The Browns welcome four new fellows to the Haslam Sports Group as part of Year 2 of the HSG Diversity and Opportunity Fellowship Program.
Mason Wilfong of the University of North Carolina, Caroline Brega of the University of Miami, Ryan Parra of the University of North Texas, and Lydia Jules of Howard University will all join HSG, working in various departments with both the Browns and the Columbus Crew organizations. These individuals were selected based on a nationwide search, in conjunction with multiple universities, as well as executives from both the Browns and Crew who helped develop programs and recruiting efforts.
“I feel like this is a really unique opportunity, especially in the sports industry,” Wilfong said. “It’s kind of hard to find these entry-level opportunities and get your foot in the door, so when I found out they selected me, I was just super happy and grateful for the opportunity.”
HSG created the fellowship last year to improve the pipeline for diverse talent in the sports industry, and it proved to be a success as all fellows were given full-time employment upon completion of the program. The new batch of fellows will follow a similar plan this year and will be able to move from department to department as they see fit, with opportunities ranging from administration, marketing, operations, sales and other areas.
“I love that because as a recent graduate or new professional, I think it’s a lot to ask of them to know exactly what you want to do,” Jules said. “Being able to get a taste of these different departments within this organization, especially within sports, I think it will allow me to learn so much. Not just hands-on, but also to explore the brains of different people in these different departments. to pick.”
“At the Haslam Sports Group, I could see that I wouldn’t just be someone who would work in their offices,” said Brega. “I could have an impact the day I got there, and that was why I accepted this offer.”
It’s the kind of opportunity not all professional sports teams offer: an opportunity for a group of exclusively minority candidates to partner with top executives on the business side of a front office. They each get the chance to work with two teams in different sports, with the plan to switch between Cleveland and Columbus after five months.
“What really sold it was how willing HSG was to care for people from different backgrounds,” Parra said. “That they do so much for us is unheard of, and I will be forever grateful for this opportunity.”
