161. Defining Your Why with Vegas Golden Knights VP of Marketing Stephanie Rogers

Defining Your Why with Vegas Golden Knights VP of Marketing Stephanie Rogers

Introducing Stephanie Rogers

Today I’m talking to the Vice President of Marketing for the Vegas Golden Knights Stephanie Rogers about defining your why.

Her Career Journey

Stephanie earned a Bachelor of Business Administration at the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business where she got her start working in sports as the Communications Student Assistant for Iowa Athletics. After college, she went on to become the Communications Manager for the American Junior Golf Association. While there, she took an informational interview that turned into a job offer from the PGA Tour. There, she began working on the Tournament Marketing Team, revamping digital marketing and ultimately becoming Senior Manager, before transitioning to serve as the Director of Corporate Partnerships Strategy and Innovation. Stephanie is currently the VP of Marketing for the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the Vegas Golden Knights.

Defining Your Why

Stephanie has made a practice of defining why certain opportunities are more exciting to her than others. When it came time to look for a new job, she started by listing out exactly what she was looking for, rather than focusing on what made her unhappy, and ended up finding her current role where she was a perfect fit.

Inside this episode:

  • Stephanie always knew that sports was going to be a part of her career. By reflecting on her experiences in college, she deliberately took time to figure out exactly how she wanted to contribute to the business of sports.
  • While she enjoys meeting new people, Stephanie still dislikes setting aside time for formal networking. Instead, she’s figured out methods that feel right for her, like informational interviews, and reminds herself that most people are happy to share what they’ve learned. 
  • Stephanie was the first person in her role in digital marketing at the PGA Tour and found it challenging to stand up to the status quo. To make progress, she learned to speak the language of each individual team, from ticket sales to managers, to convince them she knew what she was talking about.
  • When she was interviewing with the Golden Knights, Stephanie admitted that she knew nothing about hockey even though she was a huge sports fan. Her boss said that was fine since they had plenty of people who knew hockey and instead were looking for a marketing expert. Stephanie feels that honesty and vulnerability served her better than faking it in a new environment.
  • She advises women to not be afraid to be the hardest worker in the room, to not to be afraid to ask questions, and to try to work past the pressure to be perfect.

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