Speakers

Passion for the game, players and fans has been a hallmark of Goodell’s career. A three-sport team captain at Bronxville (NY) High School, Goodell graduated from Washington and Jefferson College in 1981, determined to land a first job with the League. Dozens of unsolicited application letters later, Commissioner Pete Rozelle took notice, granting Goodell an internship in the League office.

From that entry-level opportunity, Goodell worked in myriad football and business capacities, as the NFL’s first Chief Operating Officer in 2001. Throughout those two decades, Goodell took on responsibilities that included stadium development, team realignments, marketing, media partnerships, international initiatives and League communications strategy.

Upon succeeding Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, Goodell has focused on improving the game for players and fans alike. He established a League-led multidisciplinary approach to critical player health and safety issues, enhanced benefits for retired players, and championed players’ opportunities to address racial and social injustice. The Commissioner continues to press efforts to expand diversity and inclusion throughout the League, and oversees League philanthropy through the NFL Foundation, supporting causes ranging from cancer prevention to stemming domestic violence to the needs of military families and beyond.

Football fans in America and worldwide continue to enjoy an enhanced game experience through stadium improvements and tech innovations, expanded regular and postseasons, innovative rule changes, and NFL coverage on a variety of new media platforms. In 2022, the NFL played its 100th international regular season game, affording hundreds of thousands of fans in Mexico, Germany and the UK exciting game days.

Commissioner Goodell led negotiations that secured two, ten-year transformative Collective Bargaining Agreements, ensuring labor peace for a generation with landmark agreements in 2011 and 2020.

In 2021, Goodell successfully concluded long-term agreements with media partners Amazon, CBS, ESPN/ABC, FOX, and NBC to distribute games on broadcast television, cable and digital platforms, affording fans unprecedented choice and access to the game and their teams. By putting games on each of our partners’ digital platforms and on NFL+, the League is meeting its viewers’ evolving media consumption habits and growing the next generation of fans. This strategy continued in 2022 when the Commissioner signed a multi-year agreement with YouTube to exclusively distribute the League’s out-of-market Sunday regular-season game package, NFL Sunday Ticket.

From the increasing fervor surrounding NFL Draft weekend, to the iconic Super Bowl moments that cap every season, the NFL has evolved into a year-round, shared global cultural experience.

Goodell serves on the board of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of New York City, the National Football League Foundation, GENYOUth Foundation, and the Paley Center for Media.

Commissioner Goodell is married to Jane Skinner Goodell, and they are the proud parents of twin daughters. Together, they support organizations focused on our nation’s veterans, domestic violence survivors, and access to mentorship, physical activity and sports for young people.

Mike Tirico is the voice of NBC Sports’ biggest events, handling play-by-play for Sunday Night Football and serving as the primetime host for NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Olympics. Tirico, who joined NBC Sports in July 2016, also hosts NBC Sports’ coverage of Triple Crown horse racing, the Indianapolis 500, and golf’s U.S. Open and Open Championship.

Wrote The Associated Press in January 2021: “Smooth, informational, funny and opinionated when needed, Tirico simply is the best no matter what sport he is announcing. The more Tirico the better.”

In Sept. 2023, Tirico began his second season as the play-by-play voice of NBC’s Sunday Night Football. SNF averaged 18.7 million TV viewers last season (with a Total Audience Delivery average of 19.9 million viewers), ranking as primetime’s #1 TV show in all key metrics for an unprecedented 12th consecutive year – adding to its record for the most successive years atop the charts (since 1950), based on official live plus same day data provided by Nielsen.

Tirico has called primetime NFL games for 18 consecutive seasons, including 10 years as the voice of ESPN’s Monday Night Football. In addition, 2023 marks his 28th season as an NFL primetime studio host or play-by-play voice.

In May 2023, Tirico was honored for the second consecutive year with the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality – Studio Host, following a stretch in which he anchored the Beijing Olympics in primetime, horse racing’s Triple Crown, golf’s U.S. Open, and the Indianapolis 500. Tirico was also nominated in the Outstanding Sports Personality – Play-by-Play category following his first season (2022) as the voice of Sunday Night Football.

