Keynote Speaker, Joe Sill: Analytics Consultant -Washington Wizards
Joe Sill is a 1993 graduate from Yale University, where he was a double major in Applied Math and Philosophy while apart of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. Sill continued his education, obtaining his PHD in Computation and Neural Systems from Caltech in 1998.
Sill has been with the Washington Wizards since 2010 and has played a vital role in the teams use of automated proprietary analytics over the past decade. Sill won the best paper prize at MIT Sloan in 2010 for his paper on regularized adjusted plus/minus (RAPM), a precursor to ESPN's use of the Real Plus/Minus stat.
In 2011 Sill was recognized as a coauthor of an award-winning paper at RecSys, a computer science conference focused on recommender systems. Still, recognized as the largest shareholder on his team, also competed in the Netflix Prize data science contest placing second out of thousands of teams competing for a $1 million grand prize.
Shea Stanton: Sports Information Director-Washington and Jefferson College
Shea Stanton, an IUP alumnus (’22) is entering his 2nd year as the Sports Information Director at W&J. Stanton heads the operations of the W&J Sports Information Office and is responsible for the maintenance of the gopresidents.com website, the coverage of all 28 of W&J's varsity teams, the oversight of the W&J Sports Network and social media management of all W&J Athletics pages.
Stanton was most recently named to the inaugural class of the NCAA Division III Athletic Communicators Emerging Elite Program being 1 of the 30 selected for this program by their peers. Prior to W&J Stanton served as an Athletics Communications Specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. There he assisted in the daily coverage and promotion of UWSP’s 26 NCAA Division III athletic programs. While at UW-Stevens Point, one of Stanton’s successes was creating a new social media push called “Pointer Pause”, which centered around the behind the scenes thoughts and opinions of the UWSP student-athletes. Stanton also oversaw the introduction of the first UWSP women’s lacrosse team.
Shana Kelly: Sr. Director, Athlete Engagement-Dick's Sporting Goods.
Shana Kelly began her career working in marketing and channel management including email, direct mail and social media. Kelly then transitioned into customer analytics, owned insights, and data strategy for major retailers like Ralph Lauren and GNC.
Kelly has been with DICK'S for over 5 years, and currently leads the Athlete Engagement and Service functions. Kelly currently lives in the Pittsburgh area with her husband, twin 8-year-olds, and 2 dogs. Kelly is an IUP Alumnus ('11) serving as the president of Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority during her time here at IUP.
Jake Nulph: Director of Athletics-Kiski Area School District
Alex Guminski: President & Talent Agent- ProZone The Agency
Alex Guminski is a licensed Contract Advisor and agent for the NFL, CFL, and FIBA and has negotiated over $100M in contract values for his clients. Representing dozens of professional, college, and high school athletes, Guminski founded ProZone with the belief that anything is possible with faith, sacrifice, effort, smart work, and surrounding yourself by like minded people.
Guminski also serves as an adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh, teaching Name, Image, and Likeness deals to future sport professionals. Since 2013, Guminski has built his law practice Guminski, P.C., focusing on areas of law that athletes will certainly face in their careers such as real istate, tax law, and start up businesses.
Michael McCormick: Grounds Superintendent- Oakmont Country Club
Connor Siskovic: Director of Ticket Sales for the Pittsburgh Penguins
Connor Siskovic is the director of ticket sales for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Siskovic joined the Penguins in February 2023 and is responsible for overseeing the New Business, Groups, and Inside Sales teams. Prior to joining the Penguins, Siskovic worked as the general manager of ticket sales and service for Vanderbilt University through Learfield Amplify. He also spent four years at Syracuse University in their Ticket Sales Department, where he earned his MBA.
Peter Solberg: Manager, Business Development-Troon Golf
Peter Solberg, an IUP Alumnus ('18) furthered his education by obtaining his MBA at Penn State University in 2022. Throughout his college and professional career, Solberg has 10 years of experience in the golf industry, working a wide range of roles at public and private clubs and in corporate golf management. His experience includes an agronomy internship at the prestigious Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, NC and serving on the maintenance crew at two PGA TOUR events.
Currently, Peter is the Business Development Manager at Troon Golf, the global leader in golf management and hospitality. In this role, Solberg partners with golf course owners and prospective clients to help maximize each club's operational and financial performance through strategic financial planning, comprehensive written proposals, and advisory support focused on long-term success and meaningful community impact. An avid golfer and seasoned traveler, Peter has three holes-in-one and has summited Mount Kilimanjaro.
Jordan Albright: Associate A.D./Ticket Sales and Digital Marketing- Naval Academy
Jordan Albright, an IUP alumnus ('12) currently serves as the Associate Athletic Director for Ticket Sales and Digital Marketing for the Naval Academy. Prior to Navy Albright worked for IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions where he was able to set the all-time new revenue record and season ticket record in one season for Penn State. Albright has also served as a Ticket Sales representative for the Houston Astros.
Austin Finochio: Director, Ticket Operations- Altoona Curve
Kaan Akbay: Fan Service Representative for Philadelphia Union
Kaan is a 2021 graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania where he studied Physical Education/Sports Administration. He has worked within the Indiana, PA community even beyond his graduation as a high school lacrosse assistant coach. He currently holds a position with the Philadelphia Union professional soccer team, and resides in Philadelphia
Tina Nellis: Manager, People and Culture- Pittsburgh Pirates
