DAN MCKANE ’96 | Commissioner, Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Leading a collegiate athletic conference takes a multitude of skills, from analytical and creative thinking to problem-solving and communication. As commissioner of the MIAC, McKane drafts policies and clearly communicates them. He develops new programs, manages conflicts, tackles budgets, runs championships, and oversees compliance and strategic planning.
He often turns to the intertwined knowledge and abilities he developed at Gustavus. “Being able to draw from multiple fields allows me to approach challenges with a well-rounded perspective, making informed decisions that benefit the entire MIAC community,” McKane says. “My liberal arts education has enhanced my ability to navigate the multifaceted world of sports administration.”
A Management major and soccer player at Gustavus, McKane had a wide base of classes when an internship with the Minnesota Thunder soccer team opened his eyes to a career in sport. He then served as an assistant Men’s Soccer coach at Gustavus, worked at the Minnesota Youth Soccer Association, and held marketing positions with Alan Merrick’s Soccer Training and the Minnesota Thunder. Later, he earned a master’s degree in athletic administration.
Returning to the MIAC in 1999, he rose from assistant executive director to director in 2005. He finds the dynamic and fluid world of collegiate athletics deeply fulfilling. “I enjoy creating enriching experiences for student-athletes, witnessing their growth, and helping advance their education, which often leads to fantastic employment opportunities,” he says. “I love the excitement and energy that sports brings out in people. I enjoy seeing student-athletes and coaches push themselves to be their very best. And I take pride knowing that I help play a part in thousands of student-athletes’ experiences.”
SIGNE JORDET ’04 | Sport Management Consultant, X Games, USA Fencing, Major League Rugby, and more
Jordet has forged her own path by being open to opportunities. This approach—plus advocacy for collaboration and the promise of sport—has propelled her work both domestically and internationally. “The work that’s been fulfilling in my career has come from conversations, friends, and my network,” she says. When a door opens, Jordet asks herself, “How can I contribute and what can I learn? I have curiosity and sense of adventure that keeps me growing.”
She works at the intersection of sports and business, with the unifying goal to promote healthy activity and build community through sport. As an independent contractor, currently based in the Twin Cities, she has worked with clients including the X Games, USA Fencing, American Motocross, and Major League Rugby. She also served as executive director of USA Nordic, representing Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined. She worked with the Asian Football Confederation on its Asian Cup and bid to host the FIFA World Cup in Doha, Qatar. And she helped the St. Paul Saints advocate for the development of CHS Field.
When facing challenges—like being the only woman leader in the room—Jordet keeps her eye on her overall objectives and her appreciation for sport. “I have always loved sport because I’ve seen it bring people together,” Jordet says. At Gustavus she majored in Athletic Training. She also spent time in Sweden and India, and earned master’s degrees in sport management and organizational development, working with Puma North America, ESPN, and the American Hockey League.
“Gustavus provided a safe place to grow, a place for trial and error, and a launch pad. College is about learning how to question and talk things out and compromise, you bring all those pieces together in the liberal arts and take it forward.”
ADELE BURKE ’04 | Associate Director for Championships and Compliance, New England Small College Athletic Conference
Collegiate sports has ever-evolving rules to follow, safety to protect, budgets to create, and rosters to build. It’s vital to have a big-picture outlook and a deep bench of critical thinking skills. “We have to think about solutions that work,” Burk says. “We have to be adaptable and able to look at things from different perspectives.”
She calls on Gustavus liberal arts constantly as Associate Director for Championships and Compliance at the New England Small College Athletic Conference. She juggles the myriad details of 26 different conference championships for 11 schools, including Middlebury, Williams, and Amherst (which Gustavus Women’s Hockey beat in 2023 to clinch the NCAA National Championship). She also partners with compliance officers at each college, ensuring adherence to all rules and regulations.
Burk majored in mathematics and secondary education, preparing for a career in sport all along. Like Nordquist, she worked for Gustavus Sports Information. She also took classes covering the historical, sociological, and anthropological reasons for humans’ fascination in sports, including a J-term in Australia and New Zealand on sport ethics. After a short stint teaching, she returned to Gustavus Sports Information as a graduate assistant while earning her master’s in sport management.
