Public Assembly Venue Management: Sports, Entertainment, Meeting, and Convention Venues - Professional

Dr. Mahoney has over 25 years of experience in various segments of the sports and entertainment industry and currently works as a consultant. She began her career at the Georgia Dome while in school and then as an intern at the Charlotte Coliseum. She has been involved with the industry since then in a variety of capacities: as a contractor, client, and venue management. Dr. Mahoney has been involved with the opening of three new venues including a convention center, an NFL stadium, and a 20,000-seat arena. Her work as a Regional Manager with Show Pros Entertainment Services, Inc. provided opportunities to work in stadiums, arenas, speedways, and amphitheaters. Dr. Mahoney previously served as an Assistant Commissioner with the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) and as the Director of Communications and Program Development with Columbus Arena Sports & Entertainment (CASE), which oversees the day-to-day operation of Nationwide Arena and the Jerome Schottenstein Center. She has served on the faculty at the University of New Haven, University of South Carolina, and The Ohio State University. Dr. Mahoney also authored The IAVM Blueprint: Event Management, published in 2016. In 2007, she received the Harry E. Varney Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award for the College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management at University of South Carolina and in 2017 she received the Unsung Hero Award from the Stadium Business Awards. She received her B.A. in communications from the University of Kentucky, her M.Ed. in sport and facility management from the University of Georgia, and her Ph.D. in sport management from The Ohio State University. Dr. Mahoney and her husband Mike, with Musco Lighting, reside in NW Connecticut.

Mr. Esckilsen is an Associate Professor at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI and teaches in the Department for Sports, Entertainment and Event Management. Esckilsen teaches undergraduate and graduate courses primarily in the areas of venue management, guest experience, access management, and safety, security and risk management.  He is active in entertainment and sports, venue and event, development and management through his consulting company, ESVenues. During his 35-year career, Esckilsen has been involved in the development and management of public assembly venues in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Mr. Esckilsen also served as the Executive Director of six arenas, notably the pre-opening and management of the Mullins Center (UMass-Amherst) and the Manchester Arena (NYNEX-UK). He has booked and successfully managed more than 1,500 sports and entertainment events during his career. Esckilsen is a Certified Venue Executive (CVE) awarded by the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM). In addition, he is a Trained Crowd Manager (TCM), a Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM) Certified Trainer and a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE), awarded by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AH&LEI), Washington, DC. Esckilsen was a co-author of Public Assembly Facility Management: Principles and Practices, 2^nd Edition, 2009 published by IAVM and a co-author of Public Assembly Venue Management: Sports, Entertainment, Meeting, and Convention Venues, 2015 published by Brown Books Publishing. Mr. Esckilsen has also authored several articles in IAVM’s Facility Manager magazine and Facilities & Event Management magazine. Mr. Esckilsen received his A.S. Degree in Recreational Leadership from Dean College, Franklin, MA, his B.S. Degree in Recreation Administration from Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH and his M.S. Degree in Recreational Sports Management from Indiana University, Bloomington, IN.  Mr. Esckilsen lives in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

Adonis “Sporty” Jeralds is currently a full time senior clinical instructor at the University of South Carolina and also works in Community Relations with the NBA Charlotte Hornets. Mr. Jeralds is a native of Fayetteville, NC, and attended Guilford College where he graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice. He has a master’s degree from UNC Chapel Hill in Public Administration and a master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts in Sport Management. Mr. Jeralds began his career in public assembly venue management at the Hampton Coliseum in Virginia, and then accepted a position at the Charlotte Coliseum as Assistant Manager. In 1990 he became Manager of the Charlotte Coliseum, a position he held for 15 years. In that position Mr. Jeralds oversaw the day-to-day operations, managed a $12 million operating budget, and a staff of over 60 full-time and six hundred part-time employees. Mr. Jeralds is certified by the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) as a Certified Venue Executive (CVE), a designation currently awarded to approximately 350 worldwide. During his career, Mr. Jeralds has helped coordinate such internationally recognized events as the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Four, NBA All-Star Weekend, a visit by Mother Teresa, and a variety of major concerts. Mr. Jeralds is the author of four successful books, The Champion In You, Let Your Light Shine, Follow The Bouncing Ball and From The Locker Room To The Classroom. In 2006, he was awarded the Harold J. VanderZwaag Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Sport Management Department at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst. In 2018, he was awarded the IAVM Education and Service Award and in 2019 was the recipient of the Harry E. Varney Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award, College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management—University of South Carolina. Mr. Jeralds and his wife Teresa are the proud parents of Jazmine and Jacob.