FOUNDER’S BIOGRAPHY

Mark LaSota, Ph.D., is the Founder of Elite Sport Leadership Central and currently serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor for the Sport Management Department at Texas A&M University. Prior to his work with Texas A&M, he spent two years as Assistant Professor and Director of the Sport Leadership and Recreation Program at Emporia State University. Dr. LaSota is an innovative leadership coach, an entrepreneur, a published author, and has provided leadership and performance consulting for several organizations. His vision for this website is to provide resources for those focused on becoming better leaders as well as help build a global leadership community. 

Educational Background

Dr. LaSota earned his Ph.D. in Sport Administration from the University of New Mexico. For his doctoral dissertation, he worked in collaboration with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and interviewed several inductees exploring the role of mentorship in their career success. Dr. LaSota has two master’s degrees – an M.B.A. in International Business from New Mexico Highlands University and a Master’s in Sport Psychology from Fresno State University. This website was originally created and developed as part of his master’s project at Fresno State in 2009. His bachelor’s degree is in exercise science and wellness from Ball State University. He is a former NCAA Division I walk-on football player at Ball State.

Professional Background

As an industry professional, Dr. LaSota has filled various roles for companies and organizations. Some of these roles include sport manager, coach, scout, recreational facility supervisor, sport camp director, fitness manager, and personal trainer. Prior to his work in the classroom, he spent several years coaching multiple sports at the Division I, community college, high school, and junior high levels. As an Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach and Strength & Conditioning Coordinator for Grossmont College, he was tasked with a number of responsibilities, including scouting, recruiting, and coordinating team travel. At The University of New Mexico, he was appointed to the Athletic Council for three years and served as a liaison for the football and men’s soccer teams. While in Albuquerque, he helped with the New Mexico Bowl game for four years and assisted with hospitality and operations. He has worked for and with the NFL in areas of marketing, events, and operations. One of his most memorable professional experiences was working crowd management and public relations for Super Bowl XXXVII in San Diego, CA.

Dr. LaSota is a published author, motivational speaker, an entrepreneur, and has provided leadership and performance consulting to companies and sport organizations. Among his greatest passions is providing global transformative experiences for our students through education abroad programs. In education, he has led several study abroad programs and has taken groups of students around the globe.