Conference Hosts (2021)

Ron Roberts, Jr. is a Corporate Recruiter and self-titled “Career & College Planning Partner”.  He actively partners with high school and college students and those that invest in their college and career preparedness.  Ron draws on over 20 years as a college career advisor, corporate recruiter and youth non-profit consultant.  He has supported students with career and college readiness through one-on-one advising and presentations to youth-serving organizations, churches, and college student groups.  Ron has also actively connected his non-profit and corporate employer contacts to facilitate youth employment opportunities.

Professionally, Ron has held roles in career services (University of Southern California; L.A. County Office of Education), corporate recruiting and diversity (Ernst & Young; Griffith Company; RSM; Union Bank; Wells Fargo), and educational initiatives (Families In Schools).

Ron also has a history of creating and executing career readiness events for students dating back to his work roles with the University of Southern California. He particularly enjoyed introducing students to career opportunities in the exciting fields of sports and entertainment.

Ron is focused on positively impacting lots of young people, so they can in turn positively impact the people in their circles of influence.

You can keep up with what’s happening with Ron by checking out his LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronrobertsjr.

Jeff Fellenzer has more than three decades of experience in sports media, sports management, higher education and as an entrepreneur. He is an Associate Professor of Professional Practice at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, teaching "Sports, Business, Media," "Sports and Media Technology" and a sports film class: "The Athlete, Sports Media and Popular Culture.” 

Fellenzer’s signature “Sports, Business, Media” class, which averages between 50 and 75 students each semester, was chosen in a student survey in 2012 as the No. 4 most popular class at USC. Among guests Fellenzer has interviewed in his classes: John Wooden, Jerry West, Louie Zamperini, Pete Carroll, Bill Walton, Scott Boras, Casey Wasserman, Sam Darnold, Ndamukong Suh, Daryl Morey, Fred Claire, Kevin Love, Jeanie Buss, Sam Cunningham, Byron Scott, Lee Jenkins, Yogi Roth, Lynn Swann, Ned Colletti, George Raveling, Keyshawn Johnson, Jim Nantz, Jim Lampley and Al Michaels. His “Weekly Wooden” segments are a tribute to the life lessons of his late friend, the Hall of Fame basketball coach and teacher who was a three-time guest in class. He also teaches a Sports Beat class in the USC Annenberg journalism master’s program, and serves as faculty advisor for the school newspaper at Chadwick School in Palos Verdes, Calif., where he also teaches a journalism skills class.

In 2014, Fellenzer was recognized as one of USC's "most inspirational professors." He was selected Advisor of the Year for 2017-18 by the Marshall School of Business for his work with the USC Sports Business Assn. In both 2018 and 2019, he served as an Executive Coach for the NFL Speakers Bureau program held at USC Annenberg, working with current and former NFL players to improve their public speaking skills and brand messaging. Since 2015, he has been a featured speaker/moderator and led sessions on networking, resume writing and interviewing at the Sports Business Classroom program in Las Vegas, held in conjunction with the NBA Summer League. 

One of only 43 Heisman Trophy voters in California and 925 around the country, Fellenzer was a featured interviewee on ESPN's 30 for 30 "Trojan War" documentary in 2015, and has been a featured guest on podcasts including Yogi Roth’s #LifeWithoutLimits and Fred Claire’s “Life in the Front Office.” 

Fellenzer worked for almost eight years as a writer-editor at the Los Angeles Times, where he wrote a column on recruiting that covered high school and college football and basketball, and as a writer-editor for NFL Properties in Los Angeles. Fellenzer left the Times to become founder/president of the Pete Newell Challenge, a college basketball doubleheader held in the Bay Area from 1997-2006, and to launch Innovative Sports Management.