ELLENSBURG – The sixth-annual Northwest Sport Management Summit is returning to Nicholson Pavilion on Thursday, Nov. 13, and anyone in the community is welcome to attend. 

The free event, themed "The Central Legacy: From Wildcats to Leaders," will feature a panel made up entirely of CWU Sport Management program alumni. The summit, hosted by the Northwest Center for Sport, begins at 9 a.m. and lasts until 4 p.m. As part of this year’s event, the inaugural CWU Sport Career and Internship Fair will be held in the Fieldhouse from 1-3 p.m. Those interested are asked to register online in advance. 

This year’s keynote speaker will be Tanner Swanson ’06, the Quality Control Coach/Director of Catching for the New York Yankees. Prior to joining the Yankees, Swanson spent the 2018-19 season as the catching coordinator for the Minnesota Twins. He also served five seasons as an assistant baseball coach at the University of Washington and also spent time on the coaching staff at CWU, Green River Community College and Everett Community College. 

Featured panelists for the 2025 summit include Jessica Zimmerman, Abe Silvestri, Mario Andaya, Linae Myhand, K.L. Wombacher and Catie Hoffman. 

The summit will also honor the 2025 CWU Northwest Center for Sport Alumni of the Year, Megan Thompson-Nuti (’15), who serves as Senior Director of Donor Engagement for the Cal Athletics Fund. 

Along with the Yankees and Cal Athletics, other sports organizations that will be represented at the summit will be the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, WIAA, Suncadia, Hillsboro Hops, San Francisco 49ers and CWU Athletics. 

For updates leading up to the Nov. 13 summit, visit the Northwest Center for Sport on LinkedIn. If you have questions about the Northwest Sport Management Summit, email Sport and Movement Studies graduate assistant Alyssa Sanquist at [email protected].