DENNIS BICKMEIER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR @
HENRICO SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT AUTHORITY
Dennis Bickmeier is the Executive Director of the newly-formed Henrico Sports and Entertainment Authority, leading the county’s mission of bringing sports and entertainment events to county facilities. Previously, he served as President of Richmond Raceway for more than a decade, guiding the Raceway’s motorsports, Amphitheater and facility rental efforts.
Over his 33-year sports management career, Dennis has worked for some of the top sports organizations in the nation, including the Los Angeles Rams, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Big West Conference. He spent more than two decades in motorsports, serving in a variety of Public Relations and Marketing roles at Auto Club (California) Speedway and Michigan International Speedway, prior to his appointment as President of Richmond Raceway in 2011.
ANEDRA BOURNE
DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR @
VENTURE RICHMOND
Anedra Wiseman Bourne is Deputy Executive Director of Venture Richmond. Currently, her priorities focus on marketing Downtown Richmond as a creative place to live, work and play. Bourne has spent most of her 20+ year career in the tourism industry – both locally and statewide - in both the non-profit and public sector, with a focus on public and media relations, marketing, and communications.
Formerly, Anedra served as the tourism coordinator for the City of Richmond, managed more than 20 community partners for The Future of Richmond’s Past collaborative which promoted the commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War & Emancipation; was director of marketing and public relations for the American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar; and, served as public relations manager at the Virginia Tourism Corporation promoting the Virginia is for Lovers™ brand.
GREG BURTON
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATION & ENGAGEMENT @
VCU CENTER FOR SPORTS LEADERSHIP
Greg Burton is the Director of Communication and Engagement for the VCU Center for Sport Leadership, an internationally ranked graduate program. He oversees all external communication for the CSL including website and social media content. Burton also leads the CSL alumni relations and development efforts while teaching multiple on campus and online classes.
Burton has 30 years of experience as an award winning sportscaster. He came to Richmond in August 1998 as a sports anchor/reporter for local CBS affiliate, WTVR. During his tenure, he was named Virginia Sportscaster of the Year, Richmond Broadcaster of the Year and won a prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for Sports Reporting. Prior to his career in Richmond, Burton worked as a sportscaster in Idaho Falls, ID, and in his hometown of Wilmington, Del. He also worked for the Wilmington Blue Rocks, a Class A minor league affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and University of Delaware, his alma mater.
CHRIS FRELKE
DEPUTY CITY MANAGER @
CITY OF FRISCO, TX
Creating a Collaborative Culture
Chris serves as the Director for the City of Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities overseeing a department of 2,800 acres of park land, the James River Park System, 200 staff, 19 community centers, four active cemeteries, and several other community facilities. His experience with planning, developing, and implementing award winning recreation programs made him an ideal choice to lead PRCF.
A native of Greenville, NC, Chris attended the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a minor in Leisure Studies and his Master of Science degree in Recreation Administration. Before coming to Richmond, Chris worked for the City of Raleigh, NC Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources for 18 years holding various positions.
Since becoming director, Chris has overseen multiple projects. Under his leadership, the department was also awarded an unprecedented $78 million dollar investment as part of the American Recovery Plan Act that will bring two new community centers to the city located in the 7th District at Lucks Field and the 8th District at T.B. Smith Community Center.
HUNTER LEEMON
DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR @
SPORTABLE
Doing his best to share the Sportable story with everyone in RVA and beyond, Hunter Leemon is the Executive Director of Sportable. Hunter was introduced to Sportable when he volunteered to lead the Power Soccer team in 2009 – that began a love affair with the organization that carried him to his current position. Hunter has a passion for sports & the city of Richmond, and he strongly believes that both communities are enhanced by the Sportable team, including athletes, volunteers, staff, board & supporters. He leads the entire organization on a mission to tell the story of Sportable and create a greater impact in Richmond & beyond.
A native of Lawrenceville, VA, Leemon graduated from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, VA, where he competed on the baseball team. Leemon later attended the Center for Sport Leadership at VCU where he graduated in the spring of 2009. He lives in the Northside of Richmond with his wife Dee Dee, son Oscar, and cats Romeo and Ky Ky (after Kyle Guy).
JON LUGBILL
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR @
SPORTS BACKERS
For the past 29 years Jon has been the executive director of the Sports Backers, a nonprofit group that inspires active living in all corners of the Richmond region. The organization hosts events that provide a celebration of this active lifestyle including the Allianz Partners Richmond Marathon and have some of the nation’s largest training teams, a kids running program with tens of thousands of participants, dozens of free fitness classes every week in challenged communities and an active infrastructure advocacy effort working to make the region more bike and pedestrian friendly. In 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2016 the Sports Backers were voted America’s Best Sports Commission by the National Association of Sports Commissions. As an athlete, Jon won five individual and seven team world championship titles in whitewater canoe slalom and was 4th in the 1992 Olympic Games. He has been elected to the International Whitewater Hall of Fame and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
JAMES MILNER
PROGRAM DIRECTOR @
DIVERSITY RICHMOND
James Millner is a Program Director of Diversity Richmond where he leads the organization’s Virginia Pride program as part of a senior management team. He is a recognized leader in the Richmond Region’s LGBTQ community and has strong relationships with non-profit organizations, media, business leaders, civic leaders, and community advocates and activists. In addition to his advocacy and community work, under his leadership, Virginia Pride produces and annual Pridefest attracting more than 40,000 attendees making it one of the largest and most visible events in the region. He is a passionate racial and social justice advocate and who often speaks to local and national corporations, professional associations and other organizations about the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion. He regularly appears in the news media as an expert on issues affecting the LGBTQ and allied communities.
James has a background in both corporate and non-profit communications, having held senior-level positions in global PR agencies representing large government agencies and Fortune 50 companies.
James lives in Henrico County, Virginia with his fiancé, Richard.
MEGAN SCHULTZ
CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER @
SPORTS BACKERS
Megan Schultz is the Chief Operating Officer at Sports Backers, a non-profit in Richmond, VA who works to inspire physical activity in all corners of the community. She has been with the organization since May 2007 and as the Chief Operating Officer, Megan oversees the Events and Programs teams. In this role she helps provide strategic direction for the organization’s events and programs while also working to strengthen internal operations and processes. As part of the leadership team, she also assists the Executive Director on overall organizational vision. In 2017, she was a finalist for the Hype Icons Front Runner Award, which is presented by Chamber RVA. She is 2020 graduate of the Leadership Quest program through Leadership Metro Richmond. And also serves on the board of Sportable, another non-profit in Richmond who works to provide sports and wellness opportunities for those with physical disabilities and visual impairments. As well as on the advisory board of the Yellow Jacket Club, her alma mater’s athletics support organization.
Megan is a 2006 graduate of Randolph-Macon College, where she played on the women’s basketball team. Upon graduation, her passion for sports led her to VCU, where she completed her masters in Sports Leadership in 2007. She was fortunate enough to land an internship with Sports Backers during her time at VCU, which then led to a full-time position and ultimately a career that she loves and is incredibly passionate about.