Three dynamic, female graduates of the College of Coastal Georgia—Lindsey Licitra, Lauren Stillman, and Kelly Buker—are making their mark in the world of sports marketing and entertainment. After excelling in their academic pursuits at the College, they transitioned into the professional arena, bringing their skills, knowledge, excitement, and ideas to the industry and their respective organizations. These young professionals are not only breaking barriers, but are also setting the example for future generations of men and women in sports marketing.
During their time at the College, they all took Professor Scott Williamson’s Sports Marketing course. Williamson is a professor of practice in marketing and communications. The three women are doing what Williamson described as the ideal situation for any professor, which is to see former students take what they’ve learned, and go out and live it.
Kelly Buker, Class of 2023
Buker is originally from Miami, but was raised in Cooper City, located outside of Fort Lauderdale, in Florida. While earning her bachelor’s in marketing at the College, she was a Mariner golfer, and now has a career involving the game she loves. Buker is currently the account executive in corporate merchandise sales for Legends Global Merchandise, in their golf and tennis department. Her department is the liaison between Partner/Corporate Hospitality Clients and vendors.
“Partners and Corporate Hospitality Clients are companies that purchase a chalet/skybox at an event we are a partner with. This might be a one-time tournament, or they have a multi-year contract with the PGA of America,” Buker said. “Even more narrowly, my team is responsible for providing white glove service of dual-logo corporate merchandise for them.”
After graduating from the College, Buker furthered her education at the University of Georgia. She graduated this past summer with a Master of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication with a concentration in public relations. Her main advice for students who may want a similar career is to network.
“Network, network, network! I graduated with a 3.8 in both my programs, and had a lot of extra-curricular activities and jobs outside of it, but the job hunt is no joke. At UGA, our convocation speaker, who could be compared as an equivalent of the valedictorian for the class, applied to 90 jobs and heard back from five. Those were not all a yes! Ninety percent of the recent grads I know have their job because they had some sort of connection to the company,” she said. “The job market is tough, but you have to treat it like a marathon, not a race. So, start early, even before you graduate. Working professionals are never opposed to helping someone gain industry insight. So, reach out to anyone you think could be helpful.”
In fact, Buker’s job came about through networking. A past supervisor/mentor had a connection with her now-supervisor, and knew Buker was on the job hunt. At that time, the supervisor was looking for someone to add to the team, and Buker was a great fit.
Buker now works remotely, beginning her day at 8 a.m., and by mid-morning, she checks in with her supervisor. Her schedule varies from day-to-day, but mostly consists of virtual meetings and answering emails. Legends has 40,000 employees across the globe that her department is constantly in communication with.
“If I’m traveling for work, it is never the same schedule. The most consistent thing I could describe would be that meetings make up the majority of the time. Next year, I will be traveling 22 weeks out of the year,” Buker said. “This will consist of being on-site at championships we work, as well as private showroom meetings with our clients in New York City and Charlotte.”
This past year, Buker mostly travelled to events put together by the host company of the tournament, and met with partners and clients. The locations of golf tournaments change every year, so it’s never the same.
When asked what is something she learned during her time at Coastal that has been useful in her current career, Buker said learning Microsoft Excel. She used the program a lot during undergrad and grad school, saying, “In corporate America, that is the bible for staying organized.”
Prior to starting her full-time job, she got a feel of as many areas of the business behind the golf industry as possible.
“It not only helped build my resume, but I gathered so much perspective on what I want to do as a whole,” she said. “You don’t have to know what you want to do for the next 40 years, but branching out definitely helps narrow it down!”
Buker sees herself continuing to work in the field that she loves, especially since the golf industry is a small world with many different aspects. She sees herself staying with the same company or transitioning into another role handling tournament operations, player relations, or sponsorship marketing.
