Veterans in Sports

After 20 years flying jets off aircraft carriers and working for NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Tesh Rao turned down airline jobs to pursue sports. The path went through Starbucks first—not as a detour, but as essential preparation. Working on government affairs and an Arizona State educational partnership, he learned to navigate corporate environments and built relationships that eventually connected him to Ray Anderson, the AD who hired him as Senior Associate AD at ASU despite zero college athletics experience.

Tesh became one of the few 20-year military veterans to reach senior associate AD level at a Power 4 school. He oversaw 10 teams, launched the Veterans in Sports Law and Business program, and proved that service mindset and leadership transfer across industries. This conversation covers what works in non-linear transitions: how corporate experience prepared him for college athletics, why cultural intelligence matters more than credentials, and how answering cold emails builds real careers.

What You'll Learn:

• How Starbucks taught navigation skills that translated directly to college athletics bureaucracy
• Why an Athletic Director bet on a veteran with zero college experience for a senior leadership role
• What being trilingual and culturally aware meant for recruiting and developing international student-athletes

What does it take to build a SkillBridge program that creates lasting impact rather than just checking boxes? Linley Fenlason, Director of Talent Acquisition for the New Orleans Saints and

Pelicans, shares how moving deliberately helped them create one that’s already making a difference.

Linley's path to human resources wasn't traditional, but a role recruiting patients for university research studies revealed her calling: helping people find where they belong and succeed once they get there. That insight now drives how she approaches hiring.

What You'll Learn:

-- Why slow, methodical SkillBridge programs succeed

-- Common resume mistakes that create barriers for veteran candidates

-- Why "I'll take anything" is the wrong answer when pursuing SkillBridge roles

-- How to get leadership buy-in for meaningful veteran programs

What happens when you leave college, join the Air Force, go back to school, and end up running military programs for a Major League Baseball team? Sean Hudson's journey to becoming the Washington Nationals' Director of Military Affairs is refreshingly honest about what career transitions actually require.

Sean joined the military after admitting warehouse work in New Jersey couldn't be worse than his current situation. His recruiter connected him with Air Force public affairs despite Sean spending the entire meeting saying he didn't want to be a cop. That role documenting events across Europe became the foundation for everything that followed.

What You'll Learn:

• Why expecting a reduction in title and pay may be critical for successful transitions
• How networking actually works
• The difference between performative military recognition and authentic community building
• How to measure community relations impact beyond ticket sales

Reach out to Sean here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-hudson-451a99151/

What happens when an infantry paratrooper decides at 27 to leave the military and become a full-time college student? Seth Tilton's journey from the 82nd Airborne to Detroit Pistons business development executive proves that starting over doesn't mean starting behind.

Seth spent 10 years in the Army, including two combat deployments to Afghanistan where he turned 19 and 21, plus stations in Hawaii and Italy. His pivot to sports began with a Father's Day gift - tickets to Chipper Jones's last home game that turned into an unforgettable experience thanks to an Atlanta Braves executive who understood authentic community building.

What You'll Learn:

• Why authenticity beats experience in relationship-driven sales roles
• How military leadership translates to thinking multiple steps ahead with clients
• The value of international experience as sports leagues expand globally
• Why starting a new career in your late twenties can be an advantage, not a setback
• How to leverage military background without hiding who you are

Connect with Seth here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-tilton-a8581420a/

What happens when a combat photographer becomes the Pentagon's bridge to professional sports? Natasha Fultz-Castro's journey from documenting special operations to managing DOD's sports partnerships shows how military communication expertise translates into high-stakes civilian roles.

Key Topics:

• From combat camera to crisis communications: telling stories under pressure
• Managing DOD sports partnerships across all major leagues
• Why military veterans naturally fit in sports industry roles
• The power of authentic storytelling in building community connections
• Using SkillBridge to transition into industry associations

Resources:

SkillBridge Program (Sports and Fitness Industry Association)

SFIA's Vets Excel

Industry association internships for behind-the-scenes learning

CJ Tobin's journey from West Point football player to Black Hawk pilot to NASCAR's Director of Vehicle Systems proves that technical military careers aren't dead ends - they're launching pads. In this episode, CJ breaks down how he transitioned from flying helicopters to designing the safety systems that protect drivers at 200+ mph.

