Marquette Circles – Panel Discussion and Networking Breakfast
The Evolving Sports Landscape: College, Professional and Media
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
7:30 – 9:00 a.m.
EY
1 Manhattan West - 395 9th Ave., New York
CIRCLES is thrilled to return to New York this March in conjunction with the 2026 BIG EAST Men's Basketball Tournament. Join us for a networking breakfast and panel discussion to hear behind-the-scenes insights from athletics-industry experts while you connect with fellow alumni, friends, leaders and fans. Learn about emerging trends across college and professional athletics and sports media, plus how sports leaders are adapting to stay at the fore.
The Evolving Sports Landscape: College, Professional and Media
Panel Discussion featuring:
Moderator: Dr. Kati Tusinski Berg, Acting Dean, Diederich College of Communication, Marquette University
Panel & Moderator Bios
Mike Broeker
Mike Broeker, Grad ’12, was named vice president and director of athletics at Marquette University in 2025. He came into this role with nearly three decades of athletics administration experience, 21 of those years in athletics leadership roles at Marquette including more than 17 as deputy athletics director.
While he was the No. 2 athletics leader at Marquette, Broeker managed day-to-day operations with a directed focus on external operations and revenue generation, provided guidance and support to the administrative and coaching staffs, and sport oversight for the men’s basketball, women’s lacrosse, men’s soccer and men’s golf programs.
Through his leadership, Marquette Athletics has experienced broad-based athletic and academic achievement, unprecedented exposure and interest, and increased revenue from corporate partnerships, licensing, merchandising, ticket sales and philanthropy.
Broeker was instrumental in the recruitment and hiring of multiple current and former Marquette head coaches, ensuring continued competitiveness and alignment with the university’s mission. Additional accomplishments include: developing a Marquette-specific platform for Name, Image and Likeness, elevating athlete branding and revenue opportunities; chairing the Return to Play Committee during COVID-19 to ensure a safe and compliant resumption of athletics activities; leading lease negotiations for men’s basketball to secure playing rights at Fiserv Forum; and spearheading the expansion of the university’s Athletic and Human Performance Research Center and development of an athletics facility master plan.
Broeker joined the Marquette Athletics staff in November 2003 as assistant athletic director for media relations, after nearly four years as a member of the basketball communications group at the National Basketball Association. While at the NBA, he worked to generate awareness for the league, its executive staff, events and initiatives and served as the primary contact for local and national electronic media outlets.
Prior to working with the NBA, Broeker spent two years working in the communications group for the Women’s Tennis Association. He served as a primary on-site media contact for events including Wimbledon, the Australian Open, the U.S. Open and the French Open.
A former student-athlete at Siena College, Broeker was a two-year letterman as a pitcher for the baseball program. He got his start in college athletics as a marketing and sports information assistant at his alma mater.
Broeker earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Siena College in 1997 and a master’s degree in leadership studies from Marquette in 2012. He and his wife, Anne, Comm ’96, have three sons, Michael, Danny and Charlie. Michael is a sophomore on the golf team at Siena. Danny and Charlie attend high schools in the greater Milwaukee area.
Lou DiSabatino
Lou DiSabatino is the FIFA World Cup 2026 Host City Director for the seven matches in Boston. He oversees city-level coordination and tournament operations management on behalf of FWC26. He leads the FWC26 team on-site in the city and supports non-stadium sites (airport, hotels, volunteer centers, accreditation centers, transport locations, fan celebrations, etc.) Lou engages with the Host City local authorities and broader community stakeholders, as needed. He partners with the FIFA 26 Venue Operations Director to assist with operations at Boston Stadium.
Prior to joining FIFA 26, Lou was the Vice President of Event Operations and General Manager of Affiliate Leagues at the National Basketball Association, where he led event logistics for NBA events, both domestically and around the globe. He worked closely with USA Basketball pertaining to their event planning, including for USA Basketball National teams at six Summer Olympics, including most recently at the 2024 Olympic basketball competition in Paris, France.
He is the father of three Marquette University students (2019, 2022 & 2026).
Tess Quinlan
Tess Quinlan (Comm '14) is the Programming Strategy Lead for the NBA App. She oversees digital programming strategy for the App, original and creator content distribution, and works closely on overall DTC content strategy. She previously served as the Content Planning Lead, Direct to Consumer (DTC) at the league.
Prior to the NBA, Quinlan was at NBC Sports, where she oversaw digital programming, digital video distribution, editorial partnerships, and podcast distribution/partnerships. Quinlan worked across sports while at NBC, covering everything from Olympics to NASCAR to NFL. She also worked at USA TODAY as a digital producer in college sports and podcasting.
A two-time Emmy Award winner, Quinlan earned a bachelor's degree in Broadcast and Electronic Communication from Marquette University and an MBA from Boston University. She resides with her husband, Cameron, in New York City.
Kati Tusinski Berg
Dr. Kati Tusinski Berg is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Diederich College of Communication, Marquette University.
Berg, who has served as associate dean for academic affairs since May 2022, was previously the Diederich College of Communication’s associate dean for graduate studies and research; prior to that, she was chair of the Department of Strategic Communication. She has been at Marquette since 2006.
A professor of strategic communication, Berg teaches courses in public relations and corporate communication. Her research interests include public relations advocacy, corporate social responsibility, social media, lobbying and ethics. Berg’s work has been published in the Journal of Mass Media Ethics, Public Relations Journal and PRism. In 2011, she was named a Page Legacy Scholar through the Arthur W. Page Center for her project on social media and corporate social responsibility.
Berg currently serves as the Faculty Athletics Representative for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics at Marquette, a position she has held since 2021. She is a former member of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Public Relations Society of America, and an Academic Member of the European Centre for Public Affairs. She is currently a member of TEMPO Milwaukee.
Berg holds a Ph.D. in communication and society from the University of Oregon. She earned her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in communication from St. Louis University.
