Faculty

Ketra L. Armstrong, Ph.D. Dr. Ketra L. Armstrong is currently in her third year as an Associate Professor and the Director of the Graduate Program in Sport Management at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). She teaches the Foundations of Sport Management, Measurement and Statistics, and Research Methods courses at CSULB and she supervises the Sport Management students Capstone Projects. Prior to her arrival at CSULB, Dr. Armstrong taught Sport Management courses at The Ohio State University, located in Columbus, OH where she received tenure and promotion. Her research specialization is sport marketing/sport consumer behavior, and her research has been featured in numerous journals: Journal of Sport Management , Sport Management Review, International Journal of Sport Management, Sport Marketing Quarterly , Journal of Sport Behavior, Journal of Sport and Social Issues, Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal , Journal of Black Psychology, Quest, Academic Athletic Journal, The Black Coaches Association Journal, The Physical Educator , and Future Focus,. Dr. Armstrong co-authored a manuscript that received the 2004 Outstanding Research Award by the Sport Marketing Association. She has conducted research for Essence Magazine on Black Women's Fitness, and in 2002 she received the Young Professional Award from the American Association of Active Lifestyle and Fitness.

In addition to Dr. Armstrong's scholarly pursuits, she has amassed a wealth of practical experience in the Sport Industry. She is a former Division I athlete (basketball player), Division I collegiate women's basketball coach, and athletic administrator. Over the years, she has performed integral roles in the research, management, marketing, and/or media relations for numerous national and international sport events (i.e., Summer Olympic Games, Ghana Olympic Committee, NCAA Championships and Events, National Hockey League, Professional Women's Basketball, Professional Arena Football, Professional Lacrosse, Black College Sports, and Southeastern Conference Championships and Events) and various youth and community sport events. Dr. Armstrong is also a consultant to universities and sport organizations in Africa and the Caribbean.

Dr. Armstrong is a free-lance sport journalist. She currently serves as the color analyst for Long Beach State Women's Basketball. During her stint at Ohio State, she produced and hosted the sport segment of a weekly news-magazine radio show that aired in Columbus, OH; served as the sports anchor for local morning radio show in Columbus, Ohio; assisted CBS Sports and Fox Sports with statistics and commercial time-outs for televised women's basketball games; and performed the voice-overs for promotions that aired during the Ohio State women's basketball coach's show.

Dr. Armstrong is the President-Elect for the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport . She served the Association previously as Vice President for Marketing and is also a former board member of the National Women's Hall of Fame.

Chris Tsangaris, M.A. Chris is the Managing Director of the program who also coordinates the Internship Program. Chris joined the program in 1997 as the Program Coordinator. Chris was named the Associate Director in 2000. Chris was appointed Managing Director in 2002 overseeing the day to day operations of the program and has been primarily responsible for directing the transition of the program into its current format. Chris had a 6 year professional football career in the CFL. Chris has performed event consulting for the NHL, MLS and MLB for their All Star events.

Dr. Sharon Guthrie received her Ph.D. in Sport Studies at The Ohio State University in 1985. She has baccalaureate degrees in psychology and physical education from UCLA and CSU, Northridge and master's degrees in educational psychology and physical education from CSU, Northridge and CSU, Long Beach. Dr. Guthrie has been teaching at CSULB since 1990 in the areas of sport sociology and sport psychology. Her research deals primarily with the contribution of sport and exercise to self-perception (e.g., body image, self-esteem). She is now serving as Graduate Coordinator for the Department.

Alison Wrynn, Ph.D.

Alison Wrynn, Ph.D.Dr. Wrynn is our newest tenure-track faculty member and will be working with the Sports Studies faculty. Alison’s area of expertise is Sport History and she has published articles on the history of exercise science and the Olympic Games. Dr. Wrynn has a B.S. in Physical Education from Springfield College, M.A. in Physical Education from CSULB, and a Ph.D. in sport History from UC-Berkeley. Dr. Wrynn was a tenure-track faculty member at SUNY-Cortland.

Sheila Nguyen

Sheila Nguyen, who is completing her Ph.D. in Sport Administration from Florida State University with an area of specialization in Marketing and Management, joins the faculty beginning with the Spring 2006 semester as the instructor for KIN 590 – Measurement and Statistics

Nguyen is presently a Public Relations Fellow for the International Association Golf Administrators in North Hollywood, CA, where she serves as a liaison to international club members and assists with survey design and other marketing research initiatives. Shelia was also a Research Assistant at Florida State University and she assisted the PGA Tour (in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL) with licensing research projects. We are truly delighted to have Sheilia Nguyen join our Sport Management Faculty.

Andy Roundtree, COO
Pro Sports and Entertainment Inc.

Andy Roundtree. Andy joined our program as the Vice-President of Finance and Administration for both the Anaheim Angels and Ducks. Andy will be teaching the Sport Finance course in the sport management program. Andy has a B.A. in business from Claremont University.

Rich Foster, J.D., M.P.A. 

Rich Foster, J.D., M.P.A. A partner in the law firm of Cameron, Pearlson and Foster, Rich also serves as President of the Long Beach Sports Council. Rich is currently the President of USA Water Polo and served a four-year term (1992-96) as a board member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). Rich received his bachelor's degree from Long Beach State; his M.P.A. from USC; and his law degree from Loyola Law School and will be co-teaching the sport law and ethics course in the sport management program.

Brian Melekian
Director of Operations
Home Depot Center

Brian Melekian is the Director of Operations at the Home Depot Center, consultant for Major League Soccer Operations and the Rose Bowl, and member of the Stadiums Committee for the International Association of Assembly Managers. Melekian teaches the Facilities and Event Management course.

Charles Harris

Charles Harris joined the program when he was the Director of Publicity and Community Relations for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He teaches the Sport Marketing course.  Charles has contributed to the Program in the past by offering a mini Communications/Media Relations workshop and we are delighted to have him teach a full course.

Diane Higgs
Program Manager
lhiggs@csulb.edu

Diane Higgs graduated from the Graduate Program in Sport Management in 2003. She received her M.Ed from the University of Arkansas in 1976. Diane has nearly 30 years of experience in management and leadership positions. Those years have primarily been with the U.S. Marine Corps and FedEx.

To RSVP for an Information Session,
Tel: 562-985-5561 or 800-963-2250