Destination Spotlight, Joleen C. Miller, Gainesville Sports Commission

What’s your current position?

Executive Director, 2013 to Present... Been in the industry since 2006.

Please give us a brief overview of what you do in your work.

I manage all GSC daily activities, budgets, staff, contracts, and events. I oversee plans and set-up of all GSC events and marketing materials used. In addition, I supervise all sponsorship obligations for annual memberships and event sponsors.

What would you say most motivates you to do what you do?

Like most people who get into the sports industry, sports have played a significant role in my life, and I love that we get to be a part of sports events that impact the community we live in.

What are you most excited about or passionate about?

I love managing different sports events and being part of something bigger than ourselves. My favorite is seeing the teams and visitors enjoying our destination. Going to restaurants, stores, Gator games, etc., and knowing that GSC helped bring them here.

What are the goals you most want to accomplish in your work? Not so much the goals in your job description but your personal goals.

Continue to grow our impact in the Gainesville community and create strong relationships. I want to continue to build more GSC-owned events as well. I had some big shoes to fill when I became the executive director, which motivates me daily. My goal is to leave GSC stronger than when I first started here.

Outside of GSC, I aim to continue to teach and help students at the University of Florida get into the sports industry and share my experiences with them.

What led you to this job? What were you doing before you came here? What attracted you to work for the Gainesville Sports Commission?

I was playing college volleyball and wanted to stay in the sports industry. My senior year internship was with Polk County Sports Marketing. The staff at Polk County mentioned the Gainesville Sports Commission was hiring a communications manager.

After I graduated, I went for my interview at GSC, and two weeks later, I moved to Gainesville. This position also allowed me to attend the University of Florida Masters program. Go Gators!

Where did you grow up? What was it like to grow up there? Where did go to college?

I grew up in Fort Lauderdale, FL.; Beach and Sports, what is there not to love?!

Playing sports led me to receive a scholarship to play volleyball at Florida Southern College and helped pay for my education. It was a great experience and helped me become who I am today.

Looking back at my years being part of different sports teams, I realize how it helped me in my career, how to work as a team, be responsible, and be a part of something bigger than yourself. But I could have done without the 6 a.m. workouts on college! j/k

Did you have any key mentors or people who profoundly influenced who you are, what you believe in, and what you’re committed to in your work and life?

When I started in 2006, the sports management industry looked much different and less diverse than it is today.

Luckily, I had various mentors and friends in the industry who included and guided me along the way. No one more than my Executive Director, Jack Hughes, he took a chance on a straight out of college 20 something with no experience except playing sports, and threw me into the fire with a lot of responsibility.

My first event was the 2006 NORCECA Girls Youth Continental Championship (U 18) at the Stephen C. O’Connell; I’ll never forget it. After that, I was hooked on event management and loved all the detailed planning and the ability to be creative with everyone working together to create a successful event.

What projects are you working on now? Could you give us a brief overview of it or them?

I am happy to say the Alachua County Sports and Event Center at Celebration Pointe is officially open! This 100,000+ sq. ft. indoor center has been a much-needed addition to our community and a long-time project for Alachua County.

What excites me most is Alachua County has the only indoor track in the state of Florida again, and we can bring back our annual Jimmy Carnes Indoor Track and Field Meet! The GSC previously used the Stephen C. O’Connell Center’s flat indoor track inside the main arena for this event.

In 2008, the GSC, with our past Executive Director, Jack Hughes, and local community members, created an indoor track event to honor one of our founders, Coach Jimmy Carnes (UF Coach and Olympic Coach). We ran the event for nine years in the O’Connell Center until renovations prohibited the opportunity.

After the last meet, I was not sure we could ever host it again. Losing this event was hard; the indoor meet was my favorite. Through the years, the team had put a lot of time and effort into growing the event.

Our County and private partners worked together to build a large enough indoor center to bring back the indoor track & field season to Alachua County.

Seeing all the different people work towards the same goal has been inspiring. This effort is special to our GSC Board and me since we can now host our annual Jimmy Carnes Indoor Track and Field Meet. I have never felt prouder of the GSC and the many people who were part of our organization when the first race went off. I aim to continue to grow this event for both our community and for Jimmy and Jack.

Joleen, under your leadership, the Gainesville Sports Commission has created a blended mix of owned events and those you bid on with rights holders. Your success in doing so has made it evident that this mix is working to drive sports tourism visitor traffic to Alachua County. How did this happen?

The GSC was founded in 1988, making it one of the oldest sports commissions in the nation, by some very creative community members, Jimmy Carnes, Perry McGriff, and Frank Saier. Their original mission is still a primary driver in the GSC today to “create impact through sports tourism in our community.” Jack Hughes was also a central component of GSC’s created and owned events.

I always recommend to partners the benefits of creating events - You know your community the best and know what works and what does not. You have the control to decide what time frame, etc., and lean on your local sports organizations for help.

What gets you out of bed every day to continue your drive? What motivates your work ethic?

My drive comes from participating in sports all those years. I started as one of the youngest in the room in my career, just like when I played. I learned that no one could take away from my success if I kept working hard and delivering. Actions speak louder.

Being a role model for my girls. I love it when they visit me at my events, and I can show them what GSC is managing. Plus, they love running around all the different venues.

What would you say are your best skills? What do you bring to the table that helps you rise above the rest? Where and how did you learn those skills?

Communication - I tend to over communicate. But when working with a large event, there are many moving parts, and sometimes things may be missed.

Being creative - I love it when we can get creative with one of our events. Usually, it is because of budgets, but it also can be an excellent way to step back and see the big picture of making the event our own. Even though things have always been done one way, the experience can still be enhanced by trying new things.

Problem solving - Let’s be real. If you are an event manager, your main job is to be the problem solver for the event. Have a contingency plan!

Most of the skills were from experience, getting out there, and managing the events.

What’s next for you in your work? What are you looking forward to down the road in your career?

I look forward to continuing to work with my team and community partners. Alachua County investing in the Alachua County Sports and Events Center opens up the different sports and types of events we can host in our community.

I look forward to working through new international bids we have yet to be a part of in the past. New markets are always exciting to jump into and create strong relationships. Outside of GSC, I look forward to continuing teaching and sharing my experiences with the next generation of sports events managers at the University of Florida.