Lindsey Licitra, Class of 2022
Licitra earned a bachelor’s in interdisciplinary studies, with a concentration in communication. She only took one marketing class, and that was Williamson’s course. It was enough to open her eyes to a career in sports. She recently came back to Coastal to visit Williamson’s current sports marketing class, and shared her experiences about her role as the ticket operations coordinator for the Savannah Bananas baseball team. Decked out in her yellow Savannah Bananas polo, Licitra talked about her journey to working with the exciting organization.
Licitra is originally from Peachtree City, near Atlanta, and moved to the Brunswick, St. Simons Island area during her time at the College. Licitra was offered a full-time position with the Savannah Bananas as the tickets operations coordinator this summer, and has since moved to Savannah. She described working for the team as a circus.
“I love baseball, but sometimes it’s boring,” she said. “But the second you walk into that gate, to the second that you leave, you are entertained.”
The Savannah Bananas are a professional baseball team that plays Banana Ball, a fast-paced and entertaining version of the game. They are known for their dances, choreographed routines, costumes, music, and fan-first principles. They play in the Historic Grayson Stadium, often referred to as Bananaland. The team has gone viral several times for their fun antics.
“I have always loved sports and I grew up in a sports family. My dad took me to Braves games growing up. I always wanted to do something with sports, but truthfully, I was nervous that I wouldn’t be good enough for it,” she said. “I played the long game and stood back and said, ‘It’ll come to me eventually.’”
Licitra worked for the College’s Recreation and Wellness department for a time, then after graduation, she was a property manager. In 2021, Licitra didn’t know who the Savannah Bananas were until she started to follow one of the players on social media who signed with the team. She was invited to her first Bananas games in 2022 and was immediately enraptured as she watched players dance and pitch on stilts. After some much-needed encouragement from her then-roommate, Licitra decided to apply for an internship with the organization. For the interview process, she did a fun video at the beach to showcase her personality and how she fit into the company’s culture. Because of the culture of the Savannah Bananas, Licitra felt comfortable being her fun, goofy self, which made her stand out amongst other applicants. She applied for the fall internship in June 2023, and was one of eight people accepted to start in August 2023. Licitra worked for the group sales department during her internship. She commuted from St. Simons to Savannah daily during the internship, which she believes made her stand out to people in the organization. Licitra also proved to herself that she indeed did have what it takes to work in this type of industry. Her efforts paid off.
Now as the tickets operations coordinator, she designates who’s awarded tickets from the lottery ticket system. Her workday often consists of traveling, lifting and moving things in the Grayson stadium, eating lunch with the players, scanning fans into the stadium, managing the people who scan tickets, serving fans, working long hours, and always being what the organization calls “on-stage,” where one is ready for whatever the day may bring.
“You never know who’s going to be in the office—from Jesse Cole (the owner) to 60 Minutes,” she said. “One time I walked in at 9 a.m. and two massive cameras from 60 Minutes were right there.”
Licitra talked with students about the organization’s fan-first principles, their support for inclusivity with employees and fans, and how open the company is to new ideas.
Her long-term goal is to work for the Braves.
“I would love to work for the Braves, but I love working for the Bananas as long as they want me,” she said.
Lauren Stillman, Class of 2021
Stillman also talked with Williamson’s class, but via Zoom. Stillman is the stadium event operations coordinator for the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, and works with all its affiliates. Hard Rock Stadium hosts many events such as NFL games, collegiate games, concerts, a private racing club called Precision Club, and meetings. Her journey in sports marketing started with earning a bachelor’s in marketing at Coastal Georgia.
“I got my marketing degree at Coastal. I was there for three years playing volleyball, and had quite a few great internships, including one with NASCAR,” Stillman said. “Coastal gave me such a great experience. I think one thing you all should take advantage of is the fact that you have so much access to your professors. I was always talking to Scott outside of class, just to talk his ear off. He’s a great reference and knows so many people. I would really take advantage of your professors knowing your name.”
