Pac-12 Sustainability Conference

Karen Baebler is in her 20th year on the Husky athletics staff, currently serving as Assistant Director of Athletics for Sports Operations. In this role, Baebler oversees Pac12 and NCAA Championship events, the operations of the Nordstrom Tennis Center, scheduling and contracting of athletics contest, and gender equity initiatives. She currently serves on the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics and is the athletic department's liaison to the Seattle Sports Commission and Convention and Visitor's Bureau. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Washington and holds an M.S. in Athletic Administration from Ball State University. She attended the Sports Management Institute on the campuses of the University of Michigan and University of Texas and has been an adjunct professor at Seattle University, teaching graduate courses in Event Management and Finance of Sport. ▼

Ayrel has spent the better part of the past decade focused on sustainability-related efforts. She develops and implements programs for the University of Utah that integrate sustainability into student, faculty, and staff experiences, as well as expand sustainable behaviors that help the U progress toward lasting change. Through partnerships with various organizations on campus, including Athletics, she ensures initiatives highlight all aspects of sustainability, including social, environmental, and economic equity. Prior to joining the U Sustainability Office in 2012, she worked abroad documenting a zero-waste initiative in India. She received her undergraduate degree from Iowa State University, and holds a Master of Public Administration from Arizona State University.

Gough is entering his twelfth year with Utah Athletics. In his current role as Assistant Athletics Director for Facilities and Capital Projects, he is primarily responsible for providing oversight over the day-to-day operations and maintenance for all athletic facilities. Additionally, he manages capital projects from inception through completion. Gough also has several years of experience managing Utah, Pac-12 and NCAA events. He has spent the last three years working with his associates on promoting sustainability in athletics and on campus. Gough graduated with his BA ('05) and MBA ('13) from the University of Utah.

Moira serves as the Manager of the Building Sustainability Performance Program in the Department of Sustainability & Energy Management at Stanford University. Her work includes addressing energy, water, and waste issues in Stanford's buildings to improve overall sustainability performance. Among other projects, Moira manages Stanford's Cardinal Green Athletics program and has has also served on the Assessments team in the Office of Sustainability, where she was responsible for compilation, analysis and reporting of key sustainability metrics for the campus as a whole. Before joining Stanford, Moira served as the Program Manager for a residential energy efficiency program at Acterra, an environmental non-profit organization based in Palo Alto. Moira graduated from Stanford with a B.A. in Human Biology and a concentration in International Environmental Policy.

Steve Mital is the founding director of the University of Oregon's Sustainability Office. He was part of the three-person team that developed the Oregon Model for Sustainable Development, a landmark campus energy policy that requires all new buildings to harvest 100% of their energy needs from existing building stock. He also led the initiative to create the Oregon Leadership in Sustainability graduate certificate program that launched in 2011. Prior to this position, Steve was an instructor in the Environmental Studies Program at the University of Oregon. While there, he founded and directed the Environmental Leadership Program, which provides undergraduate and graduate students practical experience as consultants to area businesses, agencies, and NGOs. Steve is also one of five commissioners elected to govern the Eugene Water and Electric Board. He holds two masters degrees from the University of Oregon.

Dave launched the first US college sports sustainability activation with corporate partnership for the Florida Gators when he was UF's Director of Sustainability in 2002. Later he became Director of the University of Colorado Boulder Environmental Center and founded the nation's first comprehensive NCAA Division 1 sports sustainability program, Ralphie's Green Stampede. He has helped develop fan engagement partnerships with BASF, Pepsi, Wells Fargo, WhiteWave Foods, The Pantry, Eco-Products, and UPS etc aimed at influencing fans' behavior toward sustainability at home, work and play. Dave is also Secretary of the Green Sports Alliance Board of Directors, former Board Secretary of the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, an award winning publisher and editor, and a former elected county commission board chairman.

Wong, starting her seventh year at the Pac-12 Conference, serves as the Assistant Commissioner for Sport Management and Championships, overseeing women's soccer, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's golf, women's lacrosse, and men's and women's rowing. With almost 15 years of experience in collegiate and professional athletics, Wong has held a variety of positions in athletics, starting as an athletic trainer at UCLA, with stops in marketing and corporate sponsorship, and most recently came to the Conference from the University of California, Berkeley where she oversaw travel operations for the athletic department. Wong continues her development with participation in various NCAA leadership conferences and programming as well as serving on the National Board for MOAA (Minority Opportunities Athletics Association). Wong completed her undergraduate degree at UCLA and also holds a Masters degree from the University of Miami.

Jamie Zaninovich joined the Pac-12 Conference as Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer in July of 2014. He is responsible for all aspects of the Pac-12's administrative operations, including television administration, sport management, championships, football bowl relationships, Pac-12 Global, governance, enforcement, compliance, and officiating. During his first two years at the Pac-12, Zaninovich helped guide the conference through unprecedented governance changes, major increases in its international efforts, and continued high-level success of its 23 sponsored sports. To name just a few of his myriad accomplishments at the Pac-12, Zaninovich has overseen the addition of two Pac-12 sports, transitioned the Pac-12 football postseason from the BCS to the College Football Playoff, navigated major changes in intercollegiate athletics governance and rule-making, and overseen reforms to student-athlete benefits and the addition of the Pac-12 Student-Athlete Leadership Team to the Pac-12's official governance structure. ▼

Heather Vaughan is Vice President of Marketing for the Pac-12 Conference and Pac-12 Networks. In this capacity, Heather is responsible for oversight of the marketing, promotions and creative services teams. She also leads campaign strategies for all Pac-12 programming, both on and off channel and is at the helm of the overall look and feel of the Pac-12 Networks brand. A veteran marketer, Heather has worked for the Sacramento Kings, several advertising agencies and was also an instructor at the Art Institute. Heather has a B.A. in Communication Design from California State University, Chico and an M.A. in Communications from California State University, Fullerton. She is a member of the NSMN, WICT, WISE, and the ADL.