Meet The Advisory Board

Altitude Event Consulting, Founder & CEO

Mike Chandler

Mike forged his sports and events career as a grass-roots event director with USA Volleyball. 

He leveraged his two-decade success with USAV to form Altitude Event Consulting as a sports marketing solutions-based firm that excels in developing multi-market and multi-event platforms to assist Rights Holders/ and Event Organizers, CVB’s and Sports Commissions in creating both positive events and positive investments in their communities.

Visit Frisco, Director of Sports & Events

Joshua Dill

Josh Dill is the Director of Sports & Events for Visit Frisco (Texas). For over a decade, he has used an entrepreneurial approach to sports events and tourism to conquer the unique challenges he has faced at each of the three destinations he has worked for.

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Prior to joining Visit Frisco, Josh spent 3 ½ years developing the sports department for the Fort Worth CVB.  His sports tourism career began with Visit Lubbock & Lubbock Sports in 2008.

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Visit Sarasota, Director of Sports

Pete Harvey

Pete Harvey has served as the Director of Sports for Visit Sarasota County since 2022. Previously, Pete was with Visit Buffalo Niagara since 2007 and was integral in starting the Sports Commission. Pete has been involved in hosting a variety of events including the IIHF World Junior Championships, Empire State Games and the 2nd and 3rd rounds of NCAA Basketballs March Madness. Prior to moving to Buffalo Pete was in the resort and sports marketing arenas in Florida for almost 20 years.  

National Senior Games Association, President & CEO

Susan Hlavacek

Sue joined the NSGA team in October of 2013 as the Director of Events and Programs and today serves as the President & CEO. Her senior games experience began with the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission as the Director of Sports for the 2013 National Senior Games in Cleveland. Sue also served as part of the Cleveland LOC for the 2007 Women’s Basketball Final Four Championship.

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Prior to the NSGA, Sue was a professional athlete, coach, educator and Director of Athletics for 15 years at Notre Dame College in South Euclid, Ohio. 

Association of Chief Executives for Sport, CEO

Rick Mack

Since 2017, Rick has served as CEO of the Association of Chief Executives for Sport (ACES), which is a sports chief executives’ trade association focused on member networking, industry best practices and mutual support. Approximately 80% of the ACES members oversee sports under the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) umbrella.

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He served for 13 years as Sr. Director/Managing Director of Human Resources for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), where he was a member of the senior executive team. Within the Olympic & Paralympic Family, he also served as Executive Director of USA Archery.

Elite Tournaments, Senior Vice President of Business Operations

Elle Marks

Elle is the Sr. V.P. of Business Operations for Elite Tournaments. Overseeing the Business Development Department, Elle has expanded her role to include more one-on-one interaction with clients and events, oversight of all event cancellation insurance policies, & management of event budgets.

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A Baltimore native, Elle studied at Salisbury University in Maryland.  After graduating, Elle worked for a privately owned baseball facility in Delaware before transitioning into a role with the Wicomico County CVB in Salisbury, MD. There she worked as the Sports Marketing Representative  obtaining, retaining, and developing sports events.

Chesterfield County, Executive Director of Sports, Visitation & Entertainment

J C Poma

J.C. has a passion for sports and the community. He’s a former college athlete who’s been involved in the Richmond (VA) Region’s sports scene for 15 years. J.C. serves as Chesterfield County's first executive director of sports, visitation and entertainment and is committed to improving the quality of life for residents and visitors alike. 

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Poma, who holds degrees from the University of Virginia and Georgetown University, began working for Richmond Region Tourism in 2016 as a sports development manager. He was promoted to director of sports relations in 2019, then assumed his current position in 2021.

Caesars Entertainment – Northern Nevada, Associate Director of Sales

Elek Sebestyen

Elek enjoys working with a team of sales professionals promoting and selling five resort properties including The Silver Legacy Resort, the Eldorado Resort Casino, Circus Circus (Reno), Harvey’s and Harrah’s (Lake Tahoe)

Elek has also served as the Director of Sports Sales & Marketing for the Reno-Based properties. With primary responsibility and focus on the Sports Market, he has spent his career developing the relationships and experience that benefit the sports organization, athletes and attendees of countless successful events.

Maryland Sports, Executive Director

Terry Hasseltine

Terry Hasseltine is Executive Director of Maryland Sports. As an award-winning businessman and executive, he specializes in promoting tourism, transforming sporting associations and running bids to host sporting events at city, state and national level. As Executive Director of Maryland Sports, the organization has engaged in more than $2.5 billion in event recruitment activity and has produced more than $1.7 billion of direct spending on Maryland's economy. 

Prior to being President of the Baltimore-Maryland 2026 bid, Hasseltine brought events such as the 2013 and 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup Quarterfinals to the state.

Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach Visitors Bureau, Business Development Director

Sean Walter

Sean is the Business Development Director for the Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach Visitors Bureau. Sean started his career at Walt Disney World where he held various positions in operations and sales. He also developed a customer service curriculum which he taught at The Disney University.

He later expanded his career in hospitality and tourism by working for the Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau operating their convention center, 23- fields multipurpose sports complex and large event center for 12 years. 

Visit Lake Charles, Senior Vice President of Sports

Eric Zartler

Zartler has been an integral leader in sports destination marketing and management over the past 16 years. Team awards under Zartler’s leadership include the 2021 Louisiana USSSA Hall of Honor and the 2020 Louisiana Travel Association Event of the Year for the USA Boxing National Championships & Olympic Trials. He was awarded the 2016 Distinguished Service Award by the Louisiana High School Coaches Association, the 2012 Louisiana High School Athletic Association Super Sport Award, and 2012 Thrive Magazine’s 13 Thriving Thirty Somethings.