Online MBA In Sport Entertainment Management

Matt Walker, Ph.D., is the Director of Sport Entertainment Management at the University of North Texas, and a Professor in the Department of Management in the G. Brint Ryan College of Business. Dr. Walker teaches classes in corporate partnerships and professional consulting. His research and consultancy projects focus on strategic organizational management. He has participated in more than 100 funded research projects for sport (and related) organizations domestically and around the world, including the PGA of America, National Football League, World Golf Foundation, Nike, Barclays Bank, USA Archery, Easton Sports Development Foundation, Fundación Conconcreto, Fulham Football Club Foundation, England Institute of Sport, Fight-4-Change (among others). Walker has co-authored a scholarly textbook, numerous marketing book chapters and industry reports, and has written or contributed to more than 100 peer-reviewed articles in leading scientific journals. His research and consultations have offered marketing and management solutions to businesses, NGOs, and government agencies helping to improve and enhance social and strategic programming efforts.

Bob Heere is the Executive Director of the Sports Innovation Space @ UNT and the G. Brint Ryan Professor of Sport Entertainment Management at the University of North Texas. He founded UNT's BBA and MBA Sport Entertainment Management programs, which grew to serve more than 200 students and developed partnerships with organizations such as the Dallas Cowboys and PGA of America. Prior to joining UNT, he held academic appointments in the United States, Europe, and New Zealand.

A globally recognized scholar, Heere's research focuses on fan engagement and brand identity, and he has conducted research in more than 20 countries. He currently leads the Sports Innovation Space @ UNT, which helps international sport technology companies enter the U.S. market through networking, professional development, and industry partnerships. In 2026, he received the Earle F. Zeigler Award, the highest honor in the field of sport management.

Jeff MacCharles is an Assistant Professor in Management at the University of North Texas. He obtained his PhD in Management (Sport Management Concentration) from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where he focused on studying Organizational Behavior and Human Resources concepts in the sport workplace. Specifically, his research interests lie in understanding how sport organizations can improve their workforce diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and how they can develop more equitable hiring processes and practices that will attract and retain top talent that is more representative of the communities in which they operate. His work has been published in the Journal of Sport Management, Sport Management Review, Sport, Business and Management: An International Journal and the Sport Management Education Journal, and he has presented his research as the North American Society for Sport Management and Academy of Management conferences. He and his co-authors were awarded the Best Paper Award for 2021 in the Sport Management Education Journal for their manuscript, "Getting a job in the sport industry: The institutionalization of privilege through hegemony."

Misun Won, Ph.D., is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Management and a director of the BBA Sport Entertainment Management program at the University of North Texas. Prior to her appointment at UNT, she pursued her PhD at the University of South Carolina and taught sport marketing and sport sales courses. At UNT, Won teaches ticket operations, pricing strategies, corporate partnerships, talent management, international brand strategies, fan engagement, and venue and event operations at undergraduate and graduate levels.

Her research focuses on ticket pricing and consumer behavior to better understand sports consumers and assist sports teams in choosing optimal pricing strategies. Her research has been published in Sport Marketing Quarterly, Sport, Business, Management: An International Journal, and Journal of Global Sport Management. Her research has been presented at the North American Society for Sport Management, the Sport Marketing Association, and the European Association for Sport Management conferences.

Won had worked in the industry for over 9 years across various fields before pursuing her doctorate, including youth sports camps, college athletics, a martial arts school, and the Olympics. Using her expertise in sport marketing, she has provided marketing consultancy to a martial arts school. Won currently serves as a reviewer at two sport management journals.

Carly Stephens is the Manager of Corporate Partnership Marketing for the Dallas Cowboys. In this role, she manages and oversees the day-to-day relationships with Cowboys corporate partners; one of which includes the University of North Texas. She also serves as the Industry Director for the UNT / Cowboys professional MBA program and is the primary liaison between the university and the Cowboys for the program. Carly has been with the Cowboys for three years. Prior to the Cowboys, she worked in corporate consulting at two sports marketing agencies leading partnership strategy and activation for several brands, primarily Frito-Lay. Carly is a North Texas native from Colleyville and holds a degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Missouri.