The Business of Sports

Chandler Brandes is currently the Director of Brand and Digital Communications at The Jockey Club. She had most recently served as the Director of Communications for the Kansas City Current in the National Women’s Soccer League. Previously, she worked in sports communications, content and brand management at the University of North Carolina and the University of Kentucky. She also held various internship roles in the athletic departments at the University of Louisville and the University of Vermont.  

She received her bachelor’s degree in public communication with minors in coaching and sports management from Vermont in 2019 before earning her master’s in sport administration from Louisville in 2021. A native of Burlington, Vermont, she was also a member of the UVM Swimming & Diving team.  

Lucas Fishman works at WSC Sports, a company that turns live game footage into personalized highlights and video content at scale. He leads the US Technical Partnerships team there, and was one of the first people on the US team when it was still just a handful of people. Five plus years later he has done a bit of everything: account management, leading delivery and solutioning teams, and now building out WSC's partnerships function from scratch. His focus has shifted from post sale to presale, designing the technical side of deals before they close rather than managing them after. 

Along the way he has worked with some of the biggest names in sports, including the NFL, NBA, and NHL, conferences like the SEC and Big Ten, and partners like ESPN, Amazon, and YouTube TV. 

Outside of work, Lucas is passionate about entrepreneurship and cofounded a startup called Schoolyard Social. He is also a die hard New York sports fan and an avid skier. 

Lucas graduated from UVM in 2018 with a degree in Business, focused on Entrepreneurship, and a minor in Sport Management, part of the very first class to graduate with that minor. He was also part of the first club basketball teams at UVM. He is born and raised in New York City and currently still lives there.  

As Senior Vice President of International Merchandising and Attractions at the National Basketball Association, Robert Millman leads the league’s International Merchandising, Retail, and Branded attractions strategy within the Global Partnerships group. His work shapes how fans around the world experience the NBA through products, retail environments, and brand touchpoints. 

Before assuming his current role in 2010, Millman served as Vice President of Business Development and International for the Global Merchandising Group. During this period, he was instrumental in securing the league’s first exclusive global trading card partnership with Panini; establishing new FICE operations in China; building the NBA’s global premiums and self‑sourcing business; and expanding international merchandising to account for more than 35 percent of the league’s total merchandising revenue. 

Millman’s leadership in building the NBA’s international licensing business has had a lasting impact on how the league expresses its identity worldwide. His work has influenced how fans engage with the brand, how global partners collaborate with the NBA, and how the league’s presence is translated into products and retail experiences—while consistently generating significant revenue growth. 

A defining element of his legacy is the launch of more than 200 NBA Stores across multiple continents. These stores have become far more than retail outlets: they serve as cultural landmarks, community gathering spaces, and powerful symbols of the NBA’s global reach. Millman has also played a pivotal role in guiding regional offices and international partners, negotiating complex licensing agreements, and mentoring colleagues with professionalism, humility, and a relentless commitment to innovation. 

Since joining the NBA in 1982 as National Sales Manager, Millman has held several Vice President roles within the merchandising business, contributing to the league’s evolution over more than four decades. 

Prior to the NBA, he held multiple positions at Jordan Marsh in Boston, including Buyer for Boys’ Furnishings, after beginning his career there in 1977 as a Department Sales Manager. 

Millman remains connected to the University of Vermont, assisting with career placement initiatives. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing from the university. 

A resident of Scarsdale, N.Y., Millman and his wife, Karen, are the parents of two children, Jesse and Becca. 

Dr. Lauren Young is the Executive Director of the Vermont Principals’ Association of Activities and Athletics, where she oversees high school sports and student activities statewide. A former teacher, coach, high school assistant principal, curriculum director and elementary principal, she brings more than two decades of experience in education, leadership, and youth development.  

Dr. Young holds an EdD from the University of Southern Mississippi, where her research on creating safe spaces in Vermont high school athletics became the foundation for Vermont’s Third Space, a statewide initiative helping students find belonging beyond the classroom. She also created No White Shorts to address systematic barriers that contribute to girls quitting sports at a higher rate than boys by the age of 14.  

She is also the founder of The GRL Initiative, a community and resource hub empowering young women and student-athletes through leadership, belonging, and identity.  

Dr. Young is the author of Lead Anyway: The Glow-Up Guide to Leadership That’s Real, Not Perfect, which draws on her experience as a millennial mother and administrator navigating leadership systems not built with women in mind. Her work blends research, real-world stories, and practical tools to help leaders build environments rooted in courage, authenticity, and belonging. Copies of Lead Anyway will be available on-site for purchase and signed ($32 cash or Venmo) or can be preordered through the Amplify Publishing link.