Gerry Cardinale is the Founder, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of RedBird Capital Partners.  

RedBird is one of the world’s most prolific and successful investors in sports, media and entertainment, managing over $10 billion of equity capital on behalf of a select group of blue-chip institutional and family office investors.  The Firm’s legacy and current investment portfolio includes many of the world’s most iconic entrepreneurs, properties and brands across the sports, media and entertainment industries. 

Investments include European football’s AC Milan; Everpass Media; Fenway Sports Group; the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network; Skydance Media; Artists Equity; The Springhill Company; the United Football League; the Indian Premier League’s Rajasthan Royals; and Formula One’s Alpine Racing team.  Since the Firm’s inception, RedBird has also been an active investor and company builder in Financial Services. 

Prior to founding RedBird in 2014, Gerry spent 20 years at Goldman Sachs where he was a Partner of the firm and a senior leader of the Merchant Bank’s private equity investing business, working with entrepreneurs and family business owners to build successful multi-billion-dollar companies, including the founding of the YES Network, Legends Hospitality, and Suddenlink Communications. 

Gerry received an Honors BA from Harvard University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and an M.Phil in Politics and Political Theory from Oxford University where he was a Rhodes Scholar.

Amy Howe serves as the CEO of FanDuel Group, a leading mobile sports gaming company under Flutter Entertainment. Since taking over, she has led FanDuel through significant growth, achieving industry leadership in mobile sports betting and becoming the first U.S. mobile operator to deliver full-year profitability. Under her leadership, FanDuel has expanded its market share to over 50% in sports betting and gained prominence in iGaming, while also launching FanDuel TV and securing partnerships with major leagues like the NFL and MLB. The company now holds the top position in 16 of 21 states it operates in, with successful launches in states like New York and Massachusetts.

Howe’s efforts in promoting diversity and inclusion have been integral to FanDuel's success. She has spearheaded the company’s Women’s Leadership Development Program and invested in employee resource groups for diverse communities. Recognized for her leadership, Howe was named Sports Business Journal’s Executive of the Year in 2023 and won several other industry awards. Prior to FanDuel, she was COO of Ticketmaster, where she led a digital transformation that doubled the company's growth. Howe holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University.

Casey is the Chairman and CEO of Wasserman, a global business at the forefront of sports, music, and entertainment. With its headquarters in Los Angeles, Wasserman operates across 28 countries and more than 68 cities, representing top talent, brands, and properties worldwide. Casey also serves as President and Chairperson of LA28, leading the efforts to bring the Olympic and Paralympic Games back to the United States
for the first time in over three decades. In addition, Casey is the President and CEO of the Wasserman Foundation, a private family foundation focused on advancing education, arts and culture, health, service, and
global initiatives.

A 29-year veteran of ESPN, Burke Magnus currently serves President, Content at ESPN. He oversees studio shows, live events, newsgathering, investigative journalism, original content, and ESPN's digital, social media, and audio platforms. Magnus has played a pivotal role in shaping some of The Walt Disney Company sports segment's most influential content, including partnerships with the industry’s top leagues and college conferences. His leadership was also instrumental in the launch of ESPN+, a key component of Disney's direct-to-consumer strategy.

Before being promoted to President of Content, Magnus held various leadership roles at ESPN, including President of Programming and Original Content. In these roles, he oversaw the acquisition of programming rights and the development of original content, including ESPN’s 10-year exclusive rights agreement with the SEC. Magnus also served as vice president and general manager of ESPNU, where he was responsible for the growth of the college sports network. He holds a bachelor's degree from Holy Cross and a master’s in sport management from the University of Massachusetts.

Michael Levine is a member of the CAA Board and Co-Head of CAA Sports at Creative Artists Agency (CAA).  In the 18 years since its inception, CAA Sports has become a market leader in the areas of athlete representation, property sales, brand consulting, and media advisory.

Under Levine’s guidance, CAA Sports has negotiated some of the industry’s most groundbreaking deals and partnerships. For nine consecutive years, CAA Sports, which represents over 3,000 of the world's best athletes, has topped Forbes’ Most Valuable Sports Agencies list, with $14.1 billion in active contract value under management and nearly $4 billion in client marketing revenues.  

