networks or new distribution channels via internet and mobile devices. I was very encouraged to see the increased ratings for the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship in December on ESPN, and am looking forward to exploring more ways to collaborate with them as well as the other broadcast networks and digital distribution channels (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, etc.) to create new and in- novative content for our fans to consume. USA Volleyball has so many exciting stories to tell at all levels from the juniors straight through to the national teams. In addition, it is interesting to note the significant increase in international players competing in the NCAA and NAIA. Athletes from Germany, Canada and Puerto Rico competed in the last NCAA Cham- pionship semifinals. Sam Bricio, the 2015 AVCA Division I National Player of the Year, is a native of Mexico. This creates new desires for viewers around the world to watch our collegiate championships and allowed USAV to share our stars with a worldwide market beyond just our borders.


What can we learn from soccer, which has made inroads in that arena and has experienced significant growth in the past 20 years?


One of the most successful initiatives in developing the game of soccer in America has been the development and growth of MLS. I give Don Garber and his team a lot of credit for what they have created. I believe that the same potential exists for the game of volleyball where we can build successful indoor and beach professional tours in the United States which in turn will keep our stars playing on U.S. soil year-round and provide exciting events for our fans to watch first hand. This will all play a role in increasing the recognition of our players and the creation of new idols.


What are some ways that social media and new media channels can be used to grow the game and connect more closely with the existing volleyball community?


Creating and delivering volleyball content on social digital media channels is not an option, it is a necessity. Over 60 percent of content today is consumed via a mobile or digital device and it is imperative that we at USA Volleyball develop robust, fun and exciting programming in these mediums where our constituents live. If we remain ‘traditionalists’ solely developing content for old media channels, we will be left behind. This is simply not an option.


Building on the recent Paralympic gold medal won by the U.S. Women’s Sitting Team, do you see some good avenues to increase funding for sitting volleyball in the U.S. – both at the elite and grassroots level?


Absolutely. Our mission at USAV is to develop the sport of vol- leyball in all of its disciplines: beach, indoor and sitting, and each will receive equal priority. Having watched the sitting game as a sports fan, I can tell you that it is an amazingly exciting game. I am convinced that we can create stories and content around these athletes and teams that will lead to new sponsorship opportunities and provide them with even more resources to help them repeat their recent gold-medal perfor- mance.


What are some keys to getting more players involved in the game at a younger age and keeping them playing?


It starts with reaching the youth with volleyball content in the social and digital worlds where they live and creating idols out of our national team stars via these mediums. As a father of three, I have witnessed firsthand how my children put


sports stars on a pedestal and my goal is to have our amazing athletes stand on the absolute tallest pedestals. I want our stars to be role models, mentors and legends for the kids in America so that they have one dream every night ... being just like them.


New USA Volleyball CEO Jamie Davis said he had a great conversation with three-time Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor. (Photo: USAV/Bill Kauffman).


What emphasis will you put on closing the gap between the number of girls play- ing club volleyball versus boys, especially since boys’ sports like football and baseball are losing numbers?


I see a big opportunity for the boys’ club volleyball pipeline resulting


from the decreasing number of kids participating in sports like football and baseball. As more parents are concerned with the potential dan- gers of hard contact sports, they are looking for safer alternatives. USA Volleyball national team and high performance players are amongst the most conditioned, talented and skilled athletes in the world and I believe that parents, and the boys themselves, will choose volleyball as a new athletic path. I intend to work very closely side-by-side our 40 Regional Volleyball Associations to grow the club game at the local level.


Do you have a favorite volleyball story or memory, either a match you watched or a person you encountered?


It’s funny. If you had asked me this question the week before I


started at USA Volleyball, it would have been different. I had the dis- tinct honor to spend some quality time with Misty May-Treanor, a true legend in our sport, on my third day on the job. Hearing her passion and willingness to help develop the future of volleyball was so inspiring. Many athletes retire and fade into the sunset. Misty is as energized as ever to see how we can engage the youth in new and innovative ways to further advance the sport and I intend to utilize her vast knowledge as a partner in this quest.


How much time will you spend with National Team players and coaches? I hope to be able to spend a lot of time getting to know the coaches


and players and their wants and needs. I want to know what we can do as an organization to help them thrive. Yet, when it is game time and the competition is on, this is their specialty. I have no plans to interfere in or complicate their goals to bring home the wins.


What makes you the most confident in attracting sponsors to the sport? The unlimited potential for the game and its growth in the United


States. Our team is going to think outside of the box in everything we do and look at the game from a brand new perspective. When you are willing to really stretch your imagination (like we plan to do), I am con- fident that a host of new sponsorship opportunities will be born.


What are one or two things that will hang on the wall of your office to inspire you in your new position?


This is the easiest question of all — a picture of my wife, my daughter and my sons. Volleyball is a family sport played by young and old/boys and girls. I will look up to them every single day to remind me to approach the game from every angle. In addition, they are the ones that inspire me to reach for the stars.


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