MICHAEL WADDELL
FOUNDER | PRINCIPAL
38 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE IN PROFESSIONAL SPORTS, INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS, FORTUNE 100 & START-UP PRIVATE BUSINESS
Michael Waddell is the founder and principal of BRENTWOOD, LLC, which he launched in 2013. Over the past 36 years, he has built a successful career driven by his passion for sports. His experience includes roles as an NCAA Division I Athletics Director, President of multiple professional sports teams, and entrepreneur through his founding of Brentwood and the North Carolina Sports Network. Additionally, he serves as a strategic advisor to several other ventures within the sports industry.
Waddell has spent the majority of his career as a leader in college athletics, including three years as the Director of Athletics at Towson University. During his tenure, the Tigers won 11 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Championships, including 7 in 2012-13, designed & constructed the $85 million SECU Arena, and negotiated a $4.75 million naming rights deal for the multisport facility. Waddell hired head coaches in men’s basketball (Pat Skerry), men’s lacrosse (Shawn Nadelen), and volleyball (Don Metil), all of whom are Towson’s ALL-TIME WINNINGEST HEAD COACHES and remain in their roles today. Waddell’s vision initiative fueled the Tigers' turnaround on the field, the TOTAL TIGER PROGRAM, which focused on three pillars: Academic Achievement, Community Engagement, and 360 Wellness.
A native of Newton, NC, Waddell began his career in 1991 as a broadcaster with the Tar Heel Sports Network at the University of North Carolina. He advanced through the play-by-play ranks at the University of Virginia (1994-1997), Appalachian State University (1997-2000), and the U.S. Military Academy (2000-2001). His notable achievements continued at the University of Akron from 2001 to 2006, where he served as the television Executive Producer and play-by-play announcer for football and basketball broadcasts on ESPN and FOX Sports Net.
As a recruiter and mentor, Waddell has demonstrated a strong commitment to developing young professionals. He has hired, mentored, and managed over 50 associates who have since moved on to become senior-level leaders across various sectors, including the NCAA, NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLS, XFL, NHL, entertainment, higher education, and private business.
During the pandemic, Waddell was recruited to lead the ECHL's Allen Americans Professional Ice Hockey Club in the dual role as President and Governor. Despite numerous challenges, he successfully led the organization to consecutive playoff appearances in 2021 and 2022. Under his leadership, the club signed a new NHL affiliation agreement with the Seattle Kraken and negotiated a long-term lease with the City of Allen, ensuring that the team remains in the Dallas suburb through the 2027 season.
From August 2018, Waddell was Team President of the Orlando Apollos in the Alliance of American Football. He quickly made an impact by hiring 24 employees and engaging the Orlando community through over 80 outreach events from October to January, leading up to the February season start. The Apollos sold 5,251 season tickets and averaged 19,648 fans at home games, supported by more than 4,000 group tickets sold per game, while also winning the AAF Championship in the league's only season.
From 2016 and 2018, Waddell worked as a vice president at NASCAR, where he spearheaded a $30 million renovation of the Richmond Raceway. His innovative sports marketing projects, such as the Racing Virginia grassroots promotional platform and the "This Is Richmond" digital content campaign, opened new avenues for revenue and brand engagement. In Fall 2017, he established Richmond Raceway E-sports, NASCAR's first track-owned e-sports racing team, which featured six drivers and engaged a variety of sponsors in NASCAR's Official iRacing Series.
Waddell graduated in 1991 from Guilford College in Greensboro, NC, where he was a letterman in football and served as the student representative on the Quaker Faculty Athletics Committee for three years. He later earned his master's degree in sport administration from Ohio University in 2010, which is recognized as the top graduate program for Sports Business worldwide.
Michael and his wife, Heidi, have a son, Andrew, who is a successful College Athletics Administrator at Clemson University, and a daughter, Caroline.
Guilford College, Bachelor of Science, Sport Management, 1991
Ohio University, Master of Arts, Sports Administration, 2010
Read Mike’s full LinkedIn bio here
KEITH TRIBBLE
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | MANAGING PARTNER
43 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE IN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS, PRIVATE BUSINESS AND NON-PROFIT MANAGEMENT
Keith R. Tribble serves as the Managing Partner & Chief Operating Officer of BRENTWOOD PARTNERS, bringing over 40 years of experience in college athletics, private business, and non-profit management. His keen vision for the future of sports and entertainment is a driving force in his professional journey.
As the President and CEO of Jackson Health Foundation, a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, Keith R. Tribble led his team to raise over $60M in new gifts. This substantial contribution directly enhanced the quality of medical care for children and adults in South Florida and the global community through international outreach efforts.
