Panelists

 

Ray Allen

All Star Guard, Boston Celtics

Ray Allen is a nine-time NBA All-Star and won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the 2000 U.S. Men’s Basketball team. Allen is a member of the All-Star Advisory Council for the Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA youth basketball support program. He’s also been named honorary captain for UConn's All-Century Team and an NBA Spokesman for the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund.
 
Allen initiated the "Ray of Hope" Foundation, which assists charities in several communities. He’s also starred in the movie "He Got Game" and was named Sporting News "Good Guy" in 2000, 2001 and 2005. He holds numerous NBA records including most 3-Point field goals made in a season (269 in ’05-’06), most times leading league in 3-Point fields made (3) and most 3-Point field goals in the NBA finals with 22 (’08).

Carla Christofferson

Co-Owner, Los Angeles Sparks

As she enters her third season as co-owner of the Los Angeles Sparks, Carla Christofferson continues to lead the organization in a direction that Los Angeles and the WNBA has not seen before.  Christofferson’s time as Managing Partner at the Los Angeles office of O’Melveny & Myers, LLP gives her a wealth of understanding to improve the experiences of Sparks fans and to strengthen the Los Angeles community. Her enthusiasm for the team paired with her creative mind has already elevated the team to new heights.

Christofferson is currently the Managing Partner of O'Melveny & Myers Los Angeles office, where she has spent the last 15 years focusing on commercial civil litigation, specializing in energy, accounting, and contract disputes. She has been recognized as a Southern California "Super Lawyer" and, in 2008 was named as one of the Top 75 Women Lawyers in California and as one of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers in California.

Past President and currently a member of the Board of Directors for Women’s Care Cottage, an organization that helps move women and children off the streets permanently and succeed independently in their homes, schools, communities and workplaces, Christofferson continues to be an instrumental leader in building and supporting the Los Angeles community. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Los Angeles Public Library Foundation.

A graduate of the University of North Dakota, summa cum laude, and Yale Law School, Christofferson is a native of Tolna, N.D where played basketball, softball and ran track in high school and played basketball in community college. She was selected Miss North Dakota in 1989 and is a recipient of the 2007 University of North Dakota Young Alumni Achievement Award. Prior to purchasing the Sparks, she was a season ticket holder since
1999.

Greg Via

Global Director of Sports Marketing, The Gillette Company

Greg is responsible for Gillette’s involvement in the global sports market place.  His base property is the Gillette Champions, a unique program that links 3 of the World’s greatest athletes, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Thierry Henry into a marketing program that has been rolled out to 190+ countries.  The Gillette Champions program has been expanded to include other iconic athletes, such as Derek Jeter, Kaka, Messi, Rafa and 16 other world superstars.

Greg also works with the Gillette North American leadership and assists with Gillette’s NASCAR, WWE and MLB relationships.  His former experience includes time as the VP of Alliance and Licensing at New Era Cap, VP of Worldwide Corporate Sponsorship at Motorola, and Director of Worldwide Sports Marketing at Gatorade.  During his time at Motorola and Gatorade, Greg gained extensive experience working with NASCAR and the IRL.

Born in Clifton Forge, Virginia, Greg graduated Bridgewater College and the University of Tennessee.  He has a wife, Vicki and a daughter, Kristin, and currently resides in Boston.

Brian Jennings

EVP of Marketing, NHL

It takes strong leadership, keen instincts, and a clear focus on company success to make a lasting impact in the field of consumer products marketing. With more than 15 years of experience in strategic planning and all facets of operations, Brian P. Jennings has done just that. A master team builder and hands-on leader, Brian has achieved a reputation for innovation, consistency and performance excellence – all while achieving outstanding profitability.

As Executive Vice President of Marketing, Brian is responsible for the League’s marketing, retail and licensing operations throughout North America. Under Brian’s leadership, the consumer products business unit has consistently generated more than one billion dollars annually for the past three years.  Most recently, Brian has been leading the project team that designed and ultimately operate the NHL Powered by Rbk flagship 6,700-square-foot retail store in New York City, which opened in October 2007.

Brian’s results-driven management style is demonstrated by his ability to successfully balance operations management with innovative marketing functions. While managing relationships and high-dollar negotiations with strategic partners, Brian produced some of the most recognized and celebrated marketing initiatives in the industry. His leadership achievements have been acknowledged throughout the industry and by Street & Smith’s and The Sporting Goods Business, who named him one of the “Top 40 Sports Executives under the Age of 40.”

Since joining the NHL in 1990, Brian has been an active volunteer for the Special Olympics and Ice Hockey in Harlem. He has also been a member of the Executive-in-Residence Program of the University of New Haven since 1998, and was honored with the University’s Outstanding Community Service Award in 2001.

Brian Jennings is a dynamic and creative professional with the ability to leverage both strategic and operational resources to market products, initiate relationships, enhance business practices, and fuel revenues. He was educated at Siena College, and attended Executive training programs at New York University and Columbia University.

He currently resides in Old Greenwich, Conn. with his wife and two children.

Moderator

Ric Bucher

NBA Reporter, ESPN and Senior Writer, ESPN The Magazine

Ric Bucher joined ESPN in January 1999 as a San Francisco-based senior writer covering professional basketball for ESPN The Magazine, and as an NBA reporter for ESPN’s SportsCenter and NBA studio shows.

Bucher joined ESPN and ESPN The Magazine, a sports biweekly magazine, after covering the NBA’s Washington Wizards for the Washington Post (1997-1999). Previously, he was a writer for the San Jose Mercury News from 1989-97 covering the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, and college basketball. Bucher began his career in 1984 as a writer-in-residence at Yankee Magazine before serving as a general assignment reporter at the San Diego Union from 1984-89.

Bucher, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, is a 1983 graduate of Dartmouth College where he received a bachelor of arts degree in English.