Dr. Thilo Kunkel is the Director of the Sport Industry Research Center at Temple University. His research is positioned on the intersection of strategic management and marketing. He is specialized in examining consumer engagement in a digital environment and investigating brand relationships within different brand portfolios to provide insights into the positioning of companies in a competitive environment. He has consulted sport teams, sponsors, mobile app developers, and athletes on their brand positioning, fan engagement, and sponsorship activation.
Dr. Amy Giddings currently serves as a Professor of Instruction in Sport and Recreation Management, Academic Director of the Master’s in Sport Business program, and Assistant Director of the Sport Industry Research Center (SIRC).
Her work experiences range from community recreation to international sport and include positions with the Olympic Games, collegiate recreation and intercollegiate athletics, and non-profit sport organizations. She has received numerous grants for program development and research including one from the NCAA to support initiatives related to increasing minority and female participation in the field of coaching. Encouraging women to consider a career in coaching has always been a passion and it led Dr. Giddings to create The Women’s Coaching Network, which includes both the Women in Coaching blog and the Real Women of Coaching video series.
Dr. Howe’s research centers broadly on the intersections of race, sport, and education. Within these intersections, Dr. Howe focuses on Black male college athletes as well as Black coaches and athletic administrators. His research with Black male college athletes centers race along with identity development and self-presentation. Related to Black athletic coaches and administrators, Dr. Howe examines their racialized experiences as they operate in predominately and historically white spaces. One of his research goals is to bridge the gap between scholarship and practice within collegiate athletics and higher education institutions. Thus, Dr. Howe has had the opportunity to engage with athletic departments and various academic units on college campuses to provide support and a positive environment for some of their key Black stakeholders.
Dr. Howe has presented his work at national and international conferences associated with the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport, Black Student-Athlete Summit, North American Society for Sport Management, College Sport Research Institute, American Educational Research Association, and the Association for the Study of Higher Education. His work has also been published in academic journals, such as the International Review for the Sociology of Sport, Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, International Journal of Sport Communication, Journal of Amateur Sport, and Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics.