In May 2022, Tirico earned the Sports Emmy in the studio host category after an unmatched year in which he anchored the Tokyo Olympics in primetime, the Super Bowl LVI Pregame Show, Football Night in America, horse racing’s Triple Crown, golf’s U.S. Open, and the Indianapolis 500.

In February 2022, Tirico completed an unprecedented hosting double, anchoring the NBC Olympics primetime show in Beijing (beginning Thurs., Feb. 3) and Los Angeles, while also hosting the Super Bowl LVI pregame show from SoFi Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 13, as NBCUniversal presented the two global events in an 18-day stretch.

The 2022 Beijing Olympics was Tirico’s third as NBC’s primetime Olympics host (Tokyo, Pyeongchang). He served as an NBC daytime host at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

In February 2019, Tirico was named host of NBC Sports’ inaugural coverage of the Indianapolis 500. Earlier in the same month, he called play-by-play for his first-ever NHL game, after previously hosting the 2018 Stanley Cup Final, 2019 NHL Winter Classic, and 2019 NHL All-Star Game.

In August 2018, Tirico was named studio host for Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports, leading into Sunday Night Football, primetime television’s #1 show.

In May 2017, Tirico was named NBC’s play-by-play voice for Thursday Night Football, alongside analyst and current SNF partner Cris Collinsworth. NBC/NFL Network Thursday Night Football was primetime television’s #2 show in the 2016-17 TV season and the #3 show in the 2017-18 TV season.

Tirico was named the full-time lead play-by-play voice of NBC Sports’ Notre Dame Football coverage in August 2017. In the spring of 2017, Tirico debuted as the host of NBC’s Triple Crown horse racing – covering the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.

Tirico made his NBC Sports Group debut in July 2016 as host of NBC Sports’ live coverage of The Open from Royal Troon in Scotland. Shortly thereafter, he made his Olympics debut as host for NBC’s daytime coverage of Rio 2016. Also that fall, Tirico served as host of The Ryder Cup and NBC’s primetime coverage of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

Tirico joined NBC after 25 years at ESPN/ABC (1991-2016), where he established himself as a preeminent broadcaster on properties and events including Monday Night Football, The Open, The Masters, NBA, college football, college basketball, FIFA World Cup, and tennis’ U.S. Open and Wimbledon. Tirico, the voice of ESPN’s Monday Night Football from 2006-2015, is one of four play-by-play announcers to work primetime NFL games for at least 10 seasons (Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Mike Patrick). He was named the 2010 Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (NSSA), an award voted on by his industry peers.

Tirico joined ESPN as a SportsCenter anchor in July 1991, later serving as host of Monday Night Countdown during the NFL season from that show’s 1993 launch to 2001. From 1993-1997, he anchored ESPN’s college football studio show. In December 1996, Tirico was named golf host for ABC Sports, and in 2002, began calling NBA games for ABC, ESPN, and ESPN Radio. In addition, he hosted SportsCenter coverage of the U.S. Open, The Masters and the Daytona 500, and anchored coverage of the Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four, and NFL Draft for both television and radio.

Prior to joining ESPN, Tirico worked in Syracuse, N.Y. (1987-1991). He was sports director at WTVH-TV and served as play-by-play voice for Syracuse University basketball, football, lacrosse and volleyball.

Named by Crain’s Detroit Business as one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Michigan, Alexis has 20 years of experience in TV news media, government, corporate and community affairs. Alexis is the founder of Moment Strategies, a strategic communications practice located in Detroit with a client base that spans the state. Prior to launching Moment, Alexis spent six years serving the City of Detroit as Mayor Mike Duggan’s chief of staff. Prior to joining the Mayor’s Office, Alexis was an Emmy-award winning reporter, most recently at Fox 2 Detroit. Originally from Los Angeles, California, Alexis is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and lives in Detroit with her husband, Bryce and their three-year-old daughter.

