About us
Scott N. Brooks, PhD
Director
Dr. Scott N. Brooks is Director of the Global Sport Institute and oversees all of its activities. Dr. Brooks is also an Associate Professor with the T. Denny Sanford School of Social & Family Dynamics at the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at ASU. Previously, as Director of Research for the Institute he acted as campus liaison, assisted in the allocation of research grants, and coordinated the Institute's research agenda and projects. He also served two years as interim School Director for the Sanford School. Prior to arriving at ASU, Dr. Brooks served as Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs at the Graduate School of Education at the University of California-Riverside, and was an associate professor at UCR and the University of Missouri.
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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.
Jeff Kunowski
Associate Director, Sports Innovation and Business Development
Jeff Kunowski is the Associate Director of Sports Innovation and Business Development 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.
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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.
Casey Sechler, PhD
Associate Director, Research
Casey Sechler is the Associate Director, Research for the Global Sport Institute where she advances the Institute’s research initiatives. This involves providing key support to the Director of Research to develop, execute, and manage strategic plans for research projects and assists in the allocation of internal and external research grants. As a scholar, Sechler conducts and applies research that promotes positive development (with particular emphasis on youth); social and emotional learning; and advances diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
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Casey Sechler holds a PhD and Master of Science in Family & Human Development (FHD) and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in FHD from Arizona State University. Prior to joining the GSI team, Sechler was a lecturer in the School of Social & Family Dynamics at ASU where she was involved in teaching, mentorship, curriculum development, and research and advisory partnerships with youth-serving organizations such as community-based organizations and schools. She also served as co-chair of a summer fellowship program she collaboratively designed and implemented to support undergraduate students from historically underrepresented or excluded groups as they gain exposure to and experience with research and careers in the social and behavioral sciences.
Kendall Jones
Manager, Strategic Initiative
Kendall Jones is the Strategic Initiative Manager for the Global Sport Institute. Prior to her position with the Global Sport Institute, she served six years as the Community Outreach Manager at Local First Arizona, an organization building a strong local economy and celebrating vibrant, inclusive communities across the state.
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As the Community Outreach Manager, she oversaw all volunteers, developed content for educational events, and managed membership programs. Kendall received her undergraduate degree in Anthropology from Arizona State University in 2013 before joining the AmeriCorps program, Public Allies of Arizona. During her 2013-14 service term, she was placed with Local First Arizona as their Events and Volunteer Coordinator.
Ra Lofton
Project Coordinator
Ra has their Masters in International Cooperation and Development from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. Their focus is in Sport for Development. Prior to moving to Italy for their Masters, they graduated from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in Gender Studies.
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Following their studies, they worked in Community Relations and Events for the Oakland Raiders and Golden State Warriors. They then transitioned into the world of entertainment where they worked at Sony Pictures Entertainment in their Worldwide Distribution Analytics group and served as the events chair on the board of OUT @ SPE, their employee business resource group.
Brendon Kleen
Senior Coordinator, Digital Content
Brendon Kleen is the Senior Coordinator of Digital Content for the Global Sport Institute. Prior to joining the Global Sport Institute team, Brendon worked as a freelance sports reporter specializing in men’s and women’s basketball at outlets like Forbes, Front Office Sports and Ozy.
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Brendon was first a Sun Devil starting in 2015, whereafter he received undergraduate degrees at the W.P. Carey School of Business at ASU as well as the Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. While a student, Brendon reported on diversity in sport and local business in the Valley, and completed an undergraduate thesis on the place of sport venues in communities and in society.
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.
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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.
Stephanie Gerretsen, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Scholar
Stephanie Gerretsen is a postdoctoral research scholar for Global Sport Institute. Her research interests lie in the intersection of sport, urban planning and development, and public policy. Prior to joining the Global Sport Institute, Stephanie served as an urban policy consultant at UN-Habitat in Nairobi, Kenya where she worked within the National Urban Policy Programme on several country projects, in addition to producing various normative products on the development and monitoring and evaluation of urban acupuncture projects, mainstreaming public health matters in national urban policies, and integrating the private sector in urban development projects.
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Stephanie Gerretsen holds a PhD from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She also holds a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning with a concentration in Global and Comparative Planning for Developing Countries from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and a dual Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Biological Anthropology from the University of California, San Diego. She can be reached at sgerrets@asu.edu.
Aidan Corrales
Marketing and Communications AssistantAidan is a Marketing and Communications Assistant at Global Sport Institute. He is an Arizona native and is in his third year pursuing a degree in Sports Business with expected graduation in the Fall of 2022.
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.
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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 Padwe
Digital Communications AssistantLuke is a Digital Communications Assistant at the Global Sport Institute. He is an Arizona native and is in his second year pursuing a degree in Graphic Design with expected graduation in the Spring of 2024.