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Little did Jessica Baumgarten (PolSci’03, MEd’16) know when she was a child that watching sports as a way to connect with her dad would not only turn into a lifelong love, but that sports would also define her career.

Was it destiny?

“Early in his career,” said Baumgarten, her father was a sportswriter and editor for the Daily Camera. While at her dad’s house, sports were always on.

“One day I realized, I really love this. I love watching it. I love enjoying it. And I was hooked,” she recalled. She coached tennis during high school as a summer job, and then had brief internships with the athletics department as a CU undergrad majoring in political science with a minor in business. She later went on to earn her master’s in educational foundations, policy and practice at CU.

Getting a career strike

After college, Baumgarten moved to Chicago and took roles in marketing and sales within the health and wellness field. When she returned to Colorado and received job offers from two professional sports teams, she found herself questioning if marketing was really her calling.

“If community development had a bigger presence back then, I think I would’ve gone that route,” she said. That’s because she likes to help people—something that fuels her work at Leeds as the director of the Business of Sports (BOS) Program and as associate director of the Career Development Office.��

The role of “career coach” fits perfectly. In addition to launching BOS, Baumgarten was the first career coach at Leeds; subsequently, she now also manages a team of career advisors. In her role specializing in the consulting industry, she has built a strong network. In only a few years, she helped propel Leeds to become a core school for some of the top consulting firms in the industry, she explained.

Baumgarten landed at Leeds through serendipity: A friend’s mom who worked at the school told her about an emerging Business of Sports Program. That certainly piqued her curiosity, and she joined Leeds in 2010 to help build BOS from the ground up. It officially launched in 2013. Since then, she’s grown BOS into a robust community backed by strong industry ties and alumni engagement.

“I’ve had students call me from airports ... some wanting to sign their offer letters in my office ... Those are moments I will never, ever forget.”

Jessica Baumgarten

“I’ve had students call me from airports ... some wanting to sign their offer letters in my office,” she said. A favorite memory is a BOS alumna calling her right after she received a coveted job offer, and then declaring, “Now I have to go call my mom!”

“There have been so many highs. Those are moments I will never, ever forget.”

Keeping pace with a fast-paced industry

The BOS program is as dynamic as the sports industry itself, continually evolving in scope and sophistication