As Detroit Lions Team President and CEO, Rod Wood oversees all football and business operations of the Lions organization and reports directly to Principal Owner and Chair Sheila Ford Hamp. He was originally appointed Team President on Nov. 19, 2015.

Following organizational changes at the end of the 2020 season, Wood and Mrs. Hamp set out to establish a new leadership vision for the Lions. On December 15, 2020, Wood welcomed Lions Legend Chris Spielman to a formal role in the organization as Special Assistant to President/CEO and Chairperson. Together, along with Chief Operating Officer Mike Disner, the group began the process of bringing the right general manager and head coach to Detroit.

The thorough search for the Lions' new leadership tandem resulted in the arrival of Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell. Holmes was named executive vice president and general manager on January 14, 2021 after spending 18 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams (2003-20) in a variety of roles, including most recently director of college scouting. That same week, Campbell, a former tight end with 22 years of NFL experience, including 11 as a coach and 11 as a player, was named the team's new head coach.

With the hiring of Holmes and Campbell, the Lions' improved culture of communication, collaboration and innovation will continue to follow the lead of Wood and Mrs. Hamp's vision toward establishing long-term success on and off the field. In May 2022, Wood and Mrs. Hamp unveiled a new organizational leadership structure that included the hiring of two new senior positions in Brian Facchini, Chief Communications and Brand Officer, and Lindsay Verstegen, Chief People and Diversity Officer. The revamped leadership team has since set out to begin establishing long-term goals for the Lions that focus on football and organizational excellence, fan engagement, brand reputation and stadium experience.

With the support from Mrs. Hamp, Wood and the leadership team led the way for two major organizational announcements this past spring. At the 2022 NFL Annual Meeting, it was announced that the Lions were selected for the NFL's premier behind-the-scenes television series Hard Knocks, which will provide an inside look at Lions Training Camp this summer through collaboration with NFL Films and HBO. Days later, Detroit was announced as the host city for the 2024 NFL Draft, a project years in the making that Wood called a "momentous" opportunity for the city.

"We're close to most of the NFL cities, close to a lot of the college teams," Wood said. "The draft is kind of the intersection between college football and pro football, so I think there'll be a lot of people traveling because it's going to be easy to get to Detroit. I'm hoping it's going to rival what you've seen in some other cities, hundreds of thousands of people."

Upon his initial hiring, Wood immediately began evaluating all business functions within the Lions and Ford Field. Concurrent with his organizational evaluation, Wood's "everything is on the table" approach to shaping the business affairs of the franchise has made a tangible and positive impact on the business operations for both the Lions and Ford Field on and off the field.

In his six years, Wood has implemented significant changes that range from day-to-day operations to new branding and has done so guided by a mission to improve the team's competitive financial position, fan engagement and overall customer experience. Wood has strengthened the Lions and Ford Field brands with improved business partnerships and more strategic alliances that positively influence business initiatives and provide necessary financial support to the club's football operations.

In February 2017, Wood unveiled plans for the first major renovation to the Detroit Lions' home stadium, Ford Field, since it opened its doors in 2002. The $100 million investment incorporated a complete overhaul of the audio and visual experience that featured new videoboards as well as a new state-of-the-art sound system. The stadium's premium spaces also received a complete makeover with expanded offerings to fans.

With the fan game-day experience a primary focus for Wood, his team also implemented a significant upgrade to the stadium's Wi-Fi and oversaw the return of a team cheerleading squad for the first time in four decades.

During this time, the team also unveiled a comprehensive rebranding initiative that emphasized the classic colors of Honolulu Blue and Silver. At the forefront of the team's rebranding and perhaps its most visible assets, the Lions' new uniforms, revealed in April 2017, now feature Home, Away, Throwback and Color Rush combinations. In 2021, the team also unveiled a white pant that is now included in the uniform combinations.

