Sports Management with a concentration in Athletic Administration

Bonnie S. Tiell, D.S.M.

Bonnie Tiell, who earned her Doctor of Education degree in sports management from the United States Sports Academy (USSA), is a professor of sport management at Tiffin University. She has been widely recognized for her contributions to intercollegiate athletic administration and global sports governance. Tiell is the founder and co-director of the Olympic Academic Experience (OAE), a program through Tiffin University that offers students from around the world the opportunity for on-site study of the organization, supervision, and management of international sport venues and elite competition in an Olympic host city. She is also co-founder of a humanitarian program for underprivileged youth in Olympic host cities with two-time Olympian, Dr. Francis Dove-Edwin, who serves as co-director.

Tiell received Tiffin University’s Provost award in 2017, the highest recognition for faculty at the institution. In 2016, she was recognized as Woman of the Year in Sports by the Cleveland Chapter of Women in Sports and Events (WISE). In the same year, it was the second time she was the recipient of the Region 4 Excellence in Teaching Award from the Accreditation Council of Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). Tiell also received the Donahue Service Award in 2013 from NCAA II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference.

In 2014, Tiell was named USSA Alumnus of the Year.  She currently serves as a member of the Academy’s National Faculty, a prestigious group of educators who teach international sport administration and coaching programs abroad. In 2017, Tiell participated in the Academy’s program to teach sports management to students from the Sports Authority of Thailand in Bangkok. She taught the Academy’s International Certification in Sports Management program, which prepares participants for leadership roles in sport. In 2018, she is administering a similar program for the Federation of Disabled Sports in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Tiell is also co-founder of the Women’s Leadership Symposium, a program partially financed and now administrated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Women Leaders in College Sports. The three-day program facilitates the entry, retention, and advancement of females in intercollegiate athletics.

A published scholar of almost 100 articles and manuscripts, Tiell authored a textbook for Jones & Bartlett on “Human Resources in Sports: A Managerial Approach” in 2017. The book features best practices, case studies, global spotlights and industry voices from respected executives from every facet of the sports industry. Tiell has traveled across five continents speaking and delivering sport education programs.

Tiell is spearheading a “Salute to Olympians” week in Tiffin, Ohio in 2018 which will feature a slate of activities involving Olympic athletes and coaches from multiple countries. She led a group of 17 students and scholars in the 4th Olympic Academic Experience during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil highlighted by programs at the Olympic Reunion Center, the Brazilian Sailing Federation Headquarters, and at the 8th International Sport Business Symposium which featured executives from the IOC and local organizing committees. The Salute to Olympians Week will coincide with the opening of registration for participating in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Academic Experience.

In her faculty role at Tiffin University, Tiell served as the NCAA Faculty Athletic Representative, Dean of Graduate Studies, and MBA Chair. She also taught in the Executive MBA program in Bucharest, Romania. Prior to her faculty appointment, Tiell served as Senior Woman Administrator and an assistant athletic director. She is a member of the TU Hall of Fame for her extensive coaching accolades. She has coached volleyball, softball (1993 national qualifier), and tennis (2006 national qualifier) for Tiffin University. She also coached briefly at Alfred University in New York (volleyball and track) and at Peace College in North Carolina (basketball - assistant).

Tiell she holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Troy University, a master’s degree in sports administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a doctorate in Sports Management from the USSA. She writes a monthly column for the Advertiser-Tribune focusing on economic, global, and social issues in sport. She and her husband, Greg, reside in Tiffin, OH. Their oldest daughter (Kimberly) is a sales manager in Atlanta, GA and their youngest (Katie) is a student-athlete (swimming) studying communications and emerging media while minoring in sport management at Lynn University in Boca, Raton, FL.