She was soon hired as director of sports information at State University of New York at Oswego. She joined the NESCAC in 2013.
Burk appreciates Gustavus’s emphasis on the whole person. As a student, it was vital for her to take breaks from math and sport by playing bass clarinet. Today she enjoys empowering students through life lessons, like handling setbacks. “Last time I checked, no one has won every single game in their life. How do you deal with failure and learn from that? I help teach that every day.”
What makes a person prepared for the world of broadcasting is being well rounded and having experiences. Have you had experiences that took you out of your comfort zone? That’s what a liberal arts education can really provide.
—Mark Genosky ’93, Senior Producer, Treasure Island Baseball Network
MARK GENOSKY ’93 | Senior Producer, Treasure Island Baseball Network
One class gave him a roadmap for the rest of his time at Gustavus: The J-Term course in television production showed Genosky the ropes of video broadcasting, and highlighted the fact he could marry those skills with his fervor for sports. A senior year independent study allowed him to create a show, Glances from Gustavus, for the Saint Peter public access channel.
After graduation, he went to KSTP Channel 5 as an assistant sports producer, eventually rising to senior sports producer. Eleven years in, Genosky learned that the Minnesota Twins were bringing their radio broadcasts in-house. He took over the producer role in 2006, eventually becoming senior producer of the now-named Treasure Island Baseball Network.
Genosky lives and breathes baseball at Target Field every day, executing his vision for quality. “We’re trying to provide the best programming that a Twins fan or listener out there wants and deserves,” he says. He loves hearing from listeners and taking in the pre-game sights and sounds from the dugout. “This is a world I’m blessed to work in,” he adds.
Sport played a big role in drawing Genosky to Gustavus. He played goalkeeper on the Men’s Soccer team as well as rugby and intramural basketball. Today, he relies on Gustavus liberal arts for work and life. In particular, curiosity and a zest to find answers or a new angle to explore, communication skills, and the ability to work with different personalities, and with mutual respect. “What makes a person prepared for the world of broadcasting is being well rounded and having experiences,” he says. “Have you had experiences that took you out of your comfort zone? That’s what a liberal arts education can really provide.” The J-Term, courses in critical thinking, and project-based courses, honed essential skills that have helped him succeed during his long career in broadcasting. “It doesn’t happen by accident.”
CRAIG NORDQUIST ’11 | Senior Researcher, Major League Baseball Network
Nordquist came to Gustavus with his eye on a future in sport. Baseball was his first pick; he majored in Communications with minors in Spanish and Economics to connect to a statistics-rich game with Spanish-speaking players. With perseverance and some luck, Nordquist clinched a job at MLB Network.
Now a senior researcher there, he works on MLB Tonight and its weekly Friday Night Baseball show on Apple TV+. He provides research, statistics, and storylines, working in partnership with the on-air talent, producers, and graphics department. He also creates research packets which provide fodder for stories and commentary on the league’s 15 daily games. He loves the day-to-day as well as the big moments. He’s worked three World Series and the World Baseball Classic in Tokyo, where he saw Shohei Ohtani play in his native country. “I can’t believe some of the places baseball has taken me,” he says.
Nordquist laid the groundwork for this homerun of a job by working for Gustavus Sports Information and the Gustavian Weekly. He interned at KMSP Fox 9 television in sports production, then landed a multimedia internship at the Baseball Hall of Fame. He also ushered for the Minnesota Twins and earned the lone spot to represent the Twins during an MLB Network trivia gameshow, which opened doors to his current job.
He also points to his diverse classes, playing the cello, and captaining the Men's Varsity Swim Team. “Being well-rounded is a huge asset in the sports world and the world we live in today. That a liberal arts degree gives you the flexibility to adapt as the times change.” It helps him to thrive in a competitive and unrelenting profession, from contributing confidently to Spanish-language broadcasts to maintaining a spreadsheet full of baseball contracts. “The liberal arts creates new opportunities.”
