Tuesday, April 4, 2017

The third “Women in Sports” career seminar, presented by the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, will be held Saturday, April 8 in Portland, Ore.

Designed for college and high school females interested in pursuing sports-related careers, the seminar will take place at the Moda Center.

The event will feature panelists from a broad cross-section of occupational paths, including coaching, administration, business, marketing, media, media relations, NCAA compliance, sports medicine, ticket sales, and officiating. Attendees will have an opportunity to interact with -- and seek career advice from -- a slate of experienced sports professionals in a round-table format. 

Below is a profile on a panelist who will be featured at this year's event.

LISA PETERSON, UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
Position: Deputy Athletic Director; Senior Women’s Administrator; Deputy Title IX Coordinator
Colleges Attended: Johnson County Community College (Overland Park, Kansas; St. John’s University
College Major: B.S. Business Administration; M.B.A Computer Information Systems
Years In Current Position: 5.25 years

Primary Job Responsibilities: I’m a member of Senior Leadership Team with oversight of seven women's sports teams and four units, including information technology, student-athlete development, treatment center and NCAA championships. I’m the point of contact for all Title IX related issues in athletics with a dotted line reporting to the campus Title IX Coordinator. Additionally, I work closely with our fundraising arm, Women In Flight.

Things You Enjoy Most About Your Job: Watching student-athletes grow and achieve success on and off the court.

Why You Pursued A Professional Career In The Athletics Industry: Passion for business and sports.

First Job In The Sports Industry: Intern for the business manager at St. John's University. My first full-time job was as the assistant business manager at University of Miami (Fla.).

A Key Mentor Who Helped You On Your Career Path: Frank Muessig, the business manager at St. John's. He told me I could combine sports and business and make it into a career.

Most Influential Person In Your Early Professional Development: Rob Mullens, current AD at Oregon. He taught me the business, guided me through my mistakes and always had my back. He continues to be very influential in my career.

Biggest Hurdle You Overcame Breaking Into The Sports Industry: I was very lucky getting into the business. I got my first job before I completed my master's degree and was wasn’t even looking to get in at the time. The relationships I had built gave me the opportunity.

Key Attributes That Have Helped Shape Your Career Path: Being trustworthy, reliable, dependable, enthusiastic, hard-working and loyal.

Looking Back, What Is One Thing That You Would Do In College Or Early On To Help You Along Your Career Path? My motto is under-promise and over-deliver and be willing to do any task needed to help the team.

Best Advice You Would Give To A Young Female Wanting To Work In Sports: You can have any position in athletics you desire. Just be prepared, ask for advice and pursue it with confidence.

Favorite Sports Team: Chicago Bulls

Favorite Athlete: Michael Jordan

Most Memorable Sports-Related Moment: I have so many for a variety of reasons. One of the more recent ones was Oregon Softball winning a Pac-12 Championship and going to the College World Series in 2013. It was the first conference title in program history and we have won four straight since.