Our Team

Kenneth L. Shropshire

Chief Executive Officer

Professor Shropshire is CEO of the Global Sport Institute and the adidas Distinguished Professor of Global Sport at Arizona State University. He took on this current leadership role following a thirty-year career as an endowed full professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

There he was also Director of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative, Professor of Africana Studies, and Academic Director of Wharton’s sports-focused executive education programs. He now holds the title of Wharton Endowed Professor Emeritus.

Shropshire's career has been highlighted by leading the launch of several noteworthy ventures in a variety of sectors including: leading the boxing competition during the last profitable Olympic Games, which was also the most televised event of the Games in 1984; founding and leading the Wharton Sports Business Initiative, one of the world’s most respected sports business think tanks in 2004; serving as a founder and board member of the Valley Green Bank, which was sold to Univest Corp. for $76 million in 2014; and guiding the launch of the non-profit Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) in 2016 and serving on its board. As a sports-industry leader he is former President of the Sports Lawyers Association, the largest such organization in the world, and also former Program Chair of the ABA Forum Committee, Sports Law Section. His views and insights on the sports industry can be heard via his “Why Sport Matters” podcast.

As an author, his most recent books are "The Mis-Education of the Student Athlete: How to Fix College Sports"; "Sport Matters: Leadership, Power, and the Quest for Respect in Sports"; "Negotiate Like the Pros: A Top Sports Negotiator’s Lessons for Making Deals, Building Relationships and Getting What You Want"; and "Being Sugar Ray: The Life of America’s Greatest Boxer and First Celebrity Athlete". Additional works include the foundational books "In Black and White: Race and Sports in America"; "The Business of Sports"; and "The Business of Sports Agents".

Shropshire’s consulting roles have featured a wide variety of projects including work for the NCAA, Major League Baseball, National Football League, National Football League Players Association, the United States Olympic Committee and PGA golfer Rory McIlroy. In addition to RISE, he serves on the board of directors of Moelis & Company, a global independent investment bank, on the non-profit board of USA Volleyball, and as an advisor to the Sixers Innovation Lab.

Shropshire earned an undergraduate degree in economics from Stanford University and a law degree from Columbia University. He joined the law firm of Manatt, Phelps, Rothenberg and Tunney in Los Angeles prior to working with the 1984 Olympic Games and beginning his lengthy career at Wharton.

Karina Bohn

Chief Operating Officer

Karina Forbes Bohn joined Arizona State University in January 2016 as the Executive Director of the Global Sport Institute and was named Chief Operating Officer in August 2017. Before joining ASU, Bohn was a front office executive with the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team from 2004 – 2016.

There she most recently held the position of Vice President, Marketing. In this role, she was responsible for building the D-backs brand and driving revenue by developing the team's annual marketing strategies. During her tenure, the marketing department took a lead role in generating single-game ticket sales by creating targeted special events, game day giveaways, theme nights, ticket packages and other promotions.

Prior to the D-backs, Bohn was with Momentum Worldwide, an experiential marketing agency, where she developed methods for tracking and measuring the return on investment for clients' sports-based hospitality events and assisted with local and national sponsorship activation. She has also previously held various technology marketing positions, including Director of Corporate Communications for the Phoenix-based national headquarters of a publicly traded e-business integrator.

Bohn obtained an undergraduate degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, received a Master of Mass Communication from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at ASU, and earned an MBA from the W. P. Carey School of Business at ASU. During her time at W. P. Carey, she served as president of the MBA Association and was recognized with the school's Sports Business award for outstanding academic achievement.

Scott N. Brooks, PhD

Director, Research

Dr. Brooks is an Associate Professor with the T. Denny Sanford School of Social & Family Dynamics at the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at ASU. As Director of Research for the Institute he acts as campus liaison, assists in the allocation of research grants, and coordinates the Institute's research agenda and projects.

As a scholar, Brooks is primarily interested in: youth and sport; inequality in sport, coaching and leadership; and community based sports interventions. He has published in academic journals, edited volumes, and textbooks; been quoted and reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Der Speigel, and SLAM magazine; and invited to speak on the topic of sport internationally. His book, Black Men Can’t Shoot (University of Chicago, 2009), tells the importance of exposure, networks, and opportunities towards earning an athletic scholarship. Additionally, Dr. Brooks has consulted the NFL, MLB, college and high school coaches and athletes; and is a senior fellow at the Wharton Sports Business Initiative and Yale Urban Ethnography Project.

View Scott Brooks' CV.

