Talkin’ Sports, Media, and Entertainment: The 2024 FOW Conference Panelists

Obviously, the LA region didn’t land its third Olympic Games without a well-thought-out plan to accommodate them. That plan was laid out in 2017 in the documentation submitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and, after its acceptance, extended by the organizations tapped for its execution. Leaders from some of those organizations are joining the discussion hosted by the Economic and Workforce Development division of Pasadena City College during its 6th annual Future of Work Conference, which begins at 9 AM (breakfast at 8) on Thursday, October 29th, on the school campus (register here to attend – it’s free).

Many Facets – One Olympic Games Event

This year’s panel of speakers and participants spans the panoply of sporting influences: games, culture, economics, and education.

Our Host and Panelist

Dr. Salvatrice Cummo – Vice President and CEO of the school’s division of Economic and Workforce Development (PCC EWD).

PCC’s EWD is a critical player in the LA region’s economic and workforce development efforts, connecting together the students and schools with the businesses and industries looking for workers. As its leader, Dr. Cummo oversees its many initiatives, each designed to approach and engage with an element (or elements) of a particular effort in the EWD sector. Notable aspects of PCC’s EWD division reflect the many and various avenues that contribute to economic and workforce success, including (but not limited to):

• The Robert G. Freeman Center for Career Completion, which provides learners with guidance and support throughout their time in school;
• The Future of Work Podcast, which introduces listeners to local and regional EWD personalities and possibilities;
• The Los Angeles Regional Consortium (LARC), which is a collaboration of LA County’s 19 community colleges and the nexus between those schools and the workforce development drivers of the region’s businesses and industries;
• The Small Business Development Center (SBDC), which supports the emergence and growth of small and mid-sized businesses, and
• The Women’s Business Center, (WBC) is a newly installed PCC EWD asset and a part of a national network of agencies focused on issues specific to the female business owner. PCC’s is the nation’s only WBC located on a college campus.

The whole of Dr. Cummo’s EWD division provides invaluable support and guidance for all local and regional entities seeking to improve their economic capacities and status.

Our Moderator

Stephen Cheung – President & CEO of the LA Economic Development and the Corporation (LAEDC) and the World Trade Center LA.

Mr. Cheung enthusiastically pursues the LAEDC mission – Reinventing our economy to collaboratively advance growth and prosperity for all – through skillful management of its many teams, including Applied Economics (the research branch), Industry Cluster Development, Strategic Relations, Communications & Marketing, and Public Policy, among them. As a trusted resource for both data and expertise, Cheung’s LAEDC has been instrumental in economic and workforce growth in the region and around the world. He also sits on the boards of the Luskin School of Public Affairs at UCLA, the UCLA Extension, and the LA Workforce Development Board, among others.

Keynote Speakers

Thoughts to Start the Day          Julie Uhrman – Angel City Football Club President

Launching the day is the keynote commentator Julie Uhrman, President and Co-Founder of LA’s Angel City Football Club. When they founded the club in 2020, Ulrman and her business partners (actor and activist Natalie Portman and venture capitalist Kara Nortman) used lessons from the entertainment and tech industries to establish a new business model for women’s sports. Rather than launch and then build its brand, the group generated an impressive international presence for the club throughout its first three years. The effort paid off: while definitely moving the needle in its quest for pay equity in sports, the Club was valued at $250M when it sold in the summer of 2024, making it the world’s most valuable women’s sports team. The new controlling owners? Bob Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company, and Willow Bay, Dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Uhrman will talk about how the team has evolved, the business model that’s supported its rise, and the importance of the emerging generation of female athletes and women’s sports.

Thoughts to Take Away               Jasmine Star – Entrepreneur, Corporate Strategist, Tech Innovator

Jasmine Star built her agency from wedding photographer to social media technology guru to internationally recognized speaker and motivator. Along the way, she honed her creative capacities to meet every demand and request by designing out-of-the-box marketing strategies, building system-driven teams, and helping others to generate world-class businesses and enterprises. Her comments will inspire live and virtual attendees to raise their standards and follow their most ambitious goals.

Panel Discussion

Sports and the business of sports comprise the theme of the day: “Championing Careers: Workforce Development at the Intersection of Sports and Entertainment.”  As a business, every team or sports organization has its  typical corporate activities to maintain, including hiring and managing an effective workforce. Economically, the enterprise generates revenues, engages with community partners, and stimulates tax contributions to local cities and communities. All these activities happen far from the playing field, yet they play a critical role in the sports team’s success. Panelists will discuss insights and lessons learned from their roles within the administration of LA’s most popular sports franchises and venues.

Dominick Correy – Rose Bowl Stadium Director of Community Relations

Pasadena’s Rose Bowl is a world-renowned sporting facility, hosting the annual college football Tournament of Roses Rose Bowl game every New Year’s Day, as well as many other sporting and community events throughout the year, including five Super Bowls. As a former District Representative in California’s State Senate, Correy knows the significance of the Bowl’s prestige around the world – and around the corner. His job is to ensure the stadium maximizes all of its resources for supporting its community and attracting top-of-the-line events. His efforts are effective: the venue was chosen as one of 12 sites for the 2026 FIFA World Cup games.

Liliana T. Perez-Palacios – Sr. Director of Cultural Affairs, Los Angeles Chargers

As her bio reveals, Ms. Perez-Palacios works to align the various social, economic, and cultural sectors in the LA region with commonly sought benefits for both companies and fans. In her five-year term (so far) with the Chargers, she’s already been blazing trails:

• She’s the team’s first Latina and the inaugural Senior Director for Cultural Affairs
• She’s a Mexican-born American who grew up in the Pico-Union community of West LA, and
• In the 1980s, as an intern for Assembly Majority Leader Mike Roos, she played an integral communications role in his quest for immigration reform, being both bilingual and involved in the immigration process herself.

She’ll share her perspective on how her intention to ‘be of service’ was also her superpower, motivating her to become a fearless problem solver for those in need.

Matt Cacciato – President & CEO, Los Angeles Sports Council

Mr. Cacciato has had a colorful career in sports, spending time at ESPN (Sales Director, East & West regions) and Fox Cable Networks (VP Sales, West region) before launching his own education-focused enterprise, AmericanEDtv, in 2011. Over the next decade, his comprehension of sports as an economic driver grew through his work teaching (Department of Sports Administration, Ohio University College of Business) and leading (Director, Masters of Sports Administration – Ohio University; Executive Director, AECOM Center for Sports Administration) the conversations among athletes, sports enterprises, and sports-related businesses across the full spectrum of sporting industries. In January 2024, he was installed as the President and CEO of the LA Sports Council, where he remains focused on its mission:

• to ‘innovate’ new ways of presenting and consuming sports,
• to ‘include’ all community members in its work and outreach, and
• to ‘impact’ the LA region socially, equitably, and economically through expanded engagement in its sports resources.

Dr. Cummo also joins this panel.

The 2028 Olympics will be here soon, and the social, infrastructural, and economic developments in preparation for them will enhance the city’s prestige and livability for decades to come. The panelists at PCC’s Future of Work Conference will help attendees understand better how investments in sports can be the drivers of a thrilling and thriving economy.