The MS in Sports Business faculty at the Leavey School of Business balances full-time teaching scholars with experienced sports professionals who lead courses and cutting-edge workshops. Our instructors include marketing experts, former franchise executives, data analytics professionals, and leaders from Bay Area teams.
Faculty Director
Associate Professor, Marketing
Kumar Sarangee
Kumar Sarangee is the faculty director of Santa Clara University's Master of Science in Sports Business, the first program of its kind offered by an AACSB-accredited business school in Northern California. With over 15 years at Leavey School of Business, he has helped build programs in entrepreneurship, product management, and sustainability. The MS in Sports Business was developed in collaboration with Bay Area franchises, including the San Francisco 49ers, San Jose Earthquakes, Bay FC, San Jose Sharks, San Francisco Giants, Oakland Roots, CrossFit, and more. The program leverages Silicon Valley’s culture of technology & innovation, entrepreneurial mindset, and data-driven strategies–alongside a robust industry partner ecosystem–to cultivate the next generation of sports business leaders through experiential learning and professional development.
Leavey Sports Faculty
Sports Practicum
Charles Byers
Statistics & Analytics
Homi Fatemi
Sports Operations
Barrie Howard
Sports Leadership
Hooria Jazaieri
Sports Management
David Kaval
Sports Law & Governance
Leonard Lun
Sports & Design Thinking
Nydia MacGregor
Finance & Accounting
Karl Motey
Sports Marketing & Revenue
Lara Potter Varholik
Stategic Negotiations in Sports
Jo-Ellen Pozner
Sports Analytics
Anil Sahai
Marketing Management
Patrick Williams
Contemporary Issues in Sports Instructors
The Master of Science in Sports Business program features a series of dynamic, in-person workshops led by industry professionals. These sessions give MS in Sports Business students the chance to learn directly from executives shaping today’s sports business landscape, exploring current trends, leadership strategies, and real-world challenges. Workshop topics vary each year–a sample list of sessions includes:
| Workshop | Instructors |
|---|---|
| Business & Ecosystem of Sports | Michael Ford, Senior Director of Partnership Marketing – San Jose Earthquakes |
| Navigating NIL & Athlete Brand Development | Vickie Saunders, CEO – The Athlete Brand Builder |
| Sports, People & Sustainability | Liz Mireles '05, M.A. '20, Vice President of People & Culture – San Jose Sharks and Christina Jefferson, Senior Director of Inclusion & Culture – San Francisco 49ers |
| Sports Journalism, Communication & Media | Rodney Knox, former Director of Communications – Nike and former Sr. Director of Marketing & Public Relations – San Francisco 49ers |
| Sports, Entertainment & Branding | Heather Vaughan, Vice President of Marketing – San Jose Sharks |
| Women & DEI in Sports | Leslie Osborne '04 and Danielle Slaton '02, Co-Founders – Bay FC |
| Crisis Management in Sports | Liz Granger, Vice President of Enterprise Resilience – Worldplay |
| Sports Entrepreneurship | Markus Stevenson, President – Society & Co. |
| Sports & Technology | Kevin Cote, Sports Business Development, XR – Google |