What You'll Learn:

• Why starting early in your transition matters more than your rank when you leave
• How to build technical portfolios using open-source resources before you even separate
• The strategic value of humility in landing roles that seem "below" your military level
• Why cross-functional thinking from military leadership gives you an edge in technical roles
• How high-pressure military experience translates to high-stakes civilian careers

CJ's story demonstrates that military experience isn't something you overcome in technical careers - it's something that makes you better at them. His ability to think across systems, lead under pressure, and understand how individual components affect the entire organization comes directly from his military background.

Whether you're interested in engineering, data science, or any technical role in sports, this conversation offers a roadmap for making the transition successfully.

About CJ Tobin:

Director of Vehicle Systems at NASCAR R&D, responsible for designing chassis, suspension, brakes, and steering systems for the Cup Series. Former Black Hawk pilot and West Point graduate with a systems engineering degree.

Resources Mentioned:

• NFL Big Data Bowl Mentorship Program
• SkillBridge Program
• Open-source technical resources for portfolio building

Listen wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe for weekly episodes featuring military-connected professionals in sports.

What happens when a 26-year Navy helicopter pilot becomes a Zamboni driver and uses that experience to revolutionize how sports teams connect with military communities?

Russ Thompson's journey from commanding helicopter squadrons to driving ice resurfacing machines to building groundbreaking military outreach programs shows how unconventional paths can lead to extraordinary impact. After retiring from the Navy, Russ worked in special education and coached basketball before taking a part-time job at a hockey rink. It was there, watching the San Diego Gulls practice, that he saw an opportunity everyone else had missed.

In this episode, Russ shares how he turned his observations into action, writing the point paper that would land him a role with San Diego Loyal FC and eventually lead to the creation of the San Diego Pro Sports Military Alliance - bringing together multiple professional teams to serve the city's massive military population of over half a million people.

You'll hear about the childhood Red Sox game that still drives his work today, why authenticity matters more than recognition ceremonies, and how understanding your market through data can open doors that networking alone can't. Russ also breaks down what it really takes to break into sports from the military - including why that part-time job might be more valuable than you think.

Whether you're transitioning out of the military, working in sports, or just curious about how authentic community impact gets built, this conversation offers practical insights and proof that military experience isn't something to translate - it's something that can transform entire industries.

Episode Topics:

• Building military outreach programs that actually serve the community
• Why data and research matter when pitching sports organizations
• Breaking into sports through unconventional entry points
• The business side of professional sports teams
• Creating authentic connections vs. performative recognition

Reach out to Russ on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russ-thompson-00429a5/

What happens when military experience meets the sports industry? You're about to find out.

I'm Katherine, Army veteran turned sports strategy leader, and I'm launching this podcast to share the stories you haven't heard yet. Over the next few episodes, you'll meet veterans, military spouses, military children, and industry advocates who've built incredible careers in sports - each taking their own unique path from service to success.

You'll hear from people who've navigated everything from front office operations to broadcasting, from analytics to marketing, from player development to business strategy. Some found their way through traditional paths, others created entirely new roles. Each guest will share how they built their career in sports, the advice they wish they'd had starting out, and where they're headed next.

This isn't just about career transitions. It's about the deeper journey of finding yourself again after military service and discovering how your background becomes your superpower in unexpected places. You'll hear honest conversations about rejection, reinvention, and the moments that changed everything.

Why does this matter? Because there are thousands of military-connected individuals with the leadership, adaptability, and strategic thinking that the sports industry needs - they just need to know how to get there.

Whether you're a veteran looking to pivot, someone in sports curious about military talent, or anyone interested in unconventional career journeys, these conversations will show you that there's no such thing as the "wrong" background.

Ready to hear these stories? New episodes drop weekly. Let's get started.