Keynote Speaker

David Gilbert, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission (GCSC), will deliver the keynote address for the 2008 Careers in Sport Symposium at 9am on Saturday, November 1, 2008 (location to be determined; check the department website for updates as the fall semester gets underway).

For nearly a decade, Mr. Gilbert has been the guiding force behind one of the nation’s most emulated and respected sports commissions. In April of 2008, the National Association of Sports Commissions selected the GCSC as the top sports commission in the country. Using innovative planning and funding models that draw upon local commitments from private corporations, educational institutions, and governmental entities, the GCSC has been successful in attracting, promoting, and managing more than 90 sporting events in Cleveland since 2000, resulting in an estimated $220 million impact within the city and in Northeast Ohio. The GCSC hosts annual events such as the Continental Cup and the FirstMerit Patriot Bowl as well as the NCAA Women’s Final Four. In recent months, Cleveland has been selected to host the 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Tryouts and the 2013 Summer National Senior Games.

Mr. Gilbert received a bachelor of arts degree in marketing from the Ohio State University and an M.B.A. from Cleveland State University. In the spring of 2008, Mr. Gilbert was honored by the Department of Sport Management and Media with a Distinguished Sports Industry Leader Award in recognition of his singular contributions to the city of Cleveland as well as his commitment to using sport as a vehicle to advance other community agendas.