By Bill Kauffman ([email protected]) | Jan. 03, 2017, 8:57 a.m. (ET)
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 3, 2017) – USA Volleyball has announced the hiring of sports media, marketing and business executive Jamie Davis as the chief executive officer of the sport’s national governing body, effective immediately.
Davis becomes the seventh CEO of USA Volleyball, and the first to come from outside the existing USA Volleyball lay leadership.
“I am pleased to welcome Jamie Davis to lead USA Volleyball into new areas of business that will strengthen our 40 Regional Volleyball Associations, support the competitive excellence of our national teams, and continue to support our development in all areas of beach, indoor and sitting volleyball in the United States,” USA Volleyball Board of Directors Chair Lori Okimura said. “We are embarking on a period of unlimited potential for USA Volleyball in reshaping the business of our sport and taking full advantage of the resources that Jamie brings to the table that will help us reach the next level.”
“I am thrilled to be joining USA Volleyball and believe the organization is at a very exciting point in its development,” Davis said. “I look forward to working with the board, the United States Olympic Committee, the 40 Regional Volleyball Associations, athletes, coaches, officials and sponsors as well as the international volleyball community to grow the participation and popularity of this sport in America. I am convinced that together we will continue to accelerate the momentum of USA Volleyball and bring the sport to new heights on the world stage.”
Davis’ vast business and media pedigree includes founding his own company, Jomadrew Sports and Entertainment, LLC, as his latest entrepreneur endeavor after leading Fanatics, Inc., the world’s largest online retailer of officially licensed sports merchandise. Earlier in his career, Davis served as president of television network Versus (now rebranded as NBC Sports Network), along with several roles within News Corporation such as president of China and managing director of ESPN STAR Sports. His entry into the television world started with CBS Sports as its finance manager before joining the launch team of Fox Sports and serving as its vice president of finance.
“I am excited to share my background in sports media, e-commerce and technology to provide fresh insights into the USA Volleyball organization,” Davis said. “I look forward to reaching our constituents through new media channels; developing fresh marketing and brand awareness for the organization, the regions and our athletes; creating new sponsorship opportunities; and growing grassroots participation from the ground up with the goal of expanding USA Volleyball’s success in international competition.”
Davis, while not coming from the volleyball world, has been involved in sports media and marketing for a quarter century. He has been a key figure in successfully helping various organizations shift their marketing paradigms to how audiences use media.
“Having worked in sports for over 25 years, I have participated in and watched the industry grow and transform dramatically,” Davis said. “Today, with the pace of change in digital technology, I believe that we have the ability to revolutionize how USA Volleyball interacts with our athletes, regions, sponsors and partners. I am looking forward to working with the staff and teams to insure that USA Volleyball is a major presence in every form of media consumed by our constituents, which in turn will grow the popularity of this great sport.”
Davis stood out among the search process as having the qualities to help USA Volleyball meet and exceed the organization’s short- and long-range goals. The Board of Directors engaged an executive search firm to work alongside its CEO Search Committee which included various representatives of each constituent group, sponsors and athletes representing all three disciplines including Misty May-Treanor, a three-time Olympic Games beach volleyball gold medalist, Tayyiba Haneef-Park, a two-time Olympic indoor volleyball silver medalist, and Brent Rasmussen, the Paralympic representative to the Board.
“The priority of the Board was to find a chief executive with prior business experience and a track record of success in key areas that align with our strategic priorities,” Okimura said. “As we look ahead to the Tokyo Olympics, it is critical for us to be at the forefront of finding new revenue streams, creating events and programs to sustain our competitive excellence of our national team pipeline in all disciplines, and providing additional resources to the 40 Regional Volleyball Associations of USA Volleyball to continue building its membership and strengthening their local programs to help our sport serve all who are interested to participate.”
Davis, 50, comes to USA Volleyball from the sports consulting firm Jomadrew Sports and Entertainment where he is the president and founder. The company provides a full range of ecommerce, marketing, sports, entertainment and media services including business development, strategic planning, digital and traditional marketing strategy/implementation, sales, leadership training, rights acquisition and relationship management services. Among his duties, Davis taught entrepreneurship at Syracuse University where he provides training for United States armed service members in support of their transition from active duty to small business ownership and civilian life.
Prior to dedicating his full attention to Jomandrew, Davis served as president of Fanatics, Inc., the world’s largest online retailer of officially licensed sports merchandise providing ecommerce, merchandising, manufacturing, marketing and fulfillment services for professional sports league and teams, collegiate athletic programs and conferences, and other major sports properties.
Davis joined Fanatics from Versus, now the NBC Sports Network, where as president he oversaw the network’s day-to-day programming, production, digital media, marketing, finance and sales operations, while also directing and executing an overall strategic growth plan and vision for the network. With Davis at the helm, Versus became the fastest growing sports cable network in the United States and delivered unprecedented growth in ratings, distribution and profitability.
Prior to Versus, Davis served as managing director of ESPN STAR Sports (ESS), a joint venture between News Corporation and The Walt Disney Company. ESS was Asia’s leading sports broadcaster with 15 television networks across 24 countries, including China, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Korea and the Philippines. Under his leadership, Davis redefined the vision for the company, transforming it from a television broadcaster to a digital multimedia content provider, and oversaw unprecedented financial growth.
Before joining ESPN STAR Sports, Davis worked for News Corporation for 11 years in various roles, including a four-year stint as the president of News Corp. China. He was also a member of the FOX Sports launch team and served as an original member of the senior management in that organization.
Davis is a 1988 graduate of Colgate University with a bachelor of arts degree. He received his masters of business administration from New York University’s Stern School of Business in 1990.
