Stanford Jackson

Director of Player Relations

 

A native of Indianapolis, IN, Stanford

received a football scholarship to the

University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne,

Indiana where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in business management and marketing and is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration.

 

Stanford has prior experience working with athletes in various capacities including mentoring young athletes, conflict resolution, skill development and marketing. 

 

Stanford’s role at GoEmpire is relationship focused. He is responsible for athlete engagement, client marketing, brand management and other operational duties.

Evan Sirkey
Director of Scouting

 

Proud representative of the DMV,

Evan joins GoEmpire Group as the

Director of Scouting where his main

duties will be in identifying prospects who

fit the culture of GoEmpire Group both on and off the floor. These tasks include video breakdown and talent evaluation.

 

Evan is an integral member for establishing relationships with potential clients. Evan works on comprehensive marketing and brand development strategies that aid in recruiting as well.  

 

Evan attended Towson University (2014) where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in sports management with a minor in business administration. Prior to joining GoEmpire, Evan served as the Director of Basketball Operations for a post-graduate program, Koa Sports, located just outside of Washington, D.C. 

Griffin Quinn
Graphic Design Consultant

 

Originally from Lake Villa, Illinois,

Griffin is currently a Senior at the

University of Dayton, scheduled to

graduate in May, 2021 with a Bachelor

of Arts degree in Communication and English.

 

As a Graphic Design Consultant, Griffin is responsible for designing content for social media posts, assisting with the design of presentations, and anything else that is needed to assist the agency in its content creation and marketing strategies. 

 

At the University of Dayton, Griffin serves as the Print Editor-in-Chief of Flyer News, where he is responsible for designing the bi-weekly student-run newspaper. Griffin also has experience creating digital content for the Dayton Flyers Men’s Basketball Program as well as their alumni team, The Red Scare. 

Jon Newberry

Digital Media Specialist

 

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Jon

Newberry graduated from Emory

University in Atlanta where he ran track

and cross-country while earning his BBA 

in marketing and communications. Jon went on to earn his Masters degree in Sports Information at Georgia State University where he also worked in the Sports Communications office.

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Jon spent six seasons (2006-2012) working with the Atlanta Hawks, first as their Senior E-Marketing Coordinator and later as Website Manager, focusing his work on developing and updating the franchise website as well as contributing to other digital marketing initiatives. Jon also has work experience in various media relations roles at Florida Tech, Georgia State University, and the Richmond Roosters minor league baseball team. 

Kasey Parks

Director of Client Operations

 

As the Director of Client Operations,

Parks works to identify career

advancement opportunities for all agency

clients and also assists with recruitment

efforts on behalf of the firm. Aiding off the court, Parks guides the philanthropic effort of all agency clients.

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Prior to working with GoEmpire Group, he spent time with the Indiana Pacers within their Basketball Operations department. During this period, he was involved in the team's Draft & Free Agency preparations.

 

Parks earned a Bachelor's degree in Sport Management from the University of Missouri, Columbia. While at Mizzou, he served as the Assistant Video Coordinator for the Basketball team. Kasey currently resides in St. Louis. 

Michael Bolling

Social Media Director

 

As GoEmpire’s Social Media Director,

Michael leads GoEmpire’s social media

efforts through the development and

implementation of the Agency's digital and

video marketing strategies across all platforms.

 

As a Social Media professional, Michael has built work experience in video editing, content creation, copy editing and more at Major League Baseball (MLB), The Stadium Network and Chicago Cubs.

 

Born and raised in Chicago, Michael graduated from Lewis University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Multimedia Journalism (C’12). Michael was a two year starting outfield for the Lewis University baseball team while in school. 

Taylor Darby

Director of Client Development

 

Growing up in San Diego, Taylor Darby

has played with and against the likes of

James Harden, Klay Thompson, Jrue

Holiday, and many others.

 

As a standout at Pepperdine University, he was named a two-year captain and three-time West Coast Conference All-Academic Team.  Darby then signed on with GoEmpire Group as a client and played in 40 games professionally overseas in Chile, Denmark, Israel and Uruguay from 2012-2014. 

 

As a former player himself, Darby’s ability to mentor clients is invaluable. With knowledge from his peers that are still playing, Darby has a good handle of which clubs are a fit for certain players' personality types.  He is well respected in the basketball community, and he is especially helpful to those who are just transitioning out of college. 

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As Director of Client Development, Darby's responsibilities include assisting the agency in the recruitment of players, as well as providing guidance to clients, helping to ensure they have the best chance to succeed in both their professional and personal lives.

Colin Casey

Director of Internal Operations

 

Colin was born and raised in Philadelphia,

and is a 2010 graduate of the University

of Richmond. While at Richmond, he

served as a men's basketball manager on

Chris Mooney's staff, serving as head manager

during both his Junior and Senior years.

 

Upon graduating from Richmond, Colin went on to earn a Masters in Business Administration (MBA)  in Sport Management from Seton Hall University (‘12). Most recently, he spent time in sales roles with companies like Madison Square Garden and PrimeSport, becoming well-skilled in building and managing client relationships. 

 

As Director of Internal Operations, Colin is active in both basketball and business strategies and decisions which include brand building, internal & external marketing as well as player scouting and recruiting, among other operational tasks and duties. 

Dr. Nate Willis

Brand Management Consultant

 

Dr. Willis offers strategic advice on both

client and organizational operations at

GoEmpire Group. Helping aid in client

retention, Willis works personally with

agency clients on building both on and off court

development through a variety of detailed strategies.  

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Willis' operational experience over the years also includes working with multi-million dollar entities like the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NCAA in various marketing and contract negotiations. In addition, he has worked with a $26 million collegiate facility management project. He possesses a health-analytical background allowing him to make specific connections between health and sport related outcomes. 

Dr. Peter Titlebaum, Ed.D

Business Affairs Consultant

 

Dr. Peter Titlebaum, Ed.D, is a Professor

at the University of Dayton. His areas of

expertise include marketing, sales,

fund-raising, activation, return on

investment and return of objective strategies.

Peter is frequent recruited and booked as a speaker

with over 200 presentations and 150 publications to his credit.

Alix Zelener
Business Affairs Consultant

 

Alix was born and raised in Southern

California. She attended Utah State

University for undergrad, where she

studied broadcast journalism and minored

in psychology and sociology. Alix is now a 3L at

Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. Upon graduation, she plans to work in Sports Law, specializing in contract work. Alix was a competitive fast pitch softball player for 14 years and competed with members of Team USA against the Canadian and Australian national teams.