Committee announces additional organizational advancements and reassignments
HOUSTON (June 21, 2016) – The Houston Marathon Committee (HMC) on Tuesday announced the hiring of executive Kate Klein as Director, Business Development and Marketing. Klein will lead the business and community development department and is responsible for managing sponsorships, branding, and experiential marketing for the Chevron Houston Marathon race weekend, an annual hallmark event scheduled for January 13-15, 2017.
“Kate brings years of sales, advertising, and brand activation experience to the Houston Marathon Committee,” said Wade Morehead, Executive Director of the Houston Marathon Committee and Foundation. “Her background and skillsets are ideal for the HMC, and we are thrilled that she will lead all business and community engagement initiatives for the organization.”
A graduate of Texas A&M, Klein will manage a team that now includes: Kristin Wolters, the former venue manager of the convention center on race weekend who is now Senior Manager, Marketing & Sponsor Services, and responsible for managing the Memorial Hermann Ironman Sports Medicine Institute EXPO; Vicky Oddi, who manages all public and media relations, including social media and press operations as the Senior Manager, Communications; Ally Walker, who is the Senior Manager, Houston Marathon Foundation Community Development, and manages all support programs and community initiatives for the HMF; and Erin Kasperek, who moves from volunteer services to Manager, Community Outreach, and is responsible for the Chevron Houston Marathon Run for a Reason Charity Program, the We Are Houston RunFest presented by Michelob Ultra and all on-course Hoopla over race weekend.
“I am thrilled to be joining such a talented team of individuals,” said Klein, who has run Houston the past four years, including as a member of Team Sarah Pepper in the 2016 Mascot vs. Media Challenge. “The Chevron Houston Marathon is truly a first-class event. The impact on the community through the Houston Marathon Foundation and Run for a Reason Charity Program are wonderful representations of the spirit and energy of Houston. I am so grateful for the opportunity to join the organization.”
Klein joins the HMC following her tenure at Kapow, where she led the launch of the Houston and Austin offices, including generating sales growth and marketing strategy. Prior to that start-up endeavor, she developed solution-based marketing programs across broadcast, event, print and digital assets at CBS Radio and The Houston Business Journal. A former volunteer Board of Director and Marketing Committee Chair for the Queensbury Theatre, Klein currently serves on the Houston Interactive Marketing Association Board of Directors, where she facilitates events and programming designed to help Houston businesses grow through interactive strategies.
In addition to the aforementioned staffing changes, the HMC today announced the following promotions of Carly Caulfield to Senior Director, Operations, responsible for all logistics and planning of every HMC hosted event; and Erin McGowan to Senior Director, Legal Affairs & Elite Athlete Program, responsible for all participant services, including the management of the world-class elite athletes who compete in Houston each year.
About the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc.
Established in 1972, the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc. (HMC) annually organizes the nation’s premier winter marathon, half-marathon, and 5K. Over 250,000 participants, volunteers and spectators make Chevron Houston Marathon Race Day the largest single-day sporting event in Houston. A founding member of Running USA, the HMC is an IAAF bronze level event that retained Gold Certification from the Council of Responsible Sport and was awarded the AIMS Green Award for industry-leading sustainability initiatives. Race Weekend generates over $50 million in economic impact for the region annually. In 2016, the Run for a Reason Charity Program raised $2.3 million, while the Houston Marathon Foundation supported youth and community running initiatives. Televised annually by broadcast partner ABC13, 2016 was the first time that the event was syndicated live nationally and internationally on ESPN3 and the Longhorn Network. Host to 16 U.S. Half Marathon Championships since 2005 and the 1992 women’s Olympic Trials Marathon, the HMC also conducted the 2012 men’s and women’s U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon.
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