Belk College of Business forms Sports Advisory Council

The Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte has formed an advisory council for its new M.B.A. program in Sports Marketing and Management.

Council members will provide guidance and support to Belk College administrators as they prepare to launch the Sports M.B.A., which will enroll its first class in August 2007. The Council will review curriculum, provide internship opportunities for students, and increase awareness of the program in the sports industry and the Charlotte region.

Council members include:

• Ray Bednar, senior vice president and sports sponsorship executive, Bank of America;
• Jim Cuttino, director, Motorsports and Automotive Research Center at UNC Charlotte;
• Mac Everett, chairman, Wachovia Championship;
• Brent Henry, driver, NHRA POWERade Series;
• Winston Kelley, executive director, NASCAR Hall of Fame;
• Dean Kessel, director, NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Marketing;
• Bill McMillan, director of marketing and business development, Charlotte Sports Commission;
• Max Muhleman, president, Private Sports Consulting, Inc.;
• Dana Rader, director of golf, Dana Rader Golf School;
• Mark Richardson, president, Carolina Panthers;
• Judy Rose, director of athletics, Charlotte 49ers;
• Carl Scheer, consultant, Charlotte Checkers;
• Richard Weiss, editor and publisher, Sports Business Journal;
• Humpy Wheeler, president and general manager, Lowe's Motor Speedway;
• Jeff Wise, executive director, U.S. National Whitewater Center

Additional council members will be added throughout the year.

“We are gratified by the overwhelmingly positive response we’ve received from the sports industry to our new M.B.A. program,” said Belk College Dean Claude Lilly. “The advisory council will be an invaluable resource in helping us establish the program as one of the top sports MBAs in the country.”

Information on the M.B.A. in Sports Marketing and Management is available at www.sportsmba.uncc.edu.