Building a World-Class Sports Market

Beth has organized large-scale, special events for 35 years as both a producer and consultant in the events, sports and live entertainment industry. 

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Her career includes leadership roles in iconic event production, including the Special Olympics 2018 national competition, as well as Seafair and Bumbershoot.

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During her tenure at Seafair Beth was instrumental in bringing the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon to Seattle (2009), resurrected the City’s Fourth of July fireworks show (2013), produced the Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl Victory Parade (2014), and Seattle Sounder’s MLS Championship Cup March and Rally (2016; 2019).

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Passionate about building community through live interactions and shared cultural celebrations, Beth has been recognized as a Puget Sound Business Journal Woman of Influence, Seattle Reign FC Community Legend, Smart Meeting Magazine Planner of the Year 2018, and Washington Festivals and Events Association 2019 Hall of Fame. 

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She serves on the boards of Seattle Police Foundation, Washington Festivals and Events Association, Seattle 4 Rotary and Circlewood. 

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As the Vice President of Partnerships, Pamela focuses on cultivating and strengthening strategic collaborations that advance the Seattle Sports Commission's mission and broaden its impact. She seeks out and manages relationships with community partners, donors, foundations, Commissioners, media, and corporations, ensuring these partnerships align with the organization's objectives and values. Pamela also collaborates closely with her colleagues to integrate partnership initiatives into the Commission's broader fundraising and outreach strategies while evaluating the success of these collaborations and adapting strategies to enhance their effectiveness and mutual benefit.

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Pamela, a 40 under 40 Alumni, joined the SSC following a distinguished career in media, public-private partnerships, board volunteerism, and executive leadership. Originally from Canada, she now resides in West Seattle and enjoys traveling, wine tasting, and spending quality time with her family and friends. Two of Pamela's most cherished sports memories include winning "Around-the-World" during halftime at a Harlem Globetrotters game when she was 15 and attending the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia with a delegation of youth soccer players, including her two daughters, where they played three matches against local teams in Sydney and Cairns.

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Alex has over 30 years of experience as a sports, higher education, and nonprofit leader. Growing up in Redmond in the 70s and 80s, he recalls a Seattle sports era featuring the Kingdome, the Coliseum, and the Sonics NBA Championship. Alex has witnessed the growth and success of sports in Seattle and is excited to showcase our teams and region further while bringing even more premier events to our doorstep. A creative problem-solver, Alex excels at finding efficiencies and streamlining projects and programs.

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A super utility performer, Alex has been a member of the media, event production, university athletic departments, and alumni associations. Alex has worked for the University of Washington, Washington State University, Learfield, Prime Sports Northwest, and NPR. Additionally, he's collaborated with Oregon State University, University of Hawaii, the WIAA, and NFHS Network.

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More recently, Alex has focused his work with universities, helping grow business development and expanding reach and equity with alumni, donors, boards, and stakeholders. A WSU Murrow College graduate in Broadcasting, he also holds a Master's of Nonprofit Leadership from City University of Seattle. Alex is also a current board member with the Washington Festival and Events Association and a past board member of several organizations, most recently with Leadership Snohomish County.

As the Director of Operations, Eva handles the planning and execution of all signature events. She implements the venue and vendor contracts, oversees volunteer training and recruitment and develops day of planning. Also, Eva collaborates with community partners on additional opportunities being brought to Seattle and permitting and planning for city-wide events.

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With a Masters in Sports Administration and Leadership from Seattle University, Eva has spent her entire career within the Washington sports and events community. Working with Special Olympics Washington for nearly five years, Eva transitioned to the local Special Olympics USA Games team to host the 2018 Games in Seattle. As the Director of Venues and Logistics for the 2018 Games, Eva oversaw an expansive operations task list, which included preparations for over 4,000 athletes and coaches, and required tens of thousands of volunteers. There has been no other sporting event that has been as emotionally fulfilling as that one. Being a soccer player and coach in her younger years Eva now spends much of her time taking and watching her two children fall in love with sports themselves.

