May 19, 2026 | Carla Santos
The 2026 Sapora Symposium once again brought the RST community together in a powerful way—connecting students, alumni and industry leaders through meaningful engagement and shared learning.
Centered on this year’s theme, the power of community, the Symposium explored how civic engagement, marketing, and social and digital innovation shape professional pathways across recreation, sport, and tourism.
The series kicked off on January 29 in Chicago with keynote remarks by Michael Strautmanis of the Barack Obama Presidential Center, whose insights on leadership and community development set the tone for the weeks ahead.
The main event, held March 6 at the Illini Union, welcomed more than 130 undergraduate and graduate students and over 35 speakers and table hosts—most of them RST alumni. Throughout the day, students engaged directly with professionals, turning conversations into mentorship and networking into lasting connections.
We are deeply grateful to TSMGI for their continued partnership and to the outstanding group of speakers and guests who generously shared their time and expertise:
2026 Participating Speakers & Guests
- Jordan Bressler – TSMGI
- Reese Bressler – TSMGI
- Jamie Bronska – Chicago White Sox
- Glenn Eden – Chicago Civic Leader / Choose Chicago
- Carly Eilian – TSMGI
- Christian Evans – Indianapolis Pacers
- Brian Floriani – Bernie’s Book Bank
- Abri Forrest – TSMGI
- Melissa Garritano – Special Olympics Illinois
- Megan Gaseor – Chicago Cubs
- Parker Gray – DIA Marketing Street Team
- Joe Kennedy – Obama Presidential Center
- Chris Marciani – TMRW Sports
- Andrew McCarthy – TSMGI
- Alexis McCay – KemperSports
- Nick McDuffee – Village of Savoy Parks and Recreation
- Brendon McGuire – DIA Football Video
- Lauren Mroz – National Basketball Association
- Alex Munoz – NASCAR
- Tristan Nelson – Oklahoma City Thunder
- Joe Ronovsky – Village of Bedford Park / Wintrust Sports Complex
- Carmen Rossi – 8 Hospitality
- Alex Roux – Big Ten Network
- Rebecca Seldin – TSMGI
- Liam Sise – La Grange Park District
- Joey Spathis – TSMGI
- Mark Steinberg – Excel Sports Management
- Christine Stromberg – United States Tennis Association
- Angela Tzortis – Chicago Cubs
- Rachel Wright – TSMGI
Your collective engagement—spanning sport organizations, tourism and destination marketing, recreation and park systems, community development, nonprofit leadership, and agency work—created an exceptional experience for our students and reflected the full breadth of the RST field.
Thank you for being part of Sapora 2026.
Share on social