William C. Rhoden

Visiting Senior Practitioner

William C. Rhoden works directly with Kenneth L. Shropshire, CEO of the Global Sport Institute, to provide feedback on the institute’s strategic direction and develop concepts for the Global Sport Matters content hub. He is the institute’s first visiting senior practitioner.

Rhoden is also a columnist and Editor-at-Large for The Undefeated, ESPN’s news site about sports, race, and culture. He is the curator of the Rhoden Fellows and is also the author of several books, including 40 Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete. Before joining The Undefeated, Rhoden wrote an award-winning sports column for the New York Times and appeared as a guest on ESPN’s Sports Reporters for nearly 30 years. Rhoden began his journalism career as a news reporter at the Baltimore Afro American Newspaper. He was a senior editor with Ebony Magazine and then a columnist and jazz critic for the Baltimore Sun. Rhoden attended Morgan State University in Baltimore where he majored in English.

Jeff Kunowski

Associate Director, Innovation Programs

Jeff Kunowski is the Associate Director of Innovation Programs for the Global Sport Institute. Jeff oversees the Global Sport Institute’s sport-related development and funding programs including the Global Sport Venture Development Program and the Global Sport Social Impact Challenge. He serves this role in a dual appointment with Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute.

He also serves as an advisor for numerous start-ups and is a member of the ASU W.P. Carey Sports Business Advisory Board.

In addition to his role with the Global Sport Institute, Jeff was recently brought on by Leyard/Planar, a world leader in digital display technologies, to manage business development in the sports and entertainment markets. Prior to joining Leyard/Planar, Jeff held several positions with Panasonic Corporation of North America focused on sports venue technology. He joined Panasonic after reaching an aqua-hire deal with MK Solutions Group, a Scottsdale based consulting firm that he co-founded. Jeff got his start in the sports business space in 2010 when he founded Illumin8 Outdoor Media, an award-winning signage company based in Phoenix, AZ.

Chrisal Valencia

Manager, Marketing and Communications

Chrisal is the Manager, Marketing and Communications for the Global Sport Institute. Previous to joining the Global Sport Institute team, Chrisal served as the Creative Marketing Director for Local First Arizona, an organization that cultivates local ownership to build a diverse and inclusive Arizona economy.

After graduating from the Marketing program at The Art Institute of Phoenix, Chrisal rediscovered her passion for community development work. She served her first term of service through an Americorps program hosted by the ASU Lodestar Center, Public Allies Arizona. There she helped create and develop free community events at the Downtown Civic Space Park in collaboration with the ASU College of Public Service and Community Solutions, City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation, Downtown Phoenix Inc., and the Lincoln Family Downtown YMCA.

For her second term of service with Public Allies Arizona, Chrisal sought out Local First Arizona where she was subsequently hired on. In a total of seven years with Local First Arizona and the Local First Arizona Foundation, she served on the leadership team as Creative Marketing Director, directing the organization's brand, marketing, and design work across all mediums in print and digital.

When not at work, you can find her devouring local foods across the Phoenix Metro area and spending time with her husband, 2 weirdly awesome daughters, and their stage 5 clinger pit-mix dog.

Stephon Preston

Executive Assistant to the CEO

Stephon Preston serves as the Executive Assistant to the CEO for the Global Sport Institute. In this role, he oversees the affairs of the CEO and assists in the daily operations of the Institute. Stephon brings close to ten years of managing operations and office logistics, most recently in the Sports Non-Profit sector.

Before joining the Institute, Stephon was the Director of Business Operations for the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality in New York City, where he worked closely with the CEO to create and oversee employee policies, audited monthly budgets, and created RISE’s internship program. While in New York, Stephon had the unique opportunity of working with various sports leagues and teams to manage fan-driven event activations, including the Miami Dolphins Community Tailgates, PAC-12 Basketball Championship, and Super Bowl LI NFL Experience.

Kendall Jones

Manager, Events and Programs

Karen Gallagher, PhD

Senior Researcher

Dr. Gallagher is the Senior Researcher at the Global Sport Institute. She works in developing research initiatives, leading research projects, and establishing internal and external research collaborations. Her work focuses on elite athletes and the post-sport journey, building on her work with military Veterans in the military-to-civilian transition.

Dr. Gallagher's dissertation work and subsequent publications and presentations have focused on military service-related conditions, including mild traumatic brain injury, and military-to-civilian transition and their impact on higher-order cognitive processes. She was named a Pat Tillman Scholar in 2016. She has presented her work at international and national conferences, including the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, International Neuropsychological Society, Defense Centers of Excellence, and the International Cognitive-Communication Disorders Conference. She has published in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has been featured in multiple news and feature stories by a variety of media outlets, including Fox Sports. She has taught graduate courses in Traumatic Brain Injury and Motor Speech Disorders. Dr. Gallagher is a U.S. Army Airborne Gulf War 1 veteran where she deployed with the 35th Signal Brigade as a chemical specialist.

