The NASC Team
Please note: Our phone extensions have recently changed to what is listed below!
Don Schumacher, CSEE
Executive Director
(513) 281-3888 x1
Don Schumacher, CSEE has 50 years of experience in the fields of communications, family entertainment, theme park marketing and operations, arena and stadium marketing and operations, event management, sports marketing and facilities consultation. For the past 30 years he has focused his activities on the sports event travel market, and has consulted with more than fifty cities on strategies to increase their share of this market.
Don is the full-time Executive Director of the National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC), an organization he helped found in 1992 and which now has more than 500 members nationwide. He has earned the distinction of Certified Sports Event Executive (CSEE) from the NASC.
He recently completed a four year term on the board of directors of the U.S. Travel Association (U.S. Travel).
He has served as an adjunct professor in Xavier University’s graduate program in sports administration, teaching courses in sports marketing and event planning and management. He is currently involved as an advisor to an undergraduate program in sports marketing for Northern Kentucky University. In addition, he team teaches an elective course on sports destination marketing and management in the Destination Management Association International (DMAI) Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) Program.
Mr. Schumacher’s experience includes the following:
- Hanna Barbera Productions, Account Executive
- Hanna Barbera Enterprises, Director of Latin American and Far Eastern Operations
- Taft Theme Park Group, Director of Sponsorships and Promotions
- College Football Hall of Fame and Galbreath Field, General Manager
- Cincinnati Riverfront Coliseum (now U.S. Bank Arena), President – Developed the 1987 World Figure Skating Championships and the 1987 NCAA Midwest Region Championships, along with dozens and dozens of family shows, concerts, and many other sporting events.
- Riber Sports Marketing, Vice President – Created the Greater Cincinnati Sports and Events Commission, worked with the LPGA Championship, Kroger Senior Classic, World Cup of Golf, Cincinnati Cyclones Hockey Club and developed promotions for various Procter & Gamble brands.
- Don Schumacher & Associates, Inc., President. Founded and managed the firm from its inception.
For nine years, he served as the Executive Director of the Greater Cincinnati Sports and Events Commission. During those years, Mr. Schumacher brought a number of high profile events to Cincinnati including the 1991 U.S. Gymnastics National Championships, 1992 NCAA Southwest Region first and second round games, 1992 Diet Coke Skaters’ Championships, 1994 AT&T Skates of Gold, 1996 NCAA Hockey Championships, 1997 Women’s Final Four, and the 1998 Conference USA Basketball Tournament.
Don Schumacher is a nationally recognized speaker and consultant on the sports travel industry. He has made many presentations for groups as varied as the International Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus, National Recreation and Parks Association, United States Olympic Committee, the Association of Luxury Suite Directors, the Travel, Events, Management in Sports (TEAMS) conference, the World Congress of Sports, and SportAccord, an international conference on sports business.
Don has been invited to speak on the industry in international destinations including Madrid, Lausanne, Beijing, Athens, Dubai, and Cape Town. He has also been a featured speaker at more than a dozen state governors’ conferences on tourism, most recently for the Missouri Governor’s Conference on Tourism in October 2010.
In addition, Schumacher is continually consulted on industry questions relating to bidding procedures, economic impact of events, and issues of concern to the future of the industry. He has served the arena and stadium industry as a facilities manager, event promoter, and event bidder, owner, and developer. He understands why event owners decide which cities and facilities are suitable for their needs, and how cities can find these events. Don is quoted regularly in industry publications and daily newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, TEAMS magazine, Sports Events magazine, Sports Business Journal, and Athletic Business magazine.
In July 2008 Don was named one of the “25 Influential People You Should Know” by Sports Events magazine.
Contact Don for questions regarding: Consulting, industry research and reports, and quotes for media.
Lori Gamble
Associate Executive Director
(513) 281-3888 x2
Lori Gamble is the Assistant Executive Director of the NASC, and is responsible for developing, managing and executing the annual operating budget. As General Manager of Don Schumacher & Associates, Inc. (DSA) since 1992, Gamble has been instrumental in the growth of the association over the past 15 years. Her experience at DSA since graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Communications and Media Relations from Miami University include advertising, media and public relations, event creation and management, sponsor sales and service, facility consulting project coordination, and much more. With the transition to being a fully functioning, independent corporation, Gamble now serves as an independent contractor to the NASC.
