For more information, contact:
The St. Louis Sports Commission
314-992-0683
mschreiber@stlouissports.org

SPORTS COMMISSION ADDS TO STAFF;
FOLKL ADDS TO FAMILY

KELLY ROBERTS PROMOTED TO EVENT MANAGER

ST. LOUIS – Oct. 3, 2006 – The St. Louis Sports Commission has hired Karli Juenger as the organization’s director of event sales & marketing and Noah Cohan as its communications manager.

Juenger, a St. Louis native, returns to her hometown after working for Global Spectrum in Kansas City where she was director of marketing and public relations at Kemper Arena.  She is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and earned a master’s degree from the sport management program at Old Dominion University.  Juenger graduated from John Burroughs High School in St. Louis.  At the Sports Commission, she fills a newly created position that will focus on marketing tickets and sponsorships for the organization’s events.  The Sports Commission will host the NCAA Men’s Soccer College Cup, NCAA Men’s Frozen Four, the National Sportsmanship Awards, and the Missouri-Illinois Football Series over the next 12 months.

Cohan takes over as the Sports Commission’s communications manager, a position previously filled by Doug Bray.  Cohan will be responsible for the Sports Commission’s organizational and event communications, media relations, website and production of collateral.  He is a graduate of Yale University, and previously worked in media relations at the Pac-10 Conference and the University of Washington athletic department. 

In addition to the staff hires, the Sports Commission promoted Kelly Roberts to event manager.  Roberts has been with the organization since 2003.  As event coordinator, she has played a significant role in the operational success of several recent Sports Commission events, including the 2004 and 2005 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.  Roberts also served on the 2006 U.S. Figure Skating Championships local organizing committee, managing 700 volunteers.

The Sports Commission family is also celebrating the birth of Ian Nicholas Kaburakis, son of Kristin Folkl-Kaburakis, the organization’s director of development and former area high school basketball and volleyball standout.  Ian was born on Aug. 29.  The future NBA star weighed in at eight pounds.  “He most definitely inherited his big feet and hands from his mom and his full head of dark hair from his dad (Tassos),” Folkl-Kaburakis said.  “We are still trying to figure out who gave him his other facial features.”