IRVINE, CA — (Marketwired) — 02/04/16 — Spectra by Comcast Spectacor, the experts in hosting and entertainment, today announced Tom Bowen, Director of Athletics at the University of Memphis (Memphis) will deliver the college athletics keynote address at its annual PACnet community conference, to be held Feb. 21-24, 2016 at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa in Newport Beach, Calif. Bowen will deliver his keynote to the Spectra college athletics community on Monday, Feb. 22. The keynote will also be streamed live to the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) community for its membership.
“I am honored to speak at PACnet –16 and address our vibrant community at one of the leading college athletics forums in our industry,” said Tom Bowen, Director of Athletics at the University of Memphis. “I am eager to share many of the strategic initiatives the University of Memphis has implemented to reinvent the fan and donor experience, along with other impactful trends, technology and themes that impact college athletics.”
Bowen was named to his post as Director of Athletics in June of 2012, leading the Tigers in a new and exciting direction. Just two-and-a-half years after assuming the position of Director of Athletics at the University of Memphis, Bowen celebrated the Tigers– first American Athletic Conference football title. On Oct. 8, Memphis announced Bowen received a two-year contract extension that will keep him at the helm of the Memphis athletic department through June 30, 2019.
In Bowen–s third year at the helm of the athletic department, Memphis Football captured its first conference championship in over 40 years and went on to win the inaugural Miami Beach Bowl in 2014, equaling a program record for victories with a 10-3 record.
Bowen began his tenure at Memphis with the athletics program posed to make a league move from Conference USA to the Big East. Despite the conference realignment carousel continuing to rotate nearly halfway into the first year of his tenure, Bowen–s steady leadership helped Memphis become a charter member of The American Athletic Conference. In addition to his integral role in the formation of The American, Bowen was instrumental in bringing the league–s first men–s basketball tournament to the Bluff City in March of 2014.
In terms of development, the “Time to Shine” capital campaign is just the latest fundraising success Memphis Athletics has had under Bowen. In his first year, Bowen secured a multi-million dollar gift from the Helen and Jabie Hardin Charitable Trust to support women–s athletics at the University of Memphis.
Memphis has completed the construction of a new track and field complex on the Park Avenue campus. A new clubhouse for Memphis Softball was opened in Jan. 2016, and includes coaches– offices, meeting and recruiting rooms as well as indoor pitching and batting areas.
Bowen–s respect from his colleagues, along with his experience and knowledge of football were pivotal in landing him a position on the College Football Playoff organization–s Athletic Directors Advisory Council in early 2014. Previously, he served on the Athletic Directors Advisory Board of the BCS in 2013.
Bowen was voted to represent the American Athletic Conference on the NCAA Division I Leadership Council by his fellow athletic directors from the conference in July, 2014. The NCAA Leadership Council is comprised of athletics directors, faculty representatives and conference commissioners from every Division I conference, and serves as an advisory body to the NCAA Division I Board of Directors.
Prior to taking his current post, Bowen served as the athletics director at San Jose State University from 2004-12. While at San Jose State, the core of Bowen–s mission was building a “Culture of Champions” academically, athletically and in the community. He led the Spartan Foundation, the department–s fundraising component, through consistently challenging and uncertain economic conditions to unprecedented fiscal heights. The Spartans produced annual budget surpluses four-straight years and re-invested their gains back into their student-athletes and teams.
Bowen joined the staff at San Jose State after serving three years as the Director of Community Affairs and the executive director of the 49ers Foundation for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. His Division I experience at the collegiate level includes athletics administration positions at the University of California, Berkeley and Saint Mary–s College in Moraga, Calif.
Bowen graduated from the University of Notre Dame majoring in theology/sociology and spent time studying for the priesthood with the Holy Cross Fathers. Bowen went on to earn a master–s degree in administration/education from the University of San Francisco in 1990.
Active throughout the entire Bay Area, he was named to the San Jose Mercury News– Top-25 Most Powerful Sports Figures in the Bay Area. Bowen served on the board of the San Jose Sports Authority, and he was an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco School of Sports Management and at San Jose State University–s Department of Kinesiology, where he taught sports management classes.
Bowen is a Level 2 certified member of the College Athletic Business Management Association (CABMA) and has memberships in NACDA and the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
“We are honored to have Tom Bowen address our college athletics community at PACnet –16 and share his leadership vision and strategic insight to reinventing the fan and donor experience,” said Dave Butler, President and Chief Executive Officer of Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement. “Tom–s vision has created significant change at Memphis and has improved all aspects of the Athletic Department.”
Spectra–s Ticketing & Fan Engagement division is a leader in ticketing, fundraising, marketing, and analytics solutions with over 35 years of experience. Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement enables college athletic programs, arenas, professional sports, and performing arts clients to sell more than 120 million tickets per year.
Spectra by Comcast Spectacor is the expert in hosting and entertainment, partnering with over 300 clients at 400 global properties to create memorable experiences for millions of visitors every year. Spectra–s expertise is embodied within three divisions: Venue Management (formerly Global Spectrum), Food Services & Hospitality (formerly Ovations Food Services) and Ticketing & Fan Engagement (formerly Paciolan). Learn more at SpectraExperiences.com.
Comcast Spectacor is part of Comcast Corporation, a Fortune 50 media and technology company that operates Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pa., in addition to Spectra, Comcast Spectacor owns and operates the National Hockey League–s Philadelphia Flyers and the Wells Fargo Center venue. Visit us at ComcastSpectacor.com, PhiladelphiaFlyers.com and WellsFargoCenterPhilly.com for more information.
Craig Ricks
Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement
Vice President of Marketing
949.823.1636 (O)
Steve Brown
Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement
Corporate Marketing Specialist
949.823.4506 (O)
Tammy DeGroff
University of Memphis
Interim Asst. Athletic Director – Athletic Communications
901.678.5787 (O)
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