Allif Karim ’18, Moderator

Producer/Editor, WJZ-13 Baltimore

Allif Karim ‘18 is former Sports Director for WDVM-TV in Maryland, currently working as a Producer/Editor for WJZ-13 in Baltimore. Allif’s time as Sports Director has allowed him to connect with communities in Western Maryland, as well as the greater DMV area; covering local sports from the high school level, all the way to the pros.

He’s had the privilege of being able to cover the Washington Nationals as they hoisted the 2019 World Series title, as well as the reveal and impact of Washington D.C’s NFL franchise as they adopted the “Commanders” moniker.

Before joining the local news industry, Allif graduated in 2018 from the State University of New York at Oswego with a degree in Broadcasting and Mass Communication where he juggled many hats at SUNY Oswego’s college television station, WTOP, for four years.

Donna Goldsmith ’82, Panelist 

Part-time Consultant for Marketing and Operations

Donna Goldsmith is a part-time marketing and operations’ consultant. Consulting clients have included Desert Cactus (a sports and entertainment licensee for companies such as the NBA, NHL, Hasbro), Betches Media (a female-founded and led media and entertainment brand), the Drone Racing League, Lead Dog Marketing (a marketing agency) and Think Geek (an e-commerce brand).

Goldsmith’s most recent full-time position was at Tough Mudder, the team-oriented obstacle course company, where she served as the SVP of Partnership Marketing, International Event Licensing, Corporate Sales, and Consumer Products. Prior to Tough Mudder, Goldsmith spent ten years at World Wrestling Entertainment where she started as Executive VP of Consumer Products and was ultimately promoted to Chief Operating Officer. 

As COO, Goldsmith led all company operations including Human Resources, Marketing, Consumer Products, Live Events, Talent Relations, and Finance and reported directly to CEO Vince McMahon. It was during this time that Goldsmith was named second most powerful woman in sports by Forbes. She was also named, for two consecutive years, as one of the 100 most powerful women in cable TV by Cable Fax and was a nominee for a WISE Award (a prestigious honor that recognizes extraordinary women who have made a significant impact on the business of sports).

Prior to WWE, Donna spent a year with the Super Bowl Host Company, the group hired to work with the NFL to manage all local details surrounding the 2012 NY/NJ Super Bowl. Donna also had a ten-year career with the National Basketball Association where she led the global product licensing business in the Consumer Products’ Group.

Before she moved into the sports and entertainment field, Donna held marketing and operations positions at Swatch Watch and Revlon. A 1982 graduate of SUNY Oswego, Donna graduated Magna cum laude with a degree in Communication Studies and a minor in Spanish.

Yaw Ofori-Atta ’05, Panelist

Television Producer, CBS Sports

Yaw Ofori-Atta is a media professional with over 15 years of experience in the industry.  While at SUNY Oswego, Yaw majored in Broadcasting and Mass Media and received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in 2005.  He was a Resident Assistant in Seneca Hall and also tutored Math in the OLS department.  While on campus he was heavily involved with cultural organizations ASA, CSA, and BSU, where he served as Vice President his senior year. 

Yaw earned his media chops by first hosting radio and tv shows on WNYO and WTOP respectively. Those on-campus experiences led to an internship with the morning show “Regis and Kelly” and then an entry level position in programming at ESPN following graduation.  Yaw spent 8 years at ESPN in a multitude of roles and is now a producer for CBS Sports. He also produces freelance content for many sports entities through his own production imprint, Eleven 0 Four Media.

Ade Ellis ’04, Panelist

Associate Director, CBS Sports

Ade Ellis is an associate director and associate producer for CBS Sports and has been with the company since 2007. In his role, Ellis works on a variety of properties, including the NFL ON CBS, NCAA Basketball and the PGA TOUR. The three-time Emmy Award winner is also the creator and producer of “Beyond Limits,” a CBS Sports original program that spotlights athletes of color excelling in historically underrepresented spaces.

Since 2015, Ellis has served as an associate director and associate producer for the NFL on CBS, NCAA Basketball and the PGA Tour. Additionally, he has served as a replay producer for telecasts of the PGA Tour.

In September 2021, Ellis established the CBS Sports original program “Beyond Limits.” The series of half-hour specials highlights trailblazing, diverse athletes in sports where they are under-represented and showcases how they are living beyond the limits of sports

and society. Athletes featured in “Beyond Limits” have included Olympian Ashleigh Johnson, NHL players Daniel Walcott, Gemel Smith and Mathieu Joseph, professional golfers Mariah Stackhouse and Renee Powell and former NFL player Terrelle Pryor, among many others.

Ellis represented CBS Sports at the 2020 National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Convention, where he curated the panel, “Face of the Franchise: The Journey to the Top in Sports Television.” The virtual panel, which was moderated by James Brown and included Nate Burleson, Brian Jones, Clark Kellogg and Stephanie Ready, focused on the responsibility the panelists feel to represent their culture, the challenges that come with being in the public eye and how they overcome obstacles.

Ellis previously served as the lead broadcast associate in 2014, and oversaw a staff of 15 broadcast associates, while he worked directly with the lead production crew for the NFL on CBS. As a broadcast associate at CBS Sports, he produced graphics for the NFL on CBS, NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and the PGA TOUR. Ellis joined CBS Sports as a researcher in 2007.

A 2004 graduate of SUNY Oswego (B.A., Broadcasting and Mass Communications), Ellis served as the sports director at WTOP 10 as a senior. He was also a four-year member of the SUNY Oswego Cross Country and Track and Field programs.

