Clear Channel Veteran Mike Haake Joins as Part of Texas Leadership; Three Others Promoted
PLANO, Texas – Learfield recently named four individuals to a newly created position of vice president, market director within its core business structure to best serve its collegiate relationships across the country.
Britt Oligschlaeger, Landon Day and Tony Soares were promoted to this new role within the regional structure, having served with Learfield for 12, 11 and seven years respectively. Mike Haake, new to Learfield, will hold the same position and brings 30 years of media and sales experience to the collegiate marketer.
Vice President, MVC Market Director Oligschlaeger has senior oversight of Learfield’s relationship with the Missouri Valley Conference. She also is responsible for directing four Learfield staffs at schools within the league the company represents as respective multimedia rightsholder. She was promoted from director, MVC Sports Properties, a position she held this past year. Oligschaleger started her career with Learfield in 2006, and more recently, served four years as general manager for Learfield’s Jackrabbit Sports Properties representing South Dakota State Athletics.
Vice President, Big Sky Market Director Day was promoted from general manager at Learfield’s Aggie Sports Properties team representing Utah State Athletics, a role he held over nine years. He will provide senior insight to Learfield’s relationship with the Big Sky Conference, as well as the company’s individual athletics multimedia rights relationships with Idaho, EWU, Idaho State and Weber State. Prior to joining Learfield in 2007, Day was assistant athletic director-marketing for U.S. Air Force Academy and got his career start in athletics marketing with his alma mater, Utah State.
Vice President, Big West Market Director Soares was promoted from serving as general manager for Learfield’s on-campus team representing Long Beach State Athletics in California. He now will oversee the company’s relationship with the Big West Conference, in addition to seven of the company’s 12 collegiate properties within the state. Before Learfield, Soares was president of the Long Beach Armada independent professional baseball team and president of the Long Beach Ice Dogs hockey team of the ECHL.
Vice President, Texas Market Director Haake joins Learfield from Global Traffic Network Inc., where he was an independent consultant. Prior to that, he served nearly 27 years with Clear Channel Communications as executive vice president-affiliate sales radio and television. Haake also served as an executive vice president with Metro Networks and is a former program director for KLEX Radio in Lexington, Mo. He will oversee many of the nine collegiate relationships Learfield manages in the state of Texas.
“We are always looking for ways we can refine our structure and improve how we serve our university partners and sponsor clients. Britt, Landon and Tony have been terrific leaders within our company at the property level, and we’re pleased to expand their responsibilities in regions they know so well,” said Andy Rawlings, Learfield’s executive vice president and chief revenue officer. “We’re also excited to have Mike join us, a proven, senior leader now a part of our leadership group.”
An industry leader for more than four decades, Learfield has a deep presence in the college athletics landscape nationwide. The company manages the multimedia rights and sponsorship initiatives for nearly 130 collegiate institutions, conferences and arenas nationwide, providing these partners access to professional concessions and ticket sales; branding, licensing and trademark consulting; digital and social platform expertise; campus-wide business and sponsorship development; and venue and technology systems through its affiliated companies.