Downtown Orlando Sports + Entertainment Overview
DOWNTOWN ORLANDO SPORTS + ENTERTAINMENT OVERVIEW
Garry Capton, a long-time FAIRWINDS crewmember, was appointed to this new role and will oversee a multitude of partnerships, sponsorships, and philanthropic endeavors. Capton was selected after successfully serving as FAIRWINDS’ Vice President of University Partnerships, managing the credit union’s partnership as the Official Student Banking Partner of the University of Central Florida. As the Vice President of Community Affairs, Capton will continue to manage the UCF partnership while building new relationships within the Central Florida community. Capton received his BS from Florida State University and his MS in Counseling and Psychology from Palm Beach Atlantic University. He serves as the Chair for the UCF Community Council and as the Chair for Eurasia Partners. Originally from West Palm Beach, he has called Central Florida home since 2004.
Allen Johnson has served as the Executive Director of the City of Orlando’s Venues Department which includes the Amway Center, Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre (2004-2014), Camping World Stadium, Tinker Field, Harry P. Leu Gardens and Mennello Museum of American Art.
Johnson holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Central Florida and has successfully completed requirements for his Certified Facility Executive (CFE) and Certified Public Manager (CPM) designations. He is passionate about facilities management and keeps up with latest trends by routinely attending professional educational programs including his recently completed Senior Executive Symposium (SES) at Cornell University.
Currently, Allen is a member of the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) Board; past Chairman of IAVM Foundation Board of Trustees. In addition, Johnson serves on the Boards of the Central Florida Sports Commission, Florida Citrus Sports, Goodwill Industries of Central Florida, Inc., the Victim Service Center of Central Florida, Inc., Downtown Orlando Partnership and the National Advisory Board for the UCF DeVos Sport Business Management Program.
SPORT VENUES PRESENTATION + TOUR
Craig Borkon is the Assistant Director of the Orlando Venues. In this role, Craig acts as the liaison to Venues partners including Florida Citrus Sports, Central Florida Sports Commission and Orlando City Soccer while also working on special projects including the Orlando Citrus Bowl reconstruction, bid submissions and contract negotiation. Craig serves as the City of Orlando’s point person on major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, Wrestlemania and NCAA. Prior to joining the Orlando Venues staff, Craig was president of CB Consulting, a political and public relations consulting firm where he worked on a variety of campaigns throughout the state of Florida for corporations, nonprofit organization and politicians.
Before starting his consulting business in 2010, Craig worked in politics, the business sector and ran a non-profit conflict resolution program in the Palm Beach County school system. A native of New Jersey, Craig attended the University of Central Florida.
DOWNTOWN ORLANDO SPORTS + ENTERTAINMENT PANEL
Kay Rawlins, the VP of Community Relations for Orlando City, President of the Foundation and is also a Founder and Owner of the Club. Originally from the UK, Kay has lived in the US for over 13 years and recently became an American citizen. She owned and ran children’s pre-schools in the UK, served as an educational assessor, lectured on signs and symptoms of child abuse to pre-school educators and also taught parenting classes.
The last six years has seen the rise of Orlando City, playing their first season in Major League Soccer in 2015, adding a women’s team, Orlando Pride in 2016 and a new downtown stadium which opened in 2017. Kay’s role includes speaking engagements on behalf of the Club, most of the community outreach, sending players to schools and youth groups to talk about exercise and healthy choices and encouraging staff and fans to join community projects
DOWNTOWN ORLANDO SPORTS + ENTERTAINMENT PANEL
Steve Hogan is the Chief Executive Officer for Florida Citrus Sports (FCS), a non-profit event management company that is responsible for producing the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl, Russell Athletic Bowl, Florida Blue Florida Classic, Florida Citrus Parade and other Central Florida-based events designed to attract economic impact and ultimately benefit at-risk children and educational initiatives. After working for McCaw Communications and The New York Times, Hogan started his employment at Florida Citrus Sports in 1995 in the events department. He worked his way up to become Events Manager, Assistant Executive Director (COO) and ultimately interim Executive Director (CEO). After a nationwide search, Hogan was named the organization’s Chief Executive Officer in 2006.
David Hansen joined UCF as senior associate athletics director for internal operations in June 2006. He was promoted to Executive Associate AD/Chief Operating Officer in January 2016. Hansen's primary duties include overseeing facility development and home event operations, while overseeing administering the Knights football and women’s rowing programs. Hansen directs the Athletics facility master planning process and serves on UCF's Master Planning Committee. Since 2006, UCF Athletics has completed building projects totaling over $70 million. The Athletics Facility Plan calls for continued aggressive development in the near future. Prior to joining the UCF staff, Hansen served as the deputy director of athletics at the University of Southern Mississippi. Hansen was the Golden Eagles' chief operating and financial officer.
Jennifer Lastik is vice president of events at the Central Florida Sports Commission, which drives tourism and economic development through sports. Her responsibilities include oversight of event logistics for a five-county region, including more than 70 events per year. In addition, she manages budgets, contracts, staffing and IT services. She played a pivotal role in the 2014 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championships, overseeing all tournament operations, the $2 million-plus event budget and negotiating sponsorship presence and fulfillment. She also was tournament manager for March Madness, which attracted more than 50,000 attendees and generated 14,000 hotel room nights and a $9.4 million economic impact, setting the tone for future marquee events.