Off the field, Wood provided support for an initial $600,000 commitment from Mrs. Ford and players in 2018 toward the launch of Detroit Lions Inspire Change, the team's social justice initiative in the City of Detroit. The initiative has since continued through grants to various Metro Detroit organizations and will remain as part of the team's community footprint in 2022.

Additionally, Wood has worked to improve the team's football infrastructure at the Lions' Allen Park practice facility. Over the past fouur years, the organization has completely renovated and updated the weight room and practice fields, along with other ongoing facility improvements and branding enhancements.

At the League level, Wood was appointed to and serves on the NFL's Investment Committee. For the eight years prior to his appointment as team president, Wood worked closely with the Detroit Lions organization and the Ford Family in his role as President and CEO of Ford Estates.

From 1999 until his appointment at Ford Estates in 2007, Wood was Executive Vice President of Wealth Management for the Wilmington Trust Company in Wilmington, Del., a $400 million operation with 17 offices in eight states. Wood directed the company's entire wealth management business nationally, and he managed the personal trust, financial planning, private banking, investment management, family office services and sales functions for the wealth advisory business of Wilmington Trust.

Prior to joining Wilmington Trust, Wood held an executive position with Comerica Bank where he oversaw 12 offices in four states.

Over the years, Wood has been a member on numerous company and non-profit boards. He now serves on the board of trustees and is an officer for Detroit Lions Foundation. He is also a member of the boards for Business Leaders For Michigan, an organization dedicated to making Michigan a Top Ten state for jobs, personal income and a healthy economy; CATCH, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for pediatric patients and their families at Children's Hospital of Michigan and Henry Ford Hospital; the Downtown Detroit Partnership, which includes business, philanthropic and government partners that strengthen the city through strategic initiatives and programs; City Year Detroit, an organization that provides in-classroom support that helps students stay in school, become more engaged and perform better academically; as well as the Detroit Sports Organizing Corporation.

Wood graduated from Goodrich (Mich.) High School, and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan and a graduate degree from the ABA Graduate School of Commercial Banking.

Wood and his wife, Susan, have one daughter, Alison, and a son, Taylor.

Claude Molinari has been the president and CEO of the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, (DBA Visit Detroit) since January 1, 2021.

In this role, Molinari is responsible for developing the strategic direction and overseeing the operations of Visit Detroit. He provides the leadership and direction necessary to enable Visit Detroit to bring meetings and conventions, leisure and business visitors to metropolitan Detroit and accelerate economic growth. He leads the creation of the annual sales and marketing plan of the bureau which outlines the direction Visit Detroit will take to attract tourism and meetings business to the region. He oversees the development of the annual budget.

Molinari also oversees the direction of the Detroit Sports Commission (a Visit Detroit subsidiary) which is responsible for securing amateur sports for the region.

Molinari came to Visit Detroit from Huntington Place whereas general manager, he was responsible for managing the day-to-day operation and business development of the 16th largest convention center in North America. His responsibilities there included developing a budget, forecasting and financing, and implementing safety, security and crisis management programs for the center. He also negotiated with local trade unions, developed business contingency, facility safety and emergency plans, and assured that annual budget were achieved.

Molinari was uniquely positioned to accept his new role as DMCVB president and CEO because of his understanding from the convention center position of the role tourism, meetings and conventions play as an economic driver in the region. He accepted the position at a challenging time for the industry as it dealt with the impact of Covid 19.

Molinari’s history at TCF Center began when it was the former Cobo Center. There he served as assistant general manager from 2011-2016 with oversight of operations, security, events and production services and union labor services. He was named general manager in March, 2016 by SMG/ASM Global and during that time forged a strong partnership between the DMCVB and the TCF Center operation.

Molinari serves as the Chairman of the Board of the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority (DRCFA)appointed by the Governor of Michigan. He also serves on the board of directors for The Parade Company, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, the Engineering Society of Detroit, Destinations International, US Travel Association and as a director at large for the southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG).

He is a USA Hockey official, selected to referee state and national playoff tournaments. Molinari resides with his wife in Northville, Michigan and the city of Detroit.

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