event Operations Assistant for the Red Hook Criterium. Following his trip, Kleiner was hired by Pocono Raceway as a Ticket Office and Fan Experience Associate, and then went on to work for the Philadelphia Eagles as their Ticket and Fan Services intern. Inspired by the cycling event in Barcelona, Kleiner serves as Event Day Logistic Coordinator for the Reading Radsport Festival.
Not only has Kleiner gained a wealth of experience across the industry as a young professional, he has also been serving as a Fire Support Specialist in the Army National Guard since 2014. Kleiner’s work ethic is second to none. He brings energy, enthusiasm and drive to everything he takes on, and continuously connects himself to people and experiences that develop him both personally and professionally. He is eager to help others see the world through sport and spread the mission through his new role on the Living Sport team.
Kleiner currently resides in Philadelphia, PA. He will soon be a graduate of Kutztown University in Pennsylvania with a degree in Leisure Sport Studies and a minor in Digital Communications & New Media.
DYLAN HAMMON - AMBASSADOR PROGRAM & ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT ASSISTANT
Dylan Hammon is a recent graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Leadership & Management. Throughout his collegiate career, Dylan engaged with the sport industry in multiple capacities including facility/event operations, marketing, and food & beverage. Hammon also worked as an equipment manager in the Miami University Athletic Department serving several teams and coaching staffs. Upon graduation, Hammon participated in the Living Sport London 2018 program, where he worked as a venue operations assistant at the Royal Windsor Triathlon and was selected as Co-MVP of the program by his peers.
Residing in Cleveland, Hammon recently began a role with the Cleveland Cavaliers as a Corporate Partnerships Assistant. He is also a member of the Cleveland Browns special event and fan engagement team, and provides production support for a number of events. Hammon’s passion for the sport industry has impacted many of the lives around him as he strives to create a difference for those who look to follow a similar path. His involvement with Living Sport will allow him to continue doing just that.
Living Sport Advisory Board:
Board Chair:
Shane Baglini - Associate Director, Marketing @ Northampton Community College
Vice Chair:
Chasity Brown - Lecturer, Health Science Department @ Lincoln University
Board Members:
Murvin English - Product Merchandising Manager @ Mitchell & Ness Nostalgia Co.
Alexa Fuentes - General Manager @ Legends Global Sales
Lindsey Knupp - Vice President, Marketing & Entertainment @ Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Arka Majumdar - Sales & Management @ Nacsport
Sarah Marten - Director of Community & Charitable Programs @ Chicago White Sox
Ben Muell - Sports Marketing Consultant
Kevin Scheitrum - Director, Content Optimization & Publishing @ NBA
Timothy Seidler - Director of Business Operations @ Bethlehem Steel FC
Tyler Simms - Head Men's Basketball Coach @ Clark University
Patrick Walker - Sales Coordinator @ PGA of America
Ashley Yencho - Assistant Athletic Director of Marketing @ University of Richmond
Matt Zidik - Art Director @ Ross Video