Vinessa Needham
Community Relations ~ Customer Experience ~ Marketing ~ Social Media ~ Videography

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OBJECTIVE

Customer Experience professional with 8+ years of experience in the sports industry. Dedicated to building relationships while implementing strategies and company policies to increase revenue and promote a positive vision of a brand/team. Someone who listens empathetically to learn customer and employee needs to drive efficiency, positivity, productivity, and solutions for all.

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EDUCATION

• Ball State University, Muncie, IN - Graduated 2015

• Double Major in Telecommunications and Journalism: News Track - Minor in Sports Studies 

• Fenway Sports Management University Online - Completed 2020

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KEY SKILLS       

• Active Learning

• Community Relations

• Consumer Reporting

• Copywriting

• Customer Service

• Email Marketing

• Empathetic

• Mentor

• Project Management

• Team Leadership

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SOFTWARE SKILLS 

• Adobe Suite

• ApproveForGood

• Delivra

• Final Cut Pro

• Google Analytics

• Microsoft Suite

• Salesforce

• Weebly/WIX

• WordPress

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WORK EXPERIENCE 

Next College Student Athlete – Remote Member Support Lead (11/21 – Present)

• Brings passion, process, and technology to the world’s largest and most successful College Athletics Recruiting Network with a staff of 12-15 individuals to meet or exceed company’s revenue goals

• Manages all forms of inbound contact (phone calls, emails, texts, and voicemails) from over 3,000,000 members

• Provides a world-class customer experience to NCSA’s clients to ensure their needs are met while adhering to company policies

• Manages all forms of financial inquiries, including cancellation and refund requests

• Manages all forms of escalations, with the primary goal of displaying empathy for the family’s current situation in efforts of de-escalation and positive resolutions for the issue at hand

• Proactively reaches out to at-risk and former members, to re-engage and retain them

• Coaches NCSA student athletes and families on best recruiting practices and timeline as needed

• Craft email and text templates to provide family with tools for success to match the company’s values and voice

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Next College Student Athlete – Remote Recruiting Coordinator (4/21 – 10/21)

• Met and exceeded company/team performance metrics monthly calling up to 100 student athletes/families daily

• Identified talent as recruitable based on NCAA, NAIA, and JuCo standards academically and athletically

• Get to know student athletes and their families background on their specific needs in finding the best college

• Set meeting for full family to speak with their sport specific Specialist who goes over the timeline and guidelines of recruiting for the family, cover their school goals/needs, and shows them how to utilize the online profile

 

Colorado Rockies – Ticket Services Supervisor (11/18 – 6/20)

• Hired, Mentored, Trained and Supervised 16 Customer Service Representatives in the Ticket Services Department

• Coordinated scheduling and Game Ops for 14 High School baseball games hosted at Coors Field

• Provided and priced out lunch for staff during double headers for HSBB

• Troubleshot ticketing issues/handled any escalated calls – majorly for mobile tickets

• Provided superior customer service by demonstrating empathy, listening, patience, and solutions

• Coordinated the Peanut Friendly Allergy Game and Fan Packs

• Managed customer service for Concerts at Coors Field

• Managed pilot of Mobile Concession Purchasing via the MLB Ballpark App

• Administrative Assistant for internal Health and Wellness Committee for Rockies’ staff

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Colorado Rockies – Group Sales Administrative Assistant (1/18 – 11/18)

• Preformed administrative duties for the #1 Group Sales Department in Major League Baseball in 2018

• Provided superior customer service with complete understanding of the Ticketing Department Policies

• Processed cash, check and credit card payments, applying payments to specific events and line items

• Updated master calendar with all group theme days and events, YTD sales, and revenue reports

• Created various mass mailings (emails, thank you notes, etc.)

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Pacers Sports & Entertainment/Fort Wayne Mad Ants - Director of Communications/Community Relations (6/16 – 6/17)

• Managed entire Communications and Community Relations budget/expense reports

• Created Mascot Appearance Policy Fees for the Mad Ant; Scheduled and executed all Mascot appearances

• Planned and executed the Seasons of Giving toy initiative through Pacers Cares, donating 5,000 toys

• Managed the You’ve Been Ticketed Reading initiative for underprivileged schools in the community

• Managed player relations through local and national media outlets, along with community outreach

• Implemented online tracking form of all donation/mascot/non-profit requests

• Wrote all post game recaps for website and legal documents of official rules for contests to push fan engagement

• Built and maintained the department’s social media presence, primarily Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

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Boston Red Sox/Lowell Spinners - Public Relations, Marketing, and Video Associate (5/15 – 10/15)

• Responsible for community relations in the Lowell and Greater Massachusetts Area

• Created activities and game promotions of themed nights via multiple social media platforms

• Assisted in writing, shooting, and editing content for video board and social media platforms

• Talent for the Spinners Pre-Game show

• Daktronics video board statistician