Sport Business Symposium 2026
April 10 @ 9:00 am – 2:30 pm
The annual Loras Sport Business Symposium is a student-led event that attracts more than 150 college students and industry professionals. Scheduled for April 10, 2026, the symposium includes a keynote speaker, lunch in the Loras Cafe, and two panel discussions consisting of alumni of the College’s nationally recognized Sport Management program and industry leaders from across the Midwest.
| Tentative Schedule | |
| 9:00 am | Registration |
| 10:00 am | First Panel |
| 11:00 am | Keynote – Tim Kelly |
| 11:45 am | Lunch in the Loras Café |
| 12:30 pm | Second Panel |
| 1:15 pm | Raffle |
| 1:30 pm | Closing Remarks |
| 1:35 pm | Meet and Greet with Tim Kelly (Loras Pub) |
| 2:30 pm | End Meet and Greet |
Registration is $10/person
| About our Keynote Speaker: Tim Kelly (’12) Senior Director of Regional Development for the Southern United States at the University of Notre Dame  Tim Kelly is honored to return to his alma mater as the keynote speaker for the 2026 Loras College Sports Symposium. A proud 2012 graduate and former captain of the Duhawk Men’s Basketball Team, Tim credits Loras for providing the foundation of faith, integrity, and excellence that has guided his career. As a student, he saw the value of events like this firsthand, having served as a Conference Co-Director for the CSRI Conference on College Sport and competing as a Case Study Champion.
Before his current seven-year tenure at Notre Dame, Tim built a diverse professional background within collegiate athletics and advancement. He began his career in athletic business and finance at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill while earning his Master’s degree in Exercise and Sports Science. He later transitioned into leadership as the Assistant Athletic Director for Development at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he oversaw major gifts and corporate sponsorships. Prior to his current role, Tim spent four years at Northwestern University, where he served as Associate Director of Major Gifts for Athletics and completed the Kellogg School of Management’s Wildcat Emerging Leaders Program. He also earned his MBA at Loyola University Chicago in 2019. Currently, Tim serves as the Senior Director of Regional Development for the Southern United States at the University of Notre Dame. In this role, he leads a team of sixteen principal and major gift fundraisers, overseeing regional strategy and engagement across a nine-state territory, while also maintaining a personal portfolio of principal gift donors. As a member of the Regional Development Leadership Team, Tim plays a key role in the hiring, training, and professional success of the department’s fundraising staff. As he completes his PhD in Higher Education Administration from Loyola University Chicago, Tim remains humbled and grateful for the opportunity to share his experiences with the community that first shaped his personal and professional journey. Most importantly, he is the husband of Colleen (Antas) Kelly, a former Northwestern Women’s Soccer student-athlete and the proud father of Maeve and Kendall. |