Keith R. Tribble's career in sports administration and business is a testament to his dedication and success. He served in key roles such as Executive Vice President and Director of Athletics for the University of Central Florida Athletic Association, Sr. Associate Director of Athletics for UNLV, and Associate Director of Athletics for the University of Florida. His leadership also extended to the CEO role for the Orange Bowl Committee and Executive Director for the Blockbuster Bowl (currently the Cheez-It Bowl) and Las Vegas Bowl, where he led three collegiate post-season bowl games.
Tribble champions the importance of community and demonstrates this while serving on the boards of 100 Black Men of South Florida, Florida Sports Foundation, and speaking engagements at local and national businesses. For his selfless contributions to the community, he was honored by the Orange Bowl Committee and presented with the Trailblazer Community Award. This award recognizes the most accomplished leaders civically and philanthropically throughout the community.
Tribble attended the University of Florida, where he played offensive guard for three bowl teams. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism (public relations and marketing). He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011 and the College of Journalism and Communications Hall of Fame in 2007. Keith and his wife, Terri, have a daughter, Carlyn, and son Kyle.
University of Florida, Bachelor of Science, Journalism, Public Relations & Marketing, 1977
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JESSICA REO
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
31 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE IN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
Jessica Reo, a veteran athletics administrator with 16 years on Division I senior staff, was named the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director/Senior Women's Administrator at Temple in August 2019.
Reo's stellar career came at UCF (2003-15), where she served 12 years on its athletics staff, the last seven as senior associate athletics director/senior women's administrator. In her role, she was a member of the Director of Athletics' Executive Leadership team, which helped develop strategic plans and create and implement policies and procedures for the athletics department. She also served as UCF's liaison for gender equity and Title IX issues. She also acted as the department's liaison with Academic Services for Student-Athletes (ASSA), supervised the Departments of Sports Medicine, Strength & Conditioning, and Student Services.
Florida State University, Bachelor of Science, English
University of Central Florida, Master of Arts, Sport & Fitness Administration Management
Read Jessica’s full LinkedIn bio here
STACY DANLEY
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
32 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE IN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS (SECONDARY & COLLEGIATE)
Stacy Danley, a veteran college athletics administrator, joined BRENTWOOD in January 2023, with a focus on our search and executive consulting practice.
Most recently the Director of Athletics at South Carolina State University, Danley established the school’s first-ever capital campaign for the Department of Athletics in the R.I.S.E Major Gift Initiative, which raised more than $1.62 million towards its $2 million dollars goal with funds targeted to increased athletic scholarship funding, major upgrades to track facility and new turf playing surface for the football team on Willie E. Jeffries Field inside Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.
Danley, with more than 30 years of experience in athletics administration, previously spent two years with the SLD Sports Marketing Group before joining SC State. Prior to that he served as Athletics Director at Alabama State and Tuskegee universities. He also worked for the J.F. Smith Group, the Southeastern Conference and Auburn, his alma mater.
Danley was athletics director at Alabama State for three years (2010-2012). Prior to his tenure as Hornet AD, he served one year with the J.F. Smith Group, coordinating all fundraising consultant activities under the HBCU division while also managing and facilitating campus departmental assessment initiatives for HBCU clients. Before his work with the J.F. Smith Group, Danley served as director of athletics at Tuskegee (2008-09).
The former Auburn University running back spent eight years (1997-2005) at his alma mater, six years as the assistant athletic director for External Affairs, before being promoted to associate athletic director for External Affairs. He spent his last two years at Auburn as the associate athletic director and men's sports coordinator, overseeing six Olympic sports.
He lettered four years as a running back at Auburn University, where he earned All-SEC honors and was named the SEC Sophomore of the Year among his athletic accomplishments. Following his collegiate career, Danley signed NFL contracts with the Seattle Seahawks and the Indianapolis Colts.
After his professional career, Danley returned to Auburn where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1993 and a master's in education administration in 1996.
While completing his master's degree, he spent two years as a graduate assistant in the Auburn athletic department, working in the compliance office where he provided support with NCAA and SEC legislative interpretations.
Once he completed his master's degree, he moved on to the SEC office where he spent two years, working in compliance, championships and event management.
Danley and his wife Stephanie have three children -- Lawson, Trace and Landon.
Auburn Univeristy, Bachelor of Arts, Education, 1993
Auburn University, Master of Arts, Education, 1996
Read about Stacy here
CHARLES NIEVES
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
18 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE IN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS & PRIVATE BUSINESS
Charles Nieves, who began his career in collegiate athletics at Georgia Tech before successful stints as a revenue generator at Georgia, Penn State, and Miami (Fla.), returned to The Flats in March 2023 as executive associate athletics director/chief revenue officer.