After graduating from Coastal, Stillman coached club volleyball and interned for leadership development programs, where she was able to network and meet many great people, including CEO—one of which helped her get her current job. Stillman went on to further her education in graduate school, earning both a Master of Business Administration and Master of Science in Sport and Entertainment Management from the Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management Program at the University of South Florida Muma College of Business. Graduate school gave Stillman awesome opportunities to explore what she could do with sports marketing. She went on an international trip where she was able to work on projects and present to Arsenal in London, visited the site of Wimbledon, and travelled to Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Stillman also did projects for the Savannah Bananas, the Tampa Bay Sun (the first women’s professional soccer league in Tampa), and travelled to New York to network and speak with Creative Artist Agency.
“Something that I learned through grad school that I think is important to know is how important networking is. Networking is something that goes over everyone’s head, but you never know who you’re going to meet today,” Stillman said.
In October, the Hard Rock Stadium hosted Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. Stillman worked the event and had the opportunity to meet Swift’s father, who also happens to know Williamson. Stillman shared how she mentioned this to Swift’s father, who remembered Williamson fondly.
Many NFL stadiums only host football games and concerts, but Hard Rock Stadium seems to do it all—which means Stillman does it all. Her duties as operations coordinator involve booking all of the spaces in the stadium for events, making sure everything is ready to go, managing employees, and a lot more. During the time of her presentation to students, Stillman pointed out that employees were currently doing sod installment.
“They basically took out Taylor Swift’s stage yesterday, and tore up the flooring. Now they are putting fresh sod on the field because, this weekend, we have the Florida State vs. Miami game, then a Dolphins game at 1 p.m. Essentially, you have to love what you do if you work in sports,” she said. “The hours are very hard, the pay is difficult, but when you love it so much, you get to see so many great things. I think working at Hard Rock Stadium is amazing because of everything we do.”
Stillman talked about the many “pinch me” moments she’s had, which include working while the entire F1 track around the stadium is in use, leveling out tons of sand for AVP Beach Volleyball games, walking across the football field, and meeting celebrities.
Her main advice for students is to take advantage of networking opportunities and stay connected with people through platforms like LinkedIn. Through her connections from graduate school, she now has friends and contacts working in the sports industry all over the nation, in places like Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New Orleans.
“Keeping that connection with someone is important. You want them to know that if they ever come to you for something, you would do the same that they would do for you,” she said. “I think networking is so important. That’s why I went to grad school—to expand my network. I think it’s been so good for me in my professional career.”
Networking has also created a community of support for Stillman. If she needs help or advice, she can reach out to her friends at other stadiums, managers, and directors.
“I’m talking to my friend who works at the New Orleans stadium who’s going to get Taylor Swift there next week. That is why you network and let them know what went smooth and what could’ve worked better,” she said.
Her time working for leadership development programs not only helped her network, but also gave her the confidence to know that she was capable of hosting large events, and interacting with CEOs and important decision-makers.
“The person who really pushed my resume for this job up to the front is someone I met in a leadership development program. I put on an event for him and it kind of went poorly in the beginning, but I was able to pick up the pieces and create a solution as soon as possible. He remembered that off the top of his head when I mentioned that I was applying for a job at his organization. He pushed my resume through and told my now-boss that story,” Stillman said. “Even if you’re not doing an event with CEOs, people are looking at you to see what you’re going to do in tough situations.”
When asked what skills are essential to her job, Stillman said being able to communicate clearly, learning how to manage your emotions, and being courteous towards others. She also emphasized the benefits of having a mentor for both career and life advice. Her mentor works for the Olympic Games and is currently in Los Angeles preparing for the 2028 Olympics to be hosted there.
Looking ahead, Stillman hopes to one day be an executive or director.
“It’s hard to move up through the NFL professional levels, but it just takes a lot of grit,” she said. “I think you have to step up where you’re needed and show the initiative that you can get the job done.”
Buker, Licitra, and Stillman are doing just that—showing that they have more than what it takes to get the job done. They are just getting started in what will be very promising careers, and are excited about what the future holds. As they continue to excel and lead in their positions, their contributions will not only enrich the sports world, but also guide others to do the same.