Natalie Brophy ’17, Career Connector

Technology and Startups Reporter, The Buffalo News

Natalie Brophy graduated from SUNY Oswego in 2017 with a degree in journalism. After graduation, she worked as a city government reporter at The Citizen newspaper in Auburn, New York. She then spent three years with the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, first covering breaking news and crime, then business. Natalie returned to her hometown of Buffalo, New York in January 2022 to cover startups and technology for The Buffalo News.

Paul Esden Jr ‘15, Career Connector

New York Jets Digital Reporter, Heavy.com

Paul Andrew Esden Jr aka “Boy Green” serves in a variety of roles in the sports media industry including: 

– Co-host of The Manchild Show with Boy Green on The Score 1260 in Syracuse, New York

– Voice of the Syracuse Strong (a semi-professional football team) that just won the National Championship in the GDFL (Gridiron Developmental Football League) in 2022

– New York Jets Digital Reporter for Heavy.com

A native of Norfolk, Virginia, Paul grew up in a military family and traveled across the eastern seaboard through his youth. He eventually landed in Oswego, New York in 2008 and completed his final three years of high school. At that moment in time, he shifted his career aspirations from military service to the sports broadcasting industry.  

Boy Green got his associate’s degree from Cayuga Community College (Auburn campus) and got a ton of hands-on experience at the student-run radio and television stations. After completing his two years there he successfully transferred to SUNY Oswego for his final 2.5 years of collegiate education. He fell in love with radio at WNYO and contributed in a variety of ways with multiple sports shows and even dabbled in music as a DJ.

Dylan Labadia ’15, Career Connector

Retirement Consultant, Paychex USA

Dylan Labadia ‘15 studied Communication and Social Interaction while at SUNY Oswego and was part of the men’s soccer team. During his junior year on campus, Labadia was introduced to his first job in business/sales and allowed him to pursue a full-time career upon graduation. This opportunity with Vector/Cutco started as just a chance to get experience, but grew into a 9-year career where he was in full control of budgets, advertising, marketing, interviewing, training and developing staff for 10+ businesses across the U.S. 

This “first shot” in the business arena granted Labadia the chance to travel the world, changing his life and begin helping others to do the same. After achieving $4 million in sales with Vector/Cutco, he began mentoring business owners and currently works with Paychex as a Retirement Specialist. Though his major is in communication, the ability to study creative writing, philosophy and psychology while at SUNY Oswego provided Labadia insight he uses every single week in his career.

Morgan Rumpf ’17, Career Connector & Panelist

Chief Marketing Officer, C-Suite Executive Solutions LLC

Morgan Rumpf is the Chief Marketing Officer for C-Suite Executive Solutions, a business management and consulting company in Concord, NH. She runs all marketing operations for multiple clients across the State of New Hampshire.

Morgan graduated from SUNY Oswego in 2017 where she then started her professional career as a Sports Anchor and News Multimedia Journalist at KMVT in Twin Falls, Idaho. 

After spending time out West, she moved closer to family and into the role of Marketing Manager for the Hudson Valley Renegades, a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays based in Fishkill, NY. In 2020, she moved into the field of media relations as the Deputy Public Information Officer with the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office in Massachusetts which allowed her the ability to work with sheriff’s offices across the country at a time when law enforcement was at the forefront of massive policing and corrections reform. 

In July of 2022 she accepted her current role where she incorporates every aspect of previous roles to launch and expand businesses through marketing endeavors. As an undergraduate student at SUNY Oswego, Morgan majored in Broadcasting and Mass Communication with a minor in Athletic Coaching. She was involved with the student run television station, WTOP-10 during her entire time at Oswego, and was the stations first female Sports Director from 2016-2017. 

Some of her proudest moments included launching WTOP into High Definition, broadcasting hockey and baseball games on-the-road, and being honorable mention in two categories at the 2017 Sports Video Group/NACDA College Sports Media Awards for projects completed while a student. She was also a member of Phi Sigma Sigma sorority and on the Oswego State Equestrian Team.

Morgan now lives in New Hampshire with her partner, another SUNY Oswego alumni and their two cats.

Destiny Lynch, Career Connector

Executive Team Leader Specialty Sales at Target

‘Work somewhere you love’ is not only Target’s motto, but a motto that Destiny Lynch lives. Her journey began after graduating from SUNY Oswego in May 2015. While attending Oswego, Destiny was a Public Relations major who didn’t know the next step upon graduation. She interned at BPCM Public Relations firm where she grew a quick interest in fashion. After the internship she served as a freelancer for a clothing brand and then became a merchandising assistant at Ross. 

Her interest in the fashion/retail industry didn’t end there. As she moved away from the Big Apple, she continued to think big on her career in the retail industry. Shortly after moving she became the Assistant Store Manager for Hollister, when she began her management journey. With a mindset focused on apparel, Destiny left Hollister, after two years, to broaden her horizons in the retail industry. She became the softlines Assistant Store Manager at Walmart. 

During her two years at Walmart, Destiny felt a disconnect in her role and company’s culture. In November 2021, her disconnect came to an end when she was recruited by a District Store Director from Target. Destiny now serves as the Executive Team Leader of Specialty Sales. With a sales focus in style, beauty, and technology; her and her team contribute to company sales and growth. Overall, through the journey of moving and career changes after graduation; Destiny is now working somewhere she loves.