BUFFALO, NY – The Canisius University Masters in Sport Administration Program will welcome Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher John Axford to campus on Thursday, November 13 at 12:00 noon. Axford will serve as the keynote speaker at the college’s second annual Sports Forum, which will take place from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. in the Richard E. Winter ’42 Student Center (Regis Room). The event is free and open to the public.
A current free agent, Axford most recently played for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He previously pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cleveland Indians. He is a 2013 graduate of the Canisius University Masters in Sport Administration Program.
Axford’s keynote address will be preceded by a series of panel discussions hosted by alumni of the Masters in Sport Administration Program. The topics and panelists are as follows:
Facility and Event Management (9:00 – 9:30 a.m.)
- Chris Hillman MS ’13 - Assistant recreation and intramural director at Buffalo State
- Luke Mekker MS ’02 – Director of field house operations at RIT
- Kate Braun MS ’04 – Facility director at Buffalo Niagara Court Center
- Andrea Gregory MS ’07 – Special events manager at Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Intercollegiate Athletics (9:40 – 10:10 a.m.)
- Matt Lozar MS ’07 – Assistant director of athletic communications at Canisius University
- Jason Suttell MS ’13 – Ticket sales coordinator at the University at Buffalo
- Judi Caserta MS ’08 - Assistant athletic director (business manager) at Canisius University
- Bill Morris MS ’02 – Assistant athletic director (compliance) at Niagara University
Professional Sports (10:20 – 10:50 a.m.)
- Don Sheldon MS ’08 – Account service coordinator for the Buffalo Bills
- Mike Cipolla MS ’11 – Assistant general manager of new business development at Western New York Flash
- Pat Matthews MS ’04 – Senior manager of customer relations for the Buffalo Bills
- Teresa Belbas MS ’05 – Manager of community relations for the Buffalo Sabres
- Chris Costanzo MS ’02 – Director of premium seating for the Buffalo Bills
- Scott Loffler MS ’05 – Director of operations for the Buffalo Bandits
Coaching (11:00 – 11:30 a.m.)
- Todd Hummel MS ’05 – Head golf coach at Canisius University
- Matt Mazurek MS ’07 - Assistant baseball coach at Canisius University
- Jeremiah Crowe MS ’13 – Academy of hockey coach at Harbor Center
- Justin Maxwell MS ’13 – Assistant men’s basketball coach at Hilbert College
- Tara Fleming MS ’09 – Assistant women’s basketball coach at Canisius University
The Masters Program in Sport Administration provides graduate students with skills to effectively manage in a wide range of sport-related enterprises including intercollegiate athletics, amateur and professional sports, sport-marketing firms, special-event management, and facility management. The program is one of only a few masters programs in the U.S. approved by the North American Society of Sport Management (NASSM), and courses are available online or on campus.
For more information on the Sports Forum, contact the Master in Sport Administration Program at 716-888-3165.
Canisius is one of 28 Jesuit universities in the nation and the premier private university in Western New York.
