Panelists

Andre Tippett

Hall of Fame Linebacker and Executive Director of Community Affairs, New England Patriots

Andre Tippett was a 2nd round draft pick for the New England Patriots in 1982 he played 12 seasons for the New England Patriots from 1982-93 as an outside-linebacker , was voted to the 1980 NFL All-Decade Team played in 5 Pro-Bowls was inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame in 1999. University of Iowa inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 2007 and finally was enshrined into Pro-football Hall of Fame in August 2nd 2008 in Canton, Ohio.

David Griffin

Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations, Phoenix Suns

A self-described "basketball junkie," David Griffin enters his 16th season with the Suns and was named Sr. Vice President of Basketball Operations in June 2007. Griffin will aid President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Steve Kerr with all professional player matters and oversees the scouting and evaluation of all draft-eligible and free-agent prospects.

After originally joining the Suns basketball communications department in 1993 as an intern, Griffin has seen his responsibilities steadily grow due to his passion, work ethic and analytical expertise. After aiding the club's media relations efforts for four seasons, Griffin moved to the basketball operations side in 1997, where he began with draft and free agency information, video preparation, scouting reports and statistical analysis. Prior to his current assignment, Griffin held the titles of assistant general manager of player personnel, director of player personnel, assistant director of player personnel and basketball operations assistant with the Suns.

Additionally, he served as tournament director for the NIKE Desert Classic pre-draft camp and was an assistant coach at Scottsdale Community College, where he led the recruiting of five players that played Division I. He was also part of the basketball press information team at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

The Phoenix native is married to the former Meredith Hale. He graduated from Arizona State in 1995 with a degree in political science.

Dr. Steve Julius

Team Psychologist, Chicago Bulls and Founder, Human Resource Consulting Group

Dr. Steven Julius, founder of the Human Resource Consulting Group, advises senior executives of major corporations, entrepreneurial companies, professional service organizations and governmental agencies.  Often called upon during times of transition and/or crisis, typical assignments include strategic planning, corporate reorganization, culture transformation, forming/strengthening strategic alliances, succession planning, and executive development at the individual or team level. Dr. Julius also is the team psychologist for the Chicago Bulls.

In addition to his formal training, Dr. Julius acquired “hand on” business experience, having served as the chief executive for health care organizations in both the profit and non-profit arenas.  Dr. Julius also served as the global leader of human resources for a highly respected marketing communications firm, where his expertise in human capital and corporate development supported the company’s transformation from a very successful, private enterprise to a world-class, public-sector industry leader.

Dr. Julius is known for his ability to combine knowledge of human behavior, organizational dynamics and business development to create practical strategies and easy-to-use tools for resolving a wide range of business and human resource needs.  “Dr. J’s” enthusiastic, outcome oriented style has been called “contagious,” resulting not just in business solutions, but also an invigorated sense of pride of ownership and personal satisfaction by those with whom he works.

The Strategic Organizational Recruiting Tool (SORT), its companion Selecting Talent workshop and several organizational assessment instruments have been authored by Dr. Julius.  He also is the co-creator of BrainFood, a development program for senior executives that teaches practical leadership competencies and sound business principles within a creative learning environment.  Dr. Julius has been quoted in various national, regional and local periodicals.  He is often a featured speaker at national association and coporate meetings on a variety of topics including: peak performance, what it takes to lead, managing corporate change, developing high impact teams, and constructive conflict.

Armond Hill

Assistant Coach, Boston Celtics

Armond Hill begins his third season as an Assistant Coach for the Boston Celtics. He was named to the Celtics coaching staff on July 1, 2004.

Hill, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. brings over 18 years of experience as either a head or assistant coach at the high school and collegiate level, was most recently an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks during the 2003-04 season. Prior to joining the Hawks staff, Hill spent eight years as head coach at Columbia University, where his 2001-02 team led the nation in scoring defense, holding opponents to 57.0 points per game.

Hill's coaching career began as an assistant coach at the Lawrenceville School, in Lawrenceville, NJ in 1985. He became the head coach three years later. Hill won two Coach of the Year Awards and in 1990, led Lawrenceville to the New Jersey State Prep School Championship. He returned to his alma mater in 1991 as an assistant coach, helping guide Princeton to a 71-35 record over four seasons, winning the Ivy League title and going to the NCAA Tournament in 1992.

After being named Ivy League Player of the Year in 1976, Hill was drafted ninth overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1976 NBA Draft. He played eight seasons in the NBA, six with the Hawks, averaging 6.9 points and 4.4 assists per game.

He returned to Princeton after his playing career to complete his baccalaureate degree, earning a B.A. in psychology in 1985.

Moderator

Henry Abbott

Founder, TrueHoop and Senior Writer, ESPN

After more than a decade as a reporter and freelance writer, Henry Abbott founded TrueHoop -- a blog dissecting the people, statistics, business, and bric-a-brac of the NBA -- in 2005. In 2007, TrueHoop was integrated into ESPN.com, where Henry is now a senior writer.