Allison Doughty (PMSA '12), Director of Events and Hospitality Services at the newly formed College Football Playoff, talks about her new job, her experience in the Ohio Professional Online Master Degree Program and more in this Q&A.
1. What made you decide that you needed to go back and get your master's degree?
When I graduated from the University of Virginia in 2005, not as many people were going back to get their master’s degrees (or at least it felt that way) and at that time I was really just starting to explore the career of Athletic Administration. Flash forward a couple of years when I had begun full-time with the ACC, I knew that my master’s degree was something that I wanted and needed to get to advance in the field but, had a hard time leaving a great position with the Conference Office and any career momentum I had. What made the decision easy was when Ohio started their PMSA program. With the PMSA program, I could continue on the career path I was on and not have to sacrifice anything there and still be part of the most prestigious Sports Administration program in the country. It was a win-win all around.
2. How did the Ohio PMSA program help you in your career?
The Ohio PMSA program helped my career in two ways. First off, the connections and network at Ohio are incomparable to any other program in the country. It is great to be able to make so many connections now simply because, I’m part of the OU family. Also, the program helped because as an undergraduate with a history degree it helped give me a better knowledge and foundation to the ins and outs of the field.
3. What are you most excited about at your new position with College Football Playoffs?
Overall I’m thrilled to be part of the College Football Playoff because, I am on the ground floor of what is the biggest innovation in the sport in decades and something college football fans have wanted for a long time with every FBS team having equal access to the playoff based on the team’s performance.
In my particular role as Director of Events and Hospitality Services, I’m excited to be on an events team that will lay the groundwork for the future operations, logistics and events. Events and Operations are the areas that I’ve always loved at each of my past positions so, I’m looking forward to getting to do it full time.
4. How will experiences working at the ACC translate to this new position?
The ACC was an amazing place to work and I can’t think of a better place to prepare myself to be able to transition to this role. At the ACC, I was able to really understand the ins and outs of all of our Championships specifically playing a significant role in the Football Championships and that experience will definitely translate. Outside of events, in the Football Operations department of the ACC I was able to build a strong foundation of understanding the complete interworking’s of college football in regards to teams, media, officials, etc that will help tremendously.
- Will it be different working somewhere besides the conference level?
It will be different. I was at the ACC for seven years so, if you are anywhere that long it is different. The CFP staff is a much smaller group of 10 while the Conference office had grown to over 40 staff members. It will also be different to have your focus on one sport 365 days out of the year.
5. What do you foresee being your biggest challenge?
As strange as it may sound, the biggest challenge will be creating something from scratch. There’s no blueprint for how to do anything so, even in setting up our offices there are many things you take for granted when moving into an existing position. However; I’m excited for the challenge and the unchartered waters we’re encountering at the same time.
6. What advice would you give to someone looking to break into sports or looking to make the next career jump in athletics?
For those looking to break in or make a career jump I would pass along two pieces of advice. First off, Network. Network. Network. It sounds like a broken record but, the quantity and quality of relationships you make with people in this industry can do wonders for helping you get your foot in the door.
Second, volunteer. We all know that large sporting events need plenty of volunteers so, take advantage of those opportunities and when you do volunteer, make an impact and make sure event organizers remember you.
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