Sept. 17, 2014
NEW YORK – Kristen Rose, General Manager for Georgia Tech IMG Sports Marketing, was one of 34 women honored Tuesday night by Sports Business Journal as members of the 2014 Game Changers, a group of women making their mark in sports and shaping the future of the industry. The group was recognized as part of the 2014 Game Changers Conference held at the New York Marriott Marqus in Times Square.
Rose, who joined IMG in December 2013, has made an immediate impact at Georgia Tech, working with brands like AT&T, Georgia Power, Coca-Cola, and new Georgia Tech partner, BitPay.
Rose and the rest of the 2014 Game Changers class were featured in the latest Sports Business Journal. Below are quotes as told to SBJ’s Michael Smith:
“Georgia Tech is the first college sponsorship deal BitPay has done,” Rose said of the Atlanta-based payment service provider, which also this summer secured a title deal with the St. Petersburg Bowl. “Now we’re in conversations to expand it so there’s the opportunity for people to use bitcoin in the stadium and arena.
“Because Georgia Tech has such a culture of innovation, as an institution, I think we can be like a test kitchen for IMG,” she said. “We might try some things here, like using bitcoin, where we wouldn’t be afraid to be the first to try something.”
Here’s the entire list of the impressive 2014 Game Changers, which includes Atlantic 10 Commissioner Bernadette McGlade, who spent 17 years at Georgia Tech. She was hired at Tech in 1981 as one of the youngest Division I head women’s basketball coaches in the nation and the first full-time female to coach at Georgia Tech. She later served as Assistant AD, Associate AD and Senior Associate AD during her tenure on The Flats. In 2002, she was recognized as one of the 50 1st Women of the Institute.
2014 SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL GAME CHANGERS
Alex Baldwin, CAA Sports
Renee Baumgartner, Syracuse University
Kim Bohuny, NBA
Christine Brown, NRG Energy
Mary Byrne, USA Today Sports Page
Stephanie Cheng, Premier Partnerships
Sandy Cross, PGA of America
Stephanie Druley, ESPN
Donna Fiedorowicz, PGA Tour
Kelly Flanagan, Jacksonville Jaguars
Karen Forgus, Cincinnati Reds
Erleen Hatfield, BuroHappold Engineering
Sue Hunt, U.S. Tennis Association
Gail Hunter, Golden State Warriors
Beth Hutter, Golf Channel
Julie Kikla, The Whistle
Heidi Massey-Bong, Shell Oil Co.
Bernadette McGlade, Atlantic 10 Conference
Michelle McKenna-Doyle, NFL
Kimberly Meesters, Sprint
Marla Newman, Fox Sports Digital
Anne Occi, MLB
Jay Parry, Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee
Kristen Rose, Georgia Tech IMG Sports Marketing
Jennifer Sabatelle, CBS Sports
Heidi Sandreuter, Under Armour
Meredith Starkey, T-Mobile
Maribeth Towers, MLS/Soccer United Marketing
Ali Towle, San Francisco 49ers
Ronnie Tucker, New York Road Runners
Alyson Walker, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment
Alison Weber, Levy Restaurants
Pamela Wheeler, WNBPA
Andrea Williams, Big Ten Conference