Nieves, a ticket sales consultant at Georgia Tech in 2009-10 while attaining a master’s degree in sports administration from Georgia State, oversees non-fundraising revenue generation initiatives in his new role at Tech. Areas under his supervision include Tech’s partnership with Legends (multimedia rights and ticket sales), ticket operations, external operations (marketing and fan experience; brand and creativity), communications/public relations, and video operations/broadcast services.
Charles Nieves, a testament to unwavering dedication, has spent 10 of the past 14-and-a-half years in revenue generation roles at Power Five institutions. His journey began at Georgia Tech in 2009, where he worked with the Aspire Group. He was then recruited by ISP (now Learfield) to serve as an account executive for corporate partnerships at Georgia, a position that he held for nearly two-and-a-half years from Feb. 2010 until June 2012. At UGA, he achieved a remarkable 1,100% of his personal new business revenue target for the 2011 fiscal year.
After a two-and-a-half-year stint in marketing and corporate partnerships at the Boys & Girls Club of America, which is headquartered in Atlanta, Nieves moved to Learfield, where he was named manager of business development at Penn State in Nov. 2015, then was promoted to director of business development for the Nittany Lions in Feb. 2017. With Nieves at the helm, Penn State’s corporate partnership team was honored as Learfield’s National Property of the Year in 2017 and 2018, becoming the first back-to-back Property of the Year recipient in company history.
In March 2018, Charles Nieves stepped into the role of Learfield’s general manager at Miami (Fla.), showcasing his exceptional leadership skills. As the leader of Miami’s partnership group, he managed more than 85 corporate partnerships, which included several major national brands.
After over three years with the Hurricanes, Nieves transitioned brand-side as vice president of marketing and team partnerships at GameDay Vodka in April 2021. Until October 2022, he led a team supporting the brand’s launch in 15 U.S. markets and negotiated and fulfilled partnerships with nearly 20 NCAA and NFL teams.
Nieves was a three-year football letterwinner at Fayetteville (N.C.) State and earned a bachelor’s degree from UNC Pembroke. He earned two master’s degrees from Georgia State—an M.S. in sport administration (2010) and an MBA (2015).
University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Bachelor of Arts, Business Management, 2008
Georgia Southern University, Master of Science, Sport Administration, 2010
Georgia Southern University, Master of Science, Business Administration, 2015
Read about Charles here
COURTNEY VINSON
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
15 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE IN COLLEGE ATHLETICS ADMINISTRATION AND LEADERSHIP
Courtney Vinson, a former student-athlete with more than 15 years' experience as a Division I athletics administrator, joined the Northern Illinois University athletics administrative team as senior associate athletic director for sports administration on May 21, 2018. Vinson's commitment to her roles is evident in her transition from the University of Memphis, where she served as the associate athletic director for sports services and senior woman administrator, to her current position at NIU. At NIU, she is the sports administrator for the Huskie men's basketball, women's soccer, and wrestling teams, serves as the department's primary liaison to NIU's campus partners, and directs the Athletics Compliance Office. In addition, she represents NIU as the Huskies' Diversity and Inclusion Officer to the NCAA and chairs NIU Athletics' Diversity Integration Group (D.I.G.).
At Memphis, Vinson was a member of the athletics executive and senior staff and oversaw student-athlete welfare issues and the Athletics Compliance Office. She helped to develop and implement athletic department and compliance policies and procedures and was the sports administrator for multiple programs, including women's soccer and softball. She served as a liaison for academic advising and worked with the CHAMPS Life Skills program.
In four years as assistant athletic director for compliance at UCF, she supervised all aspects of the athletics compliance office, created and updated the compliance work plan, instituted a monitoring system, and developed educational compliance programming. She processed NCAA infractions cases and investigated rules violations while liaising with university offices, including academic services, financial aid, admissions, and more.
Before her time at UCF, the Long Island, N.Y., native served as the director of compliance at Clemson University from 2008-11. Her responsibilities included initial eligibility, rules education and interpretations, waivers, monitoring, and all day-to-day compliance activities.
In her first full-time position as assistant director of compliance at Akron (2006-08), she oversaw compliance operations for 11 Zips' 17 teams.
Vinson's career trajectory is a testament to her continuous growth and development. Following her 2003 graduation from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, where she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism while also competing as a member of the track and field team, Vinson went to Marshall University as a graduate assistant in compliance. She furthered her education, earning her master's degree in athletic administration in 2006 and also completed internships at Georgia Tech (2005) and Villanova (2006).
During the 2019-20 year, Vinson not only participated in but also successfully completed the NCAA Pathways Program. This program, designed to elevate senior-level athletics administrators as they take the next steps in their careers in athletics administration, provided an experiential learning opportunity for selected participants. Vinson's achievement in this year-long program is a testament to her dedication and drive.