In 2006, 2007, and 2008, Levine was recognized by The Sports Business Journal as one of the top 40 sports executives nationwide under the age of 40. He was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2008 and has since made 14 appearances on the publication’s annual listing of the 50 Most Influential People in the Sports Business. Levine earned the Honoree of Year Award from UJA-Federation of New York’s Sports for Youth in 2013, and in 2023, was honored by the Reeve Foundation, and was the recipient of the Leadership Award at The March of Dimes Luncheon.  

Charlie Hussey has been a full-time member of the Southeastern
Conference staff since 2000. A 1999 graduate of Ole Miss (B.B.A.) and 2003
graduate of the University of Alabama-Birmingham (M.B.A.), Hussey
currently serves as the league's Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating
Officer. In his present position, Hussey serves as the liaison to the SEC Athletics Directors and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the SEC Office. He oversees the Conference’s media agreements with ESPN and the SEC Network, where he is responsible for matters related to broadcast and sponsorship.

Hussey grew up in Oxford, MS. He joined the SEC as an Administrative
Assistant for Championship Ticket Operations in 2000. Prior to assuming his current position, he served as the Associate Commissioner for Network
Relations where he oversaw the implementation of the SEC Network which launched in August 2014. Hussey is married to the former Lindsay Rebecca King of Atlanta, GA and they have three children, Olivia (17), Charles (15) and Maddie (13).

Chris Del Conte serves as the Vice President and Athletics Director at The University of Texas (UT), a role he has held since 2017. With over 31 years of experience in collegiate athletics, including previous positions at Texas Christian University (TCU), Rice University, and other institutions, Del Conte is widely recognized for his expertise in managing athletic programs. During his time at UT, he has spearheaded significant projects, such as the renovation of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and the construction of the Moody Center. His leadership has elevated UT’s sports facilities and enhanced the overall fan experience.

Under Del Conte’s direction, Texas Athletics has achieved unprecedented success, including back-to-back three of the last four Learfield Directors’ Cup titles, recognizing UT as the top all-around sports program in the nation. His emphasis on both athletic and academic excellence has contributed to numerous NCAA Championships wins, Big 12 Conference titles, and student-athlete achievements to include 16 Olympic medals won by UT athletes in the 2024 Summer Olympics. Del Conte’s legacy includes his efforts to prepare UT for its 2024 transition to the Southeastern Conference (SEC), cementing the program's national prominence in one of the most competitive conferences in the Nation.

J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks, a finalist for the 2023 Sports Business Journal’s Athletic Director of the Year, continues to lead the University of Georgia Athletic Association through historic success.  

Georgia Athletics boasts remarkable accomplishments over the last three years, including a No. 7 final ranking in the 2023 LEARFIELD Directors Cup, a record-setting student-athlete GPA in each of the last two academic campaigns, unparalleled fundraising and over 15 capital projects that have been completed or are in progress. Bulldog athletic teams have won three team national championships and a total of seven SEC crowns, while there have been 15 individual national champions. 

Brooks is a leader in college athletics. He was recently appointed to the NCAA Division I Council, joining commissioner Greg Sankey as the lone SEC representatives.

Television sports veteran Elle Duncan joined ESPN as an anchor for SportsCenter, the network’s signature news and information program, in May of 2016. In addition to her work on SportsCenter, Duncan is a co-host of her semiweekly YouTube show and podcast “The Elle Duncan Show” which focuses on discussing and reacting to the week’s most significant sports and culture headlines. Duncan also serves as the women’s college basketball host for ESPN’s College GameDay and hosts studio coverage throughout the season. Duncan hosted the fan favorite studio coverage during the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. She is also among a rotating group of panelists on ESPN’s afternoon program Around the Horn.

For two years prior to joining ESPN, Duncan was an anchor, host and reporter for the New England Sports Network (NESN) in Boston. Prior to joining NESN in early 2014, the Atlanta native worked in a number of on-air positions in her home city on both television and radio, including as a sports anchor and reporter for WXIA-TV, Atlanta’s NBC-TV affiliate, from 2012-2014. She was a sideline reporter for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks for six years and a field reporter for Comcast Sports South on SEC and ACC football for two years. Duncan started her broadcasting career in 2003 as an entertainment reporter for former Atlanta sports radio station 790 the Zone, then in 2005 began a seven-year career as an on-air personality with Atlanta hip-hop station V103 where she hosted a top-rated program. She expanded her radio work as co-host of pre-game, halftime and post-game shows for the Atlanta Falcons Radio Network in 2010-2011.

