Executive Director, SFIA

Tom Cove is the President and CEO of the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA). Mr. Cove directs SFIA initiatives to promote sports participation & safety, health & fitness, international trade, and product standards, and serves as liaison to international and national sports federations and government agencies. Mr. Cove also oversees the sports industry’s premier research facility and appears regularly in national media and before Congress on the state of youth sports and physical activity trends in America. He led the legislative campaign to pass and annually fund the Physical Education for Progress (PEP) program. In the course of his more than thirty years in the sports and fitness industry, Mr. Cove co-founded two non-profit organizations dedicated to promoting youth physical activity and has served on the board of directors for more than 15 non-profit organizations.

Assembly Member, District 143

Monica Wallace was elected in 2016 to represent the 143rd Assembly District, which includes the Erie County towns of Cheektowaga and Lancaster and the villages of Depew, Lancaster and Sloan. She worked her way through college and law school, earning her undergraduate degree with honors from SUNY Binghamton, and her J.D., cum laude, from SUNY Buffalo Law School. Before her election to the Assembly, Monica spent much of her legal career as a law clerk in federal court, where she helped ensure that justice was served and that laws were applied equally to all parties appearing before the court. She served as a local and state director for the Western New York Chapter of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York, an organization dedicated to advancing the status of women and children in New York. She also served as a member of the Lancaster YMCA Board and served on the Legal Writing Institute’s Bar Outreach Committee

CEO, Life Sports

Chris Price is the CEO of Life Sports, an organization that helps youth sports shift their focus from an athletic centric approach, to a family centric approach. By delivering a youth sports experience that engages the family in a positive safe environment, organizations of all sizes thrive.

Dean, College of Hospitality, Sport, and Tourism Management, Niagara University

Bridget Niland has over 25 years of experience in higher education, sports law, philanthropy, and event and tourism management. A former college athletics director, she has also held management positions within the NCAA. Niland worked with the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation to create Project Play WNY.

Associate Professor, Sports Management, Niagara University

Darren Treadway serves as an Associate Professor of Sports Management at Niagara University. His research focuses on how political skill, leadership, occupational stigma, and bullying impact employee productivity and retention in service organizations. He has also been involved as an organizational development consultant with profit and non-profit organizations for two decades, most recently focusing on capacity in Youth Sports Organizations.

Director of Events and Experiential Operations, Niagara University

Alicia Sammarco oversees the College of Hospitality, Sport, and Tourism Management various events and provide organization and leadership to its experiential learning opportunities. She plays a lead role in the colleges communications initiatives, including its e-newsletters, website development, and social media presence. Sammarco also guides the students through the college’s practicum programs. Before joining Niagara, Sammarco served as Project Play Western New York program manager at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.