Staff

Patrick Talty was elected Indiana Sports Corp President in July 2022. He is the not-for-profit organization’s seventh president since the nation’s first sports commission was founded in 1979. Indiana Sports Corp’s mission is to create positive impact by hosting world-class sporting events that enhance vibrancy in the community, build civic pride, drive economic impact and media exposure, and encourage opportunities for youth.

Prior to being elected president, Talty served as Indiana Sports Corp’s Chief Operating Officer from October of 2019 until the start of his presidency. As COO, Talty oversaw all operational aspects of the nation’s largest sports commission including event evaluation, bidding and long-term planning, youth programming, and strategic direction of the organization to ensure the greatest impact to the city of Indianapolis and the state of Indiana.

Talty was responsible for ISC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and creating a path for sporting events to resume. This included him help lead the organization in the hosting of the 2021 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship and the bidding efforts of several premier events that will come to Indy in the future.

Before his time at Indiana Sports Corp, Talty served as the general manager of U.S. Bank Stadium and as Senior Vice President, Live Events for World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE). In Minnesota, Talty was responsible for the oversight and management of U.S. Bank Stadium as they hosted several premier events including the 2016 International Champions Cup, Super Bowl LII, ESPN Summer X Games, and the 2019 NCAA Men’s Final Four. While at WWE, Talty managed the global touring and event marketing of more than 420 live events annually.

Talty has strong ties to the Indianapolis community having started his career in the Circle City with stops at the Indiana Basketball Academy, The Stephenson Group, and as a member of the senior staff at the Indiana Convention Center and RCA Dome.

Talty received his Bachelor of Science in accounting from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and did post-graduate work at Ball State University. He and his wife, Becky, live in Fishers.

Brad Bowman has been directing all aspects of the business operations of Indiana Sports Corp since 2000, including the supervision of the organization’s three-person accounting staff. He is responsible for budgeting and budget compliance, risk management, accounting and financial reporting, human resources and information technology. Bowman was promoted to Senior Vice President in December, 2010. He also served as the Chief Financial Officer of the 2012 Super Bowl Host Committee.

Prior to joining Indiana Sports Corp, Bowman spent seven years at Ernst & Young, LLP.

A graduate of Indiana University, Bowman earned status as a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) (Indiana) in September, 1996. He is also active in the community, serving as a member and past officer of the Rotary Club of Greenfield – Sunrise.

Christian Dempster joined Indiana Sports Corp as Senior Vice President of Events, in February of 2023. Dempster leads the events division in high-level strategy and execution as the organization approaches another monumental chapter in the community. He is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Indiana Sports Corp’s event operations, youth programming, statewide initiatives, special projects, and programs

Dempster previously served as an Event Director with IMG, a leading organization in sports, fashion, events, and media who owns and operates hundreds of live events annually. Located in Los Angeles, CA, Dempster produced numerous events including globally recognized properties as the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon, Color Run 5K, and World’s Strongest Man. Prior to IMG, Dempster worked at Red Bull North America, where he was tasked with stewarding the efforts to grow the Red Bull Air Race property in North America. These efforts culminated in races in San Diego, Detroit, New York City, and Windsor, Canada. Dempster began his career at the San Diego Sports Council, helped drive economic impact for the city of San Diego by working with other city stakeholders to securing major sporting events for the region.

Dempster received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from California State University, San Marcos and his Master of Arts degree in Sports Management from the University of San Francisco.

Mike Karnuta joined Indiana Sports Corp in September, 2008 and now serves as Chief Development Officer. In this role, Karnuta oversees corporate development for Indiana Sports Corp and its events.

Karnuta most recently served as an account supervisor for Bradley and Montgomery, where he was responsible for day-to-day management of client business and leading strategic direction and implementation of creative marketing campaigns. He held similar roles at both Young & Laramore and Bates USA Midwest.

Prior to joining the Indiana Sports Corp staff, Karnuta led a team at Bradley and Montgomery in designing the look for the 2008-12 Big Ten Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments. He also served on the 2012 Super Bowl bid committee, which successfully brought Super Bowl XLVI to Indianapolis.

Karnuta holds a B.S. in Political Science from Miami University (Ohio).

Sandra (Sandy) Bryant-Willis joined Indiana Sports Corp in September, 2018. In this role, Bryant-Willis develops and implements programs to attract and advance the highest caliber of talent to meet the needs of the organization and our partners. In addition, she works to extend the Indiana Sports Corp’s company culture into our local organizing committees and volunteer efforts.

Bryant-Willis formerly worked at Eli Lilly and Company in various capacities in her 15 years with the company. Her most recent role with the organization was Adviser, HR Strategic Business Partner. Sandy brings years of experience in the human resources realm to Indiana Sports Corp.