Rece Davis, one of the sports industry’s preeminent hosts and a mainstay on ESPN for more than 25 years, is the host of ESPN’s Emmy Award-winning College GameDay Built by The Home Depot. He is also a host for premier college football events including the College Football Playoff National Championship and the NFL Draft on ABC, in addition to select play-by-play assignments for college football and basketball. A regular contributor to SportsCenter and other ESPN shows and platforms, Davis also serves as the host of the College Football Playoff Top 25 Rankings Show. During the basketball season, Davis is the host of College GameDay Covered by State Farm, a role he has occupied since the show debuted in 2005.

He anchors coverage from the annual State Farm Champions Classic and NCAA Men’s Final Four, and he has also served as host of the NBA Draft on ESPN for more than a decade. Davis, a native of Muscle Shoals, Ala., graduated cum laude from the University of Alabama in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts degrees from the school of communications in news and public affairs. Davis was named the University of Alabama School of Communication Broadcast Department’s outstanding alumnus for 2001. In 2019, Davis was inducted into the University of Alabama College of Communication and Information Sciences Hall of Fame.

Kevin Negandhi is an anchor for SportsCenter on ESPN. In 2017, he joined the ESPN on ABC College Football studio team. In addition to being a part of an Emmy nominated SportsCenter, Negandhi has hosted NFL Live, Baseball Tonight, Outside the Lines, College Football Live, NBA Tonight and the women’s NCAA basketball Final Four. Negandhi has also hosted the Special Olympics World Games since 2015. He has been a part of special projects that include co-hosting SportsCenter’s Veterans Day specials and in 2015, he was awarded the Team ESPN Disney Volunteer Commentator of the Year.

Prior to joining ESPN in 2006, Negandhi worked as a sports director at WWSB-TV in Sarasota, FL. While working in Florida, he won three Associated Press awards — “Best Sports Cast” in 2004 and 2005 and “Best Breaking Sports News” in 2005.  Prior to that, he was a sports director for KTVO-TV in Kirksville, Mo. (1998-99).  Negandhi began his career as a college sports stringer at USA Today in 1995. A native of Phoenixville, Pa., he graduated from Temple University in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in communications. He was inducted in Temple’s School of Media and Communications Hall of Fame. Negandhi is the first Indian-American to serve on a national sports network.

Kirk Goldsberry is the NYT best-selling author of Sprawlball, an NBA analyst at ESPN and a professor at the University of Texas. He has previously served as the Vice President of Strategic Research for the San Antonio Spurs, the Senior Analyst for Team USA Basketball, and as a staff writer at Grantland.

Ethan Burris is the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin.  He is also the King Ranch Chair for Business Leadership and has served as a Visiting Scholar at Google and Microsoft. He teaches and consults on topics relating to leadership, people analytics, talent insights, managing power and politics, and building engagement in groups and teams.

Lillian F. Mills is Dean of the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. She is a committed strategic leader, a top policy-relevant tax scholar, and an award-winning educator. Following her BS and MS at the University of Florida, she served Deloitte and PwC from 1981 to 1989. After her PhD at the University of Michigan, Mills served The University of Arizona from 1997 to 2005. She was the 2005 Surrey Fellow in the US Office of Tax Analysis and consulted to the IRS for two decades. She chaired the Accounting Department, ranked #1 by US News for more than 15 years, and served as an Editor for both The Accounting Review and Contemporary Accounting Research. She received the prestigious 2023 Outstanding Accounting Educator Award, Deloitte Wildman Medal, and American Taxation Association 2014 EY Sommerfeld Outstanding Educator Award from the American Accounting Association; McCombs’ Career Research Award; and McCombs’ Undergraduate Amplify Award for Inclusive Classrooms. Lillian and Jim enjoy visiting their children and grandchildren in MI, NJ, OH and Mexico.