Hailing from the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection, Ricki Dean has always had a passion for sports. After graduating from Central High School of Philadelphia as a proud member of the 266th graduating class, Ricki took her talents and passion to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she double-majored in Exercise and Sport Science: Sport Administration and Sociology, with a minor in Spanish in the Professions. It was here, at UNC, where she first discovered she could combine her love of sports with marketing, management and entrepreneurship. As a manager for the women's basketball team, Ricki honed the business savvy required to succeed in the sports industry.

Upon graduation from UNC in 2011, Ricki decided to further her education at Georgetown University by earning her Masters of Professional Studies in Sport Industry Management in 2012. While studying at Georgetown, she held internships at both the NFLPA and the Washington Wizards. She then went on to work in League Operations with Premier League Basketball, a start-up league in the United Kingdom, focusing on marketing partnerships. These experiences, coupled with her time as a manager at UNC, laid a solid foundation for her career and led her to pursue a career in sports management and marketing.

Ricki began at the NBPA, the Union for active NBA players, as an Executive Assistant, supporting Executive Director, Michele Roberts and EVP, Strategy and Development, Chrysa Chin. After only six months in this role, Ricki proved she was ready for more responsibility and was promoted to Associate Manager, Strategy & Development. She is putting to use her experience in marketing and strategy on numerous upcoming projects for the union, two in particular, that she is spearheading.

Great things are to come from Ricki and she is eager to take the sports world by storm!

Connect with Ricki:

email: Ricki.dean@nbpa.com

Connect with Angie:

Facebook: Angie R Lewis

Twitter & IG: Angie_R_Lewis

Email: info@globalathletemedia.com

A pioneer and trailblazer Khalia Collier, is the owner & general manager of St. Louis’ own women’s professional basketball team, the St. Louis Surge. Khalia has taken on the challenge of building the first sustainable women’s franchise in St. Louis. Her team is going into its fifth season; finishing as National Champions in 2014 and second in the nation this past season. Khalia Collier is a recent recipient of 30 under 30, Glamor Missouri Woman of the year awardee and as a prestigious Jack Buck Awardee for her community impact.

Through this journey, she has maximized corporate and organizational relationships, developed supporter and donor programs, as well as positioned the organization for eminent growth.

A St. Louis native with a deep commitment to the city, Collier is an entrepreneur dedicated to her franchise. She is a strong believer that St. Louis can support a women’s franchise, and is working hard to see her vision through. Delving into sports management, she has taken on the task of re-branding the face of women’s athletics through the St. Louis Surge. Collier has developed a strategic business model partnering with prominent executives, corporations and non-profits to build the Surge brand and develop new initiatives, while encompassing the community. Instilling the notion that all Surge players are leaders and mentors in the community, Collier has personally represented the Surge organization through her personal community service work and by giving back to youth and providing a platform for women’s athletics.

With a history in basketball, Collier began playing at the age of five and continued into her high school and collegiate career. Collier was a Division I recruit in high school and later attended Columbia College in Columbia, Missouri where she was a shooting guard for two years. She finished her basketball career at Missouri Baptist University. Collier obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Missouri Baptist University and currently works for the St. Louis Surge full-time as St. Louis Surge Owner and General Manager.

Collier values leadership, hard work, education, excellence and sportsmanship, all reasons she believes the Surge will succeed as both an organization and a professional team. When asked why she took over ownership of the St. Louis Surge, Collier stated, “Now is the time for St. Louis to build the platform and lead the evolution of women’s sports through creative, innovative, and strategic processes.”