Contact Lori for questions regarding: Annual budget, the strategic plan, and association management.
Beth Hecquet, CMP, CMM
Director of Meetings & Events
(513) 281-3888 x3
Beth Hecquet, CMP, CMM, has been with the National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC) since January 2002. As the Director of Meetings and Events, Beth is responsible for managing and administering the annual NASC Sports Event Symposium, Certified Sports Event Executive program, NASC Member Awards program and the NASC Market Segment Meetings. Beth is also the staff liason for the meetings and professional development review committees. Prior to her time with the NASC, Beth was with the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) –one of the leading amateur sports organizations– as a Sport Manager. At the AAU she was responsible for the management of seven sports as well as event management at the annual AAU Junior Olympic Games. Beth also spent some time with the Indiana Sports Corporation (ISC) as an Event Operations Intern from January 2000 – August 2000. While at ISC Beth was involved in the 2000 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Championship, 2000 NCAA Men’s Final Four and the 2000 US Olympic Trials – Swimming. Beth earned her Master’s Degree in Sports Management from the University of Kentucky in December 1999 and was a four-year letter winner and Academic All-American for the UK Women’s Gymnastics Team.
Contact Beth for questions regarding: NASC Sports Event Symposium (including registration and sponsorship), Market Segment Meetings, Regional Workshops, and CSEE.
Elizabeth Chaney
Director of Membership & Marketing
(513) 281-3888 x4
Elizabeth Chaney joined the National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC) staff in October 2007 as the Director of Member Services and currently serves as the Director of Membership and Marketing. Since joining the NASC staff, membership has increased by 26% while annual membership renewals have reached 90% annually.
Elizabeth manages the fulfillment of all member services and benefits, leads in the recruitment of new members and the renewal process of current members, plans and implements all association marketing campaigns and branding initiatives, manages association publications and communications, oversees association's advertising opportunities and relationship with MultiView (third party sales team), develops and manages content for the NASC website, SportsCommissions.org, manages the annual NASC Member Awards program and oversees the annual fundraising for the NASC Sports Legacy Fund.
Before joining the NASC, Elizabeth was an Account Executive for Pacers Sports and Entertainment (PS&E). At PS&E, she was responsible for generating season ticket sales and group sales for the Indiana Pacers (NBA) and the Indiana Fever (WNBA).
Prior to her time at PS&E, Elizabeth spent three and a half years as a Marketing Associate in the Department of Athletics at The Ohio State University where she oversaw marketing plans for several varsity sports including: men’s hockey, softball, women’s soccer, and wrestling. During her tenure, the women’s soccer program led the Big Ten Conference in average attendance for home matches for two consecutive seasons (2005 and 2006). Chaney was also a two-time member of the Big Ten Marketing Staff of the Year (2005-2006 and 2006-2007).
Also during her time in Columbus, she developed event marketing plans for the 2006 Duck 'N Dodge dodgeball tournament and the 2007 International Diving Invitational on behalf of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission.
Elizabeth has served as a part-time faculty member at Northern Kentucky University in the Department of Economics, Marketing, and Sport Business in the Haile/ US Bank College of Business where she taught sport tourism marketing and sports promotion tools. In September 2010, the Greater Cincinnati Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation recognized her as one of Greater Cincinnati's Finest Young Professionals.
Elizabeth earned a BS in Business Administration with a minor in Spanish in June 2005 and a MA in Sport & Exercise Management in June 2007, both from The Ohio State University.
Contact Elizabeth for questions regarding: Any member services, programs, or benefits, including: your organization's online account, online resources (research and reports, economic impact calculator, directories, databases, webinar archives, online video library), webinars, surveys, PartnerShip®, or Members Awards program, membership renewals or new membership inquiries, advertising opportunities, and the Sports Legacy Fund.