Florida A&M University, Bachelor of Arts, Journalism, 2003
Marshall University, Master of Arts, Athletic Administration, 2006
Read Courtney’s full LinkedIn bio here
MELISSA DAWSON
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
34 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE IN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS AND EDUCATION (SECONDARY & COLLEGIATE)
Melissa’s education, counseling, and social collegiate athletics background have helped her understand what being part of a team with a great tradition is like. She understands the importance of teamwork in building a strong organization and has experience building rapport with colleagues and representing an institution in myriad ways.
Dawson has been part of several Executive Leadership teams at UNC Greensboro, South Carolina State University, Northern Illinois University, University of Tulsa, University of Iowa, University of South Carolina, and the University of Kentucky. She has a keen ability to ideate strategic goals, monitor progress, evaluate performance all driving specific objectives.
Drake University, Bachelor of Arts, Education, 1989
DePaul University, Master of Arts, Counseling|Higher Education, 1996
Read Melissa’s full LinkedIn bio here
MICHAEL HARRIS
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
28 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE IN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS AND BRAND LICENSING
Mike Harris joins the team, bringing nearly three decades of experience in brand management & revenue generation. He recently focused on licensing, consumer retail, university relations, and product development at RALLYHOUSE and Colosseum Athletics.
For the majority of his career, Harris was an innovator in collegiate athletics, leading the marketing, media relations, and TV & Radio efforts at Miami University (1995-2000; 2001-07), the University of Cincinnati (2007-10), and Towson University (2010-13). While at the University of Arkansas from 2013-18, he was the Director of Licensing and New Revenue Generation, where he managed one of the nation’s 20 largest collegiate brands, working with national retailers like Walmart, and growing the school’s royalties and brand through innovative retail and marketing programs.
Following his time in collegiate athletics, Harris went on to become the Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Communications for the start-up Orlando Apollos football team. He worked with the staff and Coach Steve Spurrier to develop the league’s top ticket-revenue-producing team.
After his time in pro football, he returned to the college space, going to another sports retailer, Dyehard Fan Supply – a then-division of Teall Capital. Harris oversaw the company’s partnerships for its 18 collegiate partners, including Auburn University, the University of North Carolina, Michigan State University, Ole Miss, West Virginia, and UConn. He also oversaw the company’s retail efforts for Super Bowl LIV and the U.S. Open Tennis Championship.
Miami University, Farmer’s School of Business - Bachelor of Science, Human Resources and Organizational Behavior, 1995
Read about Mike here
BRIAN HUTCHINSON
SENIOR COUNSEL
28 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE IN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS & NON-PROFIT MANAGEMENT
Brian Hutchinson spent more than two decades in higher education, most of which was at Morehead State University. Hutchinson served the last nearly 15 years of his tenure as MSU’s Director of Athletics. During that time, MSU teams won nearly 20 Ohio Valley Conference Championships and represented the league multiple times in NCAA postseason play. Hutchinson’s service saw him chair the OVC Council of Directors of Athletics twice and the Pioneer Football League’s Council of Directors of Athletics three times. He also received national acclaim as he was the President of the Football Championship Subdivision’s Athletics Directors Association and the Chair of the NCAA Division I Football Committee.
Morehead State University, Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, 1996
Morehead State University, Master of Science, Sports Administration, 2001
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BOB LEFFLER
OF COUNSEL
60 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE IN CREATIVE ADVERTISING, BRAND DEVELOPMENT, AND REVENUE GENERATION
Bob Leffler has had a marvelous career journey, from teacher to sales director for the Baltimore Colts and the ultimate founding of his flourishing ad agency.
For 27 years, The Leffler Agency, Inc. was the leading team sports ad agency in the USA with 40+ clients. As a sports boutique, it operates in 20+ markets. With headquarters in Baltimore and offices in Tampa and Providence, the agency serves 25 university revenue sports programs and has MLB, NHL, and NFL clients. Additionally, the agency does race courses in Maryland and Virginia and has broadcast media clients in 3 states. Leffler's hallmark was meeting clients' practical needs without flair and expense.
Leffler has had a front-row seat for events affecting pro and college sports, including the Colts' ill-fated decision to draft John Elway and their "Midnight Ride to Indianapolis”. His career put him "on the wall “of many major stadium developments and sales campaigns and made him a witness to the successes and missteps of team owners and politicians.
Bob's Books’ The Guy on the Wall provides a frank chronicle of the events that shaped sports history.
Towson University, Bachelor of Science, History/Social Science/English, 1968
Morgan State University, Master of Arts, US History, Pop Culture Emphasis, 1974
Read Bob's LinkedIn bio here