View Dr. Karen Gallagher's CV.

Robert W. Turner II, PhD

Global Sport Visiting Scholar

As a visiting fellow, Robert W. Turner II helps leadership identify potential topics of research, conducts research with the Global Sport Lab, and contributes to Global Sport Matters and Institute events.

Robert W. Turner II is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical Research and Leadership at The George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Science. He earned his Ph.D. in sociology at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. He also holds a position as a Research Scientist in the Center for Biobehavioral Health Disparities Research at Duke University. After attending James Madison University on an athletic scholarship, Dr. Turner played football professionally in the now-defunct United States Football League, the Canadian Football League, and briefly in the National Football League. Dr. Turner is an active member of his local church and serves on the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington, D.C.

Luke Brenneman, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Luke Brenneman is a Postdoctoral Research Scholar at the Global Sport Institute. He performs research, produces written and audio content, and directs educational workshops for the Institute. Brenneman earned his Ph.D. in Communication from ASU and conducted his dissertation research at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Dr. Brenneman’s research focuses on enhancing the fan experience and leveraging the unifying power of sport to reduce prejudice and foster positive contact between fans of various group identities. He has developed strategies and templates for organizing events to achieve these goals based on his research at the 2016 Rio Olympics, 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, 2014 FIFA Men’s World Cup, and other events. Brenneman has been published in academic journals, edited volumes, and Host City magazine. He has certificates in Conflict Mediation, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), and Social Transformation and has experience organizing public dialogue events, professional and academic conferences, and university events. He has also taught courses at ASU on conflict and negotiation, intercultural communication, and other topics.

View Dr. Luke Brenneman's CV.

Rosemary Rutkowski

Business Ops Specialist Sr.

Rosemary Rutkowski is the Business Operations Specialist Sr. for Global Sport Institute. In this role, she assists with planning, organizing and coordinating the business operation functions in accordance with established goals, priorities, time and funding limitations. This position is intended to cover a broad range of responsibilities in both Finance and HR.

Rosemary has been at ASU since April 2006. Prior to joining the Global Sport Institute team, Rosemary served as the Accountant and later as the HR Specialist Sr within the Business and Finance Business Center supporting the ASU Police Department from 2007-2019.

When not at work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, son and fur baby Daisy. She’s an avid movie fan, enjoys reading and watching her son play Baseball.

Brendon Kleen

Digital Communications Specialist

Katie Cross

Special Projects Assistant

Katie Cross serves as the Special Projects Assistant for the Global Sport Institute. She aids in the organization and execution of events and projects across programs. She is pursuing her undergraduate degrees in Sports Business, Supply Chain Management and Sustainability with an emphasis in Urban Dynamics. She is expected to graduate in the Spring of 2021.

Prior to her current position, she was a member of the GSI undergraduate research lab, a Marketing and Gameday Presentation Intern within Sun Devil Athletics, and a Health & Wellness Supervisor at the Tempe Sun Devil Fitness Complex. She looks forward to exploring different intersections of sport and society while advancing the mission of the Global Sport Institute as a whole.

In her free time, she enjoys playing badminton, drinking tea, and exploring parks and museums across the valley.

Rachel Lofton

Project Coordinator

Vignesh Krishna

Graduate Service Assistant

Vignesh is an international student pursuing his graduate degrees, Master of Business Administration & Master of Science in Business Analytics, from W. P. Carey School of Business and is expected to graduate in Spring 2021. He currently works with both the Research and Marketing teams, assisting with their projects while advancing the mission of the Global Sport Institute as a whole.

Vignesh is originally from Chennai, India with an undergraduate degree in Computer Science Engineering. He played basketball at a collegiate level in India and has been passionate about sports from a very young age. Prior to moving to the States to pursue his master’s degrees, he worked with Uber in their Operations department, launching new cities, managing daily business operations, and defining strategic roadmaps.

Julia OConnell

Marketing and Communications Assistant

Natalie Skigen

Marketing and Communications Assistant

Andrew Kooreman

Research and Entrepreneurship Programs Assistant

Jay Pantha

Research and Entrepreneurship Programs Assistant

Emily Rosenthal

Research and Entrepreneurship Programs Assistant

Emily Rosenthal is a third-year undergraduate student studying Business Global Politics, Cross-Sector Leadership, and Turkish. Her focus is on International Policy and Human Rights. She is expected to graduate in Spring 2022.