Students enrolled in the University of Florida’s online sport management master’s program gain access to our specialized career coaching services. Our career coaches are internationally recognized industry veterans with decades of experience in sport management, including promotions, corporate partnerships, athlete development, and more.
“Without this graduate program, I never would have landed a job with the Mariners. UF’s resources helped me fine-tune my resume and cover letter, which gave me the opportunity to work the biggest event in Major League Baseball: All-Star Week”
Nathan Thompson, Online M.S. in Sport Management, Spring ‘24
(Gators (UAA) External Events Assistant for the Florida Gators)
Becky Burleigh
Biography
Becky Burleigh is a former American soccer coach, leading squads for 26 years and winning a National Championship with the Florida Gators in 1998. She now teaches and consults around the US, focusing on high performance sports. Drawing from her considerable expertise, she teaches in the areas of leadership, winning cultures, and conflict, among others. Burleigh is a 2024 inductee into the Florida Gators Hall of Fame.
Kim Bastable
Education
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Finance (1985)
Master of Education in Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology/Positive Coaching and Leadership (2017)
Biography
Bastable is faculty at UF, where she teaches and manages the Director of Racquet Sports specialization, and director of Professional Tennis Management. Within the DORS program, she teaches two master’s courses and a certification course pertaining to educating people to be competent directors of racquet sports, equipped with the leadership and business skills needed to run clubs and programs. She also teaches the UF course Athlete-Centered Coaching and Leadership to help coaches create motivating and inspiring cultures that bring the best out of athletes — both on and off the court or field of play.
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Before her role at UF, her consulting company, Vital Leadership, was dedicated to helping athletes improve their performance mindsets as well as inspiring coaches, junior sports programs, and schools to build motivating, athlete-centered sports environments. She’s passionate about reframing the purpose of sports participation, broadening the purpose from a focus on strong muscles, skills, and outcomes to one powerful enough to also build high-performance personal growth and development.
She was a No. 1-ranked Gator tennis player in the 1980s, earning NCAA All-America and All-SEC honors, and winning 3 SEC championships. She moved into coaching after her player career as the women’s assistant coach at the University of Kansas. She’s been a certified tennis pro for 35 years, working in leadership at country clubs and racquet clubs, including 10 years as director of Kansas City Junior Tennis League.
She holds a B.S. in Business from UF and a M.Ed. in Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology/Positive Coaching and Leadership from the University of Missouri. Other certifications earned include designation as a “Mental Game Coach” from Perk Performance Sports, “Mental Toughness Specialist” from the Human Performance Institute, and an Executive Certificate in Leadership from Notre Dame University. She is a USPTA Elite-level and PTR Professional-level certified pro.
She resides in Leawood, Kansas with her husband, Jack. They have six married children and 13 grandchildren.
Ashley Smith
Biography
Ashley Smith is a Football Agent at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), where she represents and advises athletes on their careers, business opportunities, and long-term success beyond the game. With experience spanning the collegiate, club, league, and representation levels, she possesses a 360-degree view of the athlete ecosystem.
Prior to joining CAA, Ashley spent four seasons at the National Football League (NFL) as a Manager of Player Engagement. In this role, she led league-wide initiatives focused on personal development, financial literacy, continuing education, and professional development. During this time, she and her brother, Trey Smith of the Kansas City Chiefs, became the first brother-sister duo in NFL history to simultaneously serve in the league office and play in the league.
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Her career also includes a tenure at the University of Tennessee as the Assistant Athletic Director for Player Relations & Development, where she was the youngest member of the Athletics' Expanded Senior Staff and one of only two Black women overseeing player development for an SEC football program. She also gained early experience in player personnel with the Kansas City Chiefs—becoming one of the first two women in club history to hold such a position—and began her career with the NCAA’s competitive Postgraduate Internship Program, where she supported the execution of 19 national championships.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and entrepreneurship, Ashley also holds a master’s degree in sport management from the University of Florida. During her undergraduate studies, she served as a student manager for the Lady Vols Basketball Program, working alongside legendary Hall of Fame Coach Pat Summitt. A recognized trailblazer, Ashley was an inaugural recipient of the University of Tennessee’s 40 Under 40 Award and currently serves on the University of Tennessee Alumni Board of Directors.
Rick Anderson
Biography
Rick Anderson worked as an attorney and sports executive for 35 years. After graduating from UF Law in 1990, he began his career in private practice, focusing on intellectual property law. In 1995, he joined the PGA TOUR as intellectual property counsel, was promoted to General Counsel in 2001 and served as Chief Legal Officer through 2009. In 2010, Rick moved to the commercial side leading the PGA TOUR’s global media business and eventually added responsibility for global sponsorship and the overall international business, including offices in Beijing, Tokyo and London. Rick retired from the PGA TOUR at the end of 2025 and is now serving as an Adjunct Professor at the UF Levin College of Law.
Kiki Kaplanidou
Biography
Dr. Kaplanidou has more than 10 years of working experience in the sport management industry. Her primary area of expertise lies within the management of sport organizations that deliver on sport consumer experiences. Dr. Kaplanidou worked for 6 years in Health and Fitness Clubs in Greece. From that role, she advanced to work for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games Organizing Committee in the International Media Department which worked closely with the Sports Competition Department and the International Olympic Committee. After that role, Dr. Kaplanidou worked for the State of Michigan as a research assistant for Travel Michigan, the tourism arm of the State, focusing her efforts in the development of the tourism product in the State, with sport events being one angle. Dr. Kaplanidou has served as the President of the Executive Board of the Gainesville Sports Commission and continues to stay involved with the sport event industry as speaker and/or as consultant on sport event planning and delivery to achieve community development goals. She is currently the Department Chair of the Sport Management program at the University of Florida.
