Show Information
Show: 68
Air date: Saturday, June 29
Guest: Jo Williams
Host: Steve Woods (Stevoe)
Studio Contributor Debi Davis
Executive Producer: Mark Gould (Sharky)
Assistant Producer: Shannon Maguire
Joanne “Jo” Williams grew up in Lowton, a small, rural town in the Northwest of England. Williams attended West London Institute of Higher Education (Brunel University) to earn her Bachelor’s in Education. For her Master’s and Doctorate degree, she attended Springfield College in Massachusetts. Williams planned on staying in the states one year, and this July 19 it will be 22 years.
Williams spent several years working in the sport industry and was the tournament director of the McCalls LPGA Classic at Stratton Mountain, VT.
TideSmart Talk with Stevoe host Steve Woods (left) welcomed Associate Professor of Sports Marketing at the University of Southern Maine Jo Williams (right) to the studio for an interview.
Created in February 2012, Williams helped to found the Maine Sports Commission and is currently a member of the board. The Maine Sports Commission was founded to promote Maine as a four season tourist destination for sporting events and enthusiasts, with the goal of raising awareness of both the economic and social benefits associated with these sporting activities and organizations around the state and nationally. The Maine Sports Commission includes representatives of seven of the eight tourism regions in the state (Maine Beaches; the Greater Portland and Casco Bay Region; the Mid-Coast Region; Western Maine’s Lakes and Mountains; Aroostook County; the Kennebec and Moose River Valleys; and The Maine Highlands). Each region contributes $10,000 per year to the Commission, and the Maine Office of Tourism will match this $70,000 per year for three years.
In the fall of 2007, Williams helped start the Sports Management Program at the University of Southern Maine, and build it into what it is today. Williams is now an Associate Professor of Sports Marketing for the University, where within the School of Business, she helps students earn their degree using subject matter they’re engaged in.
Williams is also a member of the North American Society for Sport Management and the Sport Marketing Association. She also serves on the board of directors, as Institutional/Secretary Director for COSMA, (Commission on Sports Management Accreditation), based out of Slippery Rock, PA.
