Big 12 Conference Forms Business Advisory Council to Guide Strategy
By John Riker
Last Updated on December 5, 2022
Of the Power Five conferences, the Big 12 may have had the busiest recent couple of years, from a new commissioner in Brett Yormark to a four-program round of expansion to a major media rights deal.
In a Nov. press release, the conference announced another development that should help to secure its financial future — a business advisory council.
The council will congregate minds from a diverse range of industries, including Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, country singer Garth Brooks and a wealth of prominent business leaders. The council’s objective will be to guide the business strategy of the conference in the years to come. Board members will also have the opportunity to mentor student-athletes from the conference and be involved in opportunities across the conference.
“The Business Advisory Board will play a crucial role in creating the blueprint to growing our brand and business,” Yormark said. “I appreciate each board member’s willingness to assist the Big 12 in crafting our business strategy. Every member brings a wealth of expertise and experience to the table, and I look forward to working with the entire board.”
After losing two of its premier brands in Oklahoma and Texas to the Big 12, the conference has recovered with a set of bold and promising moves.
Four of the top Group of Five programs — Cincinnati, UCF, Houston and BYU — will join the conference in the near future, assuaging concerns about whether the Big 12 could survive the departures. Yormark took over as commissioner in June, and a couple months later, the conference agreed to a six-year, $2.2 billion media rights deal with Fox and ESPN.
“Having Brett share his vision and strategy for the Big 12 is extremely exciting,” advisory board member Mike Repole said. “I am honored to be a part of this advisory board and to play a role in the growth, momentum and evolution of this celebrated conference. I look forward to working alongside an incredible group of entrepreneurs and change agents to help guide this conference to reach its highest level of success.”
The press release listed the following 37 advisory board members:
- Spencer Armour: Partner – Geneses Investments
- John Barrett: Chairman, President and CEO – Western & Southern Financial Group
- Steve Bergstrom: Chairman – Williams Company
- Elizabeth Brady: EVP, Chief Marketing, Customer & Communications Officer – Allstate
- Karen Brodkin: EVP, Content Strategy & Development – ENDEAVOR, Co-Head – WME Sports
- Garth Brooks: Singer / Songwriter / Musician
- Stuart Bryan: Global Partnerships & Corporate Communications Lead – NBA
- Fraser Bullock: Partner – Sorenson Capital
- Lawrence Chu: Vice Chairman – Jefferies LLC.
- Adam Dettman: Head of Partnerships – North America, Molson Coors Beverage Company
- Jim Donald: Co-Chairman – Albertsons
- Mark Dowley: COO – RedBird Capital Partners
- Paul Foster: President – Franklin Mountain Investments
- Elliott Hill: Retired – Nike, Founder – Open Road Capital
- Jason Kidd: Head Coach – Dallas Mavericks
- Charlene Lake: SVP, Corp. Responsibility & Chief Sustainability Officer – AT&T
- Ross Levinsohn: Chairman and CEO – The Arena Group and Sports Illustrated
- Monte Lipman: Founder and CEO – Republic Records
- Joseph McFarland: EVP of Stores – Lowes
- Jenny McGhee: Senior Director of Competition – Big 12, former NCAA student-athlete
- Jarrod Moses: Founder, CEO & President – United Entertainment Group
- Nicholas Perkins: CEO – Fuddruckers
- Petra Pope: Entertainment & Creative Director, NBA and NFL organizations
- George Pyne: Founder & CEO – Bruin Capital
- Mike Repole: Serial Entrepreneur – Driven Capital Management
- Wayne Richards: President & CEO – GR Energy Services
- Ryan Schinman: Co-Founder – Mayflower Entertainment
- Elizabeth Schartz: Partner- Holland & Knight LLP
- Dayna Scherf: Vice President of Competition – Big 12, former NCAA student-athlete
- Mark Shapiro: President – Endeavor
- Keith Sheldon: President of Entertainment for Hard Rock International – Seminole Gaming and Seminole Hard Rock Support Services
- Stacy Sonnenberg: Managing Director & Co-Head of PSI’s Global Sports Finance Franchise – Goldman Sachs
- Steve Stoute: Founder and CEO – Translation / UnitedMasters Inc.
- Gary Vaynerchuk: CEO – VaynerMedia, Chairman – VaynerX
- Ben Weiss: Founder & Former CEO – BAI, Founder and Chairman – Crook & Marker
- Dustin R. Womble: Chairman – Masked Rider Capital
- Nick Woodhouse: President & CMO – Authentic Brands Group
