Pac-12 Conference

2018 Football Media Guide

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2 0 1 8 P A C - 1 2 F O O T B A L L M E D I A G U I D E 156 P A C - 1 2 C O N F E R E N C E JAMIE ZANINOVICH • Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Deputy Commissioner Jamie Zaninovich comes to the Pac-12 after six years as the commissioner of the West Coast Conference. At the Pac-12, Zaninovich has responsibility for all aspects of the Pac-12 Conference's administrative operations, including television administra- tion, sport management, championships, football bowl relationships, governance, enforcement, compliance, and officiating. In his time with the WCC, Zaninovich led the conference through a period of unprecedented membership growth, transformed the con- ference basketball championships into successful events, and brought forward television and digital media advances that showcased the WCC's brand regionally, nationally and internationally. Zaninovich was a member of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee from 2011-2014 and is a past Chair of the Division I Colle- giate Commissioners Association Division I Subdivision. He is also a founding member of the Board of Managers and Competition Committee of the Men's Basketball Officiating LLC, a past member of the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics and was named one of the prestigious "40 Under 40" honorees by the Sports Business Journal in 2010. A native of Eugene, Oregon, Zaninovich is a graduate of Stanford University and the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Prior to the WCC, he served as a sports administrator at both Stanford and Princeton University. WOODIE DIXON • General Counsel, Senior Vice President Business Affairs Woodie Dixon joined the Pac-12 in April 2010 and manages all business affairs, in-house legal matters and human resources for the Conference and Pac-12 Networks, as well as football administration for the Conference. Prior to joining the Pac-12, Dixon spent six years (2004-10) as General Counsel for the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs overseeing all legal matters for the franchise, including player, marketing, sponsorship, stadium operations, special event and sales contracts, litigation and licensing. Previously, he has practiced law with the NFL, Sidley, Austin, Brown & Wood LLP in Chicago, and Dorsey & Whitney LLP in Min- neapolis, Minn. Dixon is a graduate of Harvard Law School, the University of Massachusetts graduate program in Sports Management and Amherst College. DANETTE LEIGHTON • Chief Marketing Officer Danette Leighton joined the Pac-12 Conference in April 2010 as the Conference's first Chief Marketing Officer. Her responsibilities include leading the Conference and Pac-12 Networks in the development and implementation of strategic marketing and communication programs, as well as integrating and supporting the marketing interests of the member institutions. She oversees the areas of business operations, communications, event operations, marketing, public affairs and ticket sales, as well as the communications and marketing departments at Pac-12 Networks.. An Arizona graduate, Leighton returns to the Pac-12 where she began her career as a public relations intern. Most recently, she acted as Vice President of Marketing and Brand Development for Maloof Sports & Entertainment. She spent the last decade overseeing all marketing and branding efforts for the NBA's Sacramento Kings and ARCO Arena, as well as the business operations for the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs. Previously, she led Sony's sports marketing division, focusing on the PGA Tour and the Sony Open in Hawai'i. She also served as the executive director of the 1999 NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four at Stanford and worked in public relations for the Fiesta Bowl. ERIK HARDENBERGH • Chief of Staff Erik Hardenbergh joined the Pac-12 as the Vice President of Public Affairs in July 2012. Hardenbergh leads the development and ex- ecution of public relations plans and strategies promoting the interests and reputation of the Pac-12 and Pac-12 Networks. Hardenbergh plays a pivotal role in enhancing the Conference's visibility at local, national and global levels. Most recently, Hardenbergh spent four years as the Vice President of the Glover Park Group in Washington, D.C., where he developed strategic messaging platforms and coordinated integrated campaigns for companies including JPMorgan Chase and United Technologies. Hardenbergh has also worked for several sports media outlets including Yahoo! Sports, Fox Sports Northwest and ABC Sports. Hardenbergh holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Amherst College, where he was an Academic All-American and cap- tained the golf team for three years. Hardenbergh also earned an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. BRENT WILLMAN • Chief Financial Officer Brent Willman was named Chief Financial Officer in March of 2018 after serving as the Senior Vice President, Finance for Pac-12 Networks since the launch of the Network. His responsibilities include monthly and annual financial statement preparation, longe-range strategic planning and annual bidgets, evaluating new business opportunitie and supporting each department on all financial matters to ensure financial objectives are met. With over 30 years of media finance and business experience, prior to joining the Pac-12, he spent time in the same position at the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) in Los Angeles, He was also CFO for TLC. the Game Show Network, IFILM and E! Entertainment Television. He also spent nine years with Times Mirror Company, the publisher of the Los Angeles Times. Willman hold a bachelor's degree in accounting from Cal State Fresno. He started his career as a certified public accountant.

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