Karen grew up in Seattle and returned to her hometown after graduating from Western Washington University. She has had a lengthy career in finance and accounting in both corporate and non-profit organizations. Her background includes six years at Genie Industries as the Credit Manager watching it grow from a small manufacturing company to a large international organization.  She found her passion in non-profit accounting. Karen joined the Seafair Organization in 2010 as the Director of Finance and after six years, left to join the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games. There she managed an $18M budget that returned over $1M in profits to the Special Olympics USA Games.

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After the transition from the 2018 USA games, she took her next position as the Controller at Teatro Zinzanni, a unique dinner theater in Woodinville, WA. Karen joined the Seattle Sports Commission part-time in April 2019 working with Beth to produce large-scale, high-quality events.  Highlights of Karen’s sports memories include being part of producing the Seahawks Victory Parade where over 800,000 people came out on a 12-degree day to celebrate the win for the Seattle Seahawks.   A personal highlight includes winning the title of Metro Champ when taking part at Ingraham High School in their women’s golf program.  

Mara comes to the Seattle Sports Commission as a consultant from MetaMora Productions. With almost 15 years in the television production and events industry, Mara’s credits include Fox’s MasterChef, NBC’s Million Second Quiz, ABC’s The Bachelor and CBS Radio.

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Prior to moving to Seattle, Mara worked for production company EndemolShine North America, where she was the Manager of Production and Development.

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As a steering committee member of sustainability coalition The Wave NW, Mara’s passion for sustainability and environmental justice is woven into her work.

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Upon moving to Seattle in 2018, Mara assumed the role of Marketing Manager of the Seattle Sports Commission, developing and executing the creative for both the organization and events such as the Women’s Leadership Breakfast, Sports Star of the Year Awards Show, Region Ready, and led the ocean health messaging and global activations for the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

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With over 30 years experience, Eric Corning has produced high-profile, public events for Seattle and the greater Puget Sound Region. Eric first joined Seafair as a summer intern in 1993 and quickly became a force in the events community. Eric recently retired from Seafair as CEO after producing 24 festivals across 4 decades. He was also a leader producing the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games and the 2014 Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl Victory Parade.

Isaac joined the Seattle Sports Commission this summer as an Event Operations Fellow, coming from Seattle University’s MBA in Sports and Entertainment Management program. In his role, Isaac supports the setup, preparation, and execution of the Commission's signature events, liaises with community sponsors and commissioners, and contributes to various operational tasks. With 18 years of competitive tennis experience and a deep passion for sports, Isaac brings a wealth of sports knowledge to the team. He earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science from Drury University, where he also captained the Drury Men’s Tennis team for three years. Originally from Canada, Isaac enjoys golfing, skiing, hiking, and watching sports. Isaac’s favorite sports memories include watching the Montreal Canadiens’ (his favorite team) magical run to the 2021 Stanley Cup finals, attending Wimbledon, and his time playing college tennis with his closest friends and teammates. Isaac views sports as a connector of people and aims to make a significant impact in the sports world during his tenure at the SSC and beyond.

Owen joined the Seattle Sports Commission in January 2025 as the Events & Engagement Assistant, coming from Washington State’s Sport Management program. In his role, Owen assists with event coordination, stakeholder communications, data management, and event bids. Bringing a lifelong passion for sports and years of experience in the industry, Owen is eager to contribute his knowledge to the Seattle Sports Commission’s initiatives. Owen’s background includes serving as a Video Assistant for Washington State Athletics, a College Football Data Collector for Scouting Heroes, and working in the Pro Shop at The Home Course. He is set to graduate in May 2025 with a degree in Sports Management and a Minor in Communication. For Owen, sports are more than just a pastime, they are a combination of his passion and favorite memories growing up. His love for sports drives his commitment to pursue a career in football. Outside of his professional life, Owen enjoys golfing, fantasy football, and following a wide variety of sports, with a particular focus on football.