Bryant-Willis earned a degree in Business Education from North Carolina Central University. 

Sarah Myer is Chief Marketing Officer at Indiana Sports Corp where she has served since April of 2019.

At Indiana Sports Corp, Myer is responsible for being a leader within the Operations Division and overseeing a department responsible for the marketing, communications, and brand management for Indiana Sports Corp, its partner events (i.e. NCAA, Olympic, and Big Ten championships), and its fundraisers. In addition, Myer works to connect the ISC brand with the Indianapolis community through partnerships and ancillary events. Most recently, she was a producer of “Made for this Moment: An Indiana Sports Corp Story,” a documentary of the history of the sports strategy in Indianapolis and how it set up the community to host the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship. Myer also currently serves as the Event Co-Director of the US Olympic Team Trials – Swimming event in 2024 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Prior to her time at Indiana Sports Corp, Myer served as the Vice President of Marketing for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. In this role, Myer managed the Marketing & Communications team while overseeing all marketing campaigns promoting 200+ concerts. Ticket sales increased 66% during Myer’s tenure.

Myer currently serves as the Board Chair of IndyHub and serves on the boards of Leadership Indianapolis and Downtown Indy Marketing, in addition to teaching classes at numerous local YMCAs. She was awarded the 2020 United Way Community Ambassador Elevate Award and was part of the 2021 IBJ 40 Under 40 Class. She currently resides in the near eastside neighborhood of Indy and loves to explore local concerts, festivals, sporting events, restaurants, and breweries – and is always in search of the perfect soft pretzel. A Cleveland, Ohio native, Myer graduated from Butler University in 2006 with a BA in Journalism, Public Relations and a minor in Media Arts.

Ashleigh Newbold joined the Indiana Sports Corp staff in January, 2017 and now serves as Director of Engagement and Events. In her role, Newbold develops and administers the engagement strategy designed to attract, retain, and connect to various constituency groups while building and raising awareness of Indiana Sports Corp through initiatives and events.

Prior to joining Indiana Sports Corp, Newbold was the Programs and Exhibits Manager at the Indiana State Fair Commission where she developed creative programming for various buildings and events. She received this full time position with the Indiana State Fair Commission after completing and internship with them in 2013.

While working fulltime for Indiana Sports Corp, Newbold is also the Junior Varsity Head Volleyball Coach at Lawrence North High School and a member of the Walk to Defeat ALS, Indianapolis Chapter where she serves as an Entertainment, Volunteer, and Logistics and Operations Committee Chair.

Newbold graduated from Hanover College in May of 2013 with a degree in Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology.

Connor O’Malia joined Indiana Sports Corp's staff in June 2019 as Graphic Design Specialist and was promoted to Art Director in January of 2023. In this role, O’Malia serves as a key member of the organization in concepting, developing, and maintaining the Indiana Sports Corp brand. He also manages and implements brands for external events put on by Indiana Sports Corp. Some projects that are rarely seen, but highly talked about, include event bids that help bring world-class sporting events to the city of Indianapolis. The project he is most proud of is the Indy Classic brand identity and logo design. O’Malia currently has a decade of design and print production experience.

Prior to ISC, O’Malia spent more than four years at Section 127 where he served as Senior Designer. In this role, O’Malia worked on many design projects that received national attention, including NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Fours, NCAA Frozen Four, NCAA College World Series, NCAA Wrestling Championships and Big Ten Championships. O’Malia also worked on experiential design projects with different universities across the country and the Indiana Pacers. 

  A 2013 graduate of Ball State University, O’Malia earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in visual communications. He is a proud husband to his wife Audrey and father to their daughter Hallie Jo. In his free time he enjoys camping and traveling with his family, attending Indiana Pacers games, and mountain biking. 

Craig Lippincott serves Indiana Sports Corp as Vice President of Business Development and has been with the organization since 2008. In his current role, Lippincott manages partner relationships including event sponsorships, corporate memberships, and entries into Indiana Sports Corp-owned events.  Additionally, he manages in-kind vendor relationships for the organization.  Lippincott also provides event strategy and management for many of Indiana Sports Corp’s events, including Corporate Challenge, the Inspiring Sports Charity Golf Tournament and the Indy Ultimate.  

Before transitioning into a full-time staff position with Indiana Sports Corp, he worked as a sales associate for GroupRCI and as an intern with Indiana Sports Corp. 

A graduate of DePauw University, Lippincott received his degree in English Writing with minors in Rhetoric & Interpersonal Communication and Film Studies. At DePauw, Lippincott played on the varsity soccer team where he was the team captain and the conference “Player of the Year”. 

Dan Gliot joined the Indiana Sports Corp team in September of 2023 as Senior Director of Marketing & Communications. In this role, Gliot is responsible for developing, overseeing, and executing all Indiana Sports Corp communication strategies. Gliot also serves as Indiana Sports Corp’s primary spokesperson and media contact.

Prior to his time at Indiana Sports Corp, Gliot lead a team at the Horizon League for five years as Assistant Commissioner of Messaging and Branding. In this role, he managed all aspects of the organization's branding, including strategic communications, media relations, and marketing efforts. Gliot oversaw substantial growth to the Horizon League website and social media channels.

Jeffrey Hintz's career in sports marketing and management has spanned two decades. He spent most of those years in the golf industry with the PGA of America. He has held on-site positions at several PGA Championships across the country, served in a leadership role from 2005 to 2010 at PGA of America Headquarters in the Championship Department in Florida, and went on to serve as the Director for the 2012 and 2014 Senior PGA Championships in Michigan.

Hintz then served as the 2016 Ryder Cup Director in Minnesota and was awarded the 2016 Sportsperson of the Year by the Star Tribune for his contributions to the event and the community. Following the Ryder Cup, he served as the Executive Director for the Minnesota PGA for three years.

Recently, Hintz and his family relocated home to the Indianapolis area where he served as the Director of Event Operations for the 2022 College Football Playoff. Following the College Football Playoff, Hintz served as the event director for the 2022 NBA2K League season in Indianapolis. 

In the fall of 2022, Hintz was named Vice President, Innovation. 

He is currently an Executive MBA candidate from the Quantic School of Business & Technology with an expected graduation of April 2022. Hintz is married to his high school sweetheart, Leah, and they have three children (Sullivan 4/2007, Weston 4/2011, Evelina 10/2012).

An Indianapolis native, Hintz attended Warren Central High School and graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Sports Marketing & Management. 

John Grossman joined the Indiana Sports Corp team in June of 2022 as Salesforce and Technology Administrator. In his role, John maintains and optimizes Indiana Sports Corp’s Salesforce Org. John also provides day-to-day support on all tier 1 technical issues for the ISC staff.

Prior to his time at Indiana Sports Corp, Grossman worked as an independent contractor where he would train employees on new business tools and applications, implement customer ideas into projects, and consult with stakeholders to identify and acquire business needs.

Grossman is a certified Salesforce Administrator and is a graduate of the Salesforce Pathfinder Training Program.

Joe Reed joined Indiana Sports Corp in October of 2022 as an Events Coordinator. In his role, Reed assists with the planning and coordination of Indiana Sports Corp Events, including specific duties for Big Ten events, NCAA Championships, Indiana Sports Corp-owned events, and other special event projects.

Before his time with Indiana Sports Corp, Reed served as the Director of Game Operations and Facilities at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). In this role, Reed managed all facets of home sporting events including men’s and women’s soccer, cross country, volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and softball. Reed served on the Competition Committee for the Horizon League to develop policies and procedures for Horizon League events, manage the head coach peer group, approve scheduling parameters, and oversee the Horizon League's awards program. Reed has also assisted in major collegiate athletic events, including the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.

Reed graduated from Purdue University Ft. Wayne (PFW) in 2016 with a degree in Psychology, and received his master’s degree in Sports Management from Indiana State University in 2018. At PFW, Reed played Division I basketball for the Mastodon’s, where he was the team captain and is the “winningest player in program history”.

Jordan Fetters joined the Indiana Sports Corp staff in January 2023 as an Events Manager. In his role, Fetters manages several Indiana Sports Corp events as well as assisting in planning and coordination of other events. Fetters serves as the event director for several NCAA Championships.

Prior to his time at Indiana Sports Corp, Fetters was Director of Facilities and Game Management at California Baptist University. In that role, Fetters facilitated the game day operations for the athletic department, oversaw several campus athletic facilities, and developed, coordinated, and managed home athletic events.

Fetters graduated with a bachelor's in Marketing from Huntington University in 2013 and would go on to get his masters in Sport Management from California Baptist University in 2017.

Julia Martinez joined Indiana Sports Corp’s staff in May of 2022 as Volunteer Coordinator. In this role, she oversees the volunteer program including recruitment efforts, volunteer administrative requirements, and management of volunteers on site. Martinez provides top notch service to volunteers throughout each Indiana Sports Corp event.

Prior to her time at Indiana Sports Corp, Martinez served in roles at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Super Bowl LV and LVI, and overseas as an Event Operations Assistant at Tough Mudder Scotland.

A 2018 graduate of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Martinez earned her degree in Tourism, Conventions, and Event Management and achieved a Kelley School of Business certificate.

Lisa Wright-Minter joined the Indiana Sports Corp staff in May of 1984. She currently serves as the Executive Assistant to the President. Her duties include administrative and clerical needs for the president, office management responsibilities,  and receptionist duties. In addition, she is the staff liaison to the Indiana Sports Corp Executive Committee and Board of Directors.

Wright-Minter started with Indiana Sports Corp as the organization’s receptionist and was later promoted to Administrative Assistant before assuming her current position of Executive Assistant to the President.

While working full-time for the Indiana Sports Corp, Lisa also runs her own business, LM Notary Service LLC.

Wright-Minter attended IUPUI and graduated from Pontiac Business Institute.

Luke Smock joined the Indiana Sports Corp staff in May of 2023 as Financial Operations Coordinator. In his role, Luke provides support to both the Finance and Events departments on various accounting, reconciliation, and ticketing processes and projects.

Prior to joining the ISC staff full-time, Smock interned in the Indiana University Athletic Department as a finance intern, assisting in the budgeting process for all 24 varsity sports and the day-to-day financial operations of the department. Smock also served as an intern for IU Sports Properties for two years where he aided in event operations for all IU home football and basketball games. During the summer of 2021, Smock was a finance intern for Indiana Sports Corporation and helped manage the finances of the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and the 2022 College Football Playoff.

Smock graduated from Indiana University in 2023 with a degree in Finance and Business Analytics with a minor in Spanish.

Lynn Burger has been with Indiana Sports Corp since 1989. Currently serving as the Director of Financial Services, her duties include overseeing the accounting functions for all Indiana Sports Corp events and projects, as well as performing payroll and HR functions. In her years at Indiana Sports Corp, she has provided accounting services for events such as the 2012 Super Bowl, 2001 World Police and Fire Games, 2002 World Basketball Championship, 2004 World Swimming Championships, the Circle City Classic, Hoosier State Games, and Youthlinks Indiana, among many others.

Burger is a graduate of Indiana University with a B.S. in Business. She also performs improvisational comedy with ComedySportz Indianapolis.

Madison Smeathers joined Indiana Sports Corp in April of 2023 as a Business Development Manager. In her role, Smeathers assists with managing the fulfillment of corporate partnerships connected to Indiana Sports Corp events as well as the Corporate Membership Program.

Before her time with Indiana Sports Corp, Smeathers served as the Sponsorship Service Manager with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, minor league baseball affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. In this role, Smeathers managed the execution and service of all sponsorship accounts.

Smeathers graduated from The Ohio State University in 2019 with a degree in Strategic Communications and received her master’s degree in Sports Management from California State University Long Beach in 2021. At Ohio State Smeathers was a team captain on the volleyball team where she earned Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar awards. Smeathers finished her athletic career while pursuing her master’s degree, playing Division I beach volleyball at California State University Long Beach.

Melissa Thompson is the Vice President of Bids and External Affairs at Indiana Sports Corp and is responsible for board affairs, community initiatives, event bids, strategic planning for Team Indiana, in addition to handling government relations. 

A native of Indianapolis, Thompson’s roots and networks run deep in the city. Previously a Project Manager at Hathaway Strategies, Thompson offered extensive experience in event and logistics planning as well as public space management. Prior to joining Hathaway Strategies, Thompson served as the first-ever venue manager for Georgia Street, one of downtown Indianapolis’ premier outdoor event spaces. She handled day-to-day operations and maintenance of the venue as well as event coordination and planning.

Before that, Thompson occupied various roles for the City of Indianapolis. Beginning in 1999, she served in the Marion County Auditor’s Office and the Prosecutor’s Office before becoming clerk of the City County Council from 2008-2011.

Thompson serves on the board of Sports ETA, the Indy Public Safety Foundation, and Playworks Indiana.

Mikela Earley joined Indiana Sports Corp's staff in September, 2016 as Events Manager and has served as Director, Events since January 2020. In her role, Earley focuses on relationships with event owners and stakeholders, including the Big Ten Conference and NCAA, to plan the operations and logistics to execute Championship events. Earley also serves as oversight for event ticketing in conjunction with event partners and the point of contact for hotels on behalf of all events.  

Previous to joining Indiana Sports Corp, Earley served in several positions at USA Diving where most recently, she worked as the National Events Manager, overseeing over 20 annual regional, zone and national-level events including two Olympic Trials (2012 and 2016).  

Earley graduated in December, 2010 from Indiana University with a degree in Sports Communication and proudly serves on the Board of Directors for the Central Indiana Chapter of the IU Alumni Association.  

Molly Wright joined the Indiana Sports Corp staff in May, 2011. She was promoted to her current position of Senior Director of Youth Programming in December of 2014. Her responsibilities include overseeing and administrating all existing Indiana Sports Corp youth programs, as well as developing new initiatives with a focus on fitness and health. 

Prior to joining Indiana Sports Corp, Wright was the Business Director of Velocity Sports Performance in Carmel, Ind. She took a key role in establishing initiatives targeted toward youth participation including the implementation of events to increase the opportunity for youth to participate in sports. 

Wright was also the Director of Marketing of the Marshall Faulk Foundation. Wright’s service to the central Indiana community included being a volunteer at Indiana Sports Corp events for the better part of a decade. She began serving on the Indiana Sports Corp President’s Council in 2008. 

Wright holds a B.S. in Marketing from Butler University.  She also volunteers with Westfield Youth Sports on their Board of Directors and the Westfield Intermediate and Middle School PTO. 

Rachel Frank joined the Indiana Sports Corp staff in November 2021 as Business Development Manager and now serves as Manager of Statewide Initiatives and External Affairs. Frank manages Team Indiana and helps to execute the statewide impact of the Indiana Sports Corp mission.

Frank spent the last four years at NASCAR where she most recently worked as a Senior Coordinator of Event Operation and Experience. In this role, Rachel worked to fulfill programming for 11 major racing events per year, and additionally managed national corporate partner relationships. 

A 2017 graduate of Indiana University, Frank acquired her Bachelor of Science in Sports Marketing and Management with a Minor in Marketing. 

Sam Elmore joined Indiana Sports Corp in September, 2018 as Business Development Manager. In this role, Elmore will focus on patron and membership revenue, as well as event sponsorships and ticket-package selling. He will also help with sponsorship fulfillment and engagement.

Elmore spent the past nine years with Pacers Sports and Entertainment serving in various roles. He spent seven of those years as the Group & Events Specialist, working to generate group revenue for the Pacers and Fever. Elmore recently finished a year in his newest role with Pacers Sports and Entertainment as Senior Group & Events Specialist.

Elmore graduated from the University of Indianapolis with a degree in Sports Management.

Sam Reel joined the Indiana Sports Corp staff in June of 2022 as Communications Coordinator. In his role, Reel implements a majority of Indiana Sports Corp’s email communications including promotions, newsletters, volunteer updates, youth outreach, and statewide initiatives. Reel also works with the Director of Public Relations to develop and implement organization-wide communications strategies.

Prior to joining the ISC staff full-time, Sam interned in Butler University’s Sports Information Department, assisting in the coverage of multiple sports, including Men’s Basketball on game days. Reel also served as an intern for Visit Indy and Indiana Sports Corp, where he assisted in communications and media relations for both organizations.

A 2022 graduate of Butler University, Reel earned his degree in Sports Media with a minor in Strategic Communication.

Tracy Grady joined Indiana Sports Corp in February of 2007 as the Manager of Financial Services. In this role, Tracy helped manage the books for the 2012 Super Bowl, and the 2022 College Football Playoff. Tracy is responsible for processing payables and the day-to-day financial operations for Indiana Sports Corp, Team Indiana, and Indy Champs Fund. 

Prior to joining Indiana Sports Corp, Tracy worked for Methodist Hospital spending 13 years in pharmacy and 8 years in accounts payable. Tracy also teaches medical terminology, dosage calculations, Pharmacology, Nutrition, and Health and Wellness at Ivy Tech Community College. In addition, she has completed all the course work towards her Doctoral Degree in Management and Organizational Leadership and is currently working on completing her dissertation. 

She earned her BA and MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University. 

Trevor Fox joined Indiana Sports Corp’s staff in June, 2021 as an Events Coordinator and has served as an Events Manager since November 2022. In his role, Fox manages several Indiana Sports Corp Events as well as assists with the planning and coordination of other events. Fox serves as the event director for the Indy Classic and Corporate Challenge along with yearly NCAA events. Fox also has specific duties for Big Ten events, NCAA Championships, Indiana Sports Corp-owned events, and other special event projects.

Prior to his time with Indiana Sports Corp, Fox served as an Events Manager at the University of Missouri. In this role he managed games for various sports including, men’s basketball, baseball, and men’s and women's golf. Fox has assisted in some of the biggest events in college athletics including NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championships and the College Football Playoff. 

Fox graduated from Indiana University, Bloomington in 2018 with a degree in Sport Management & Marketing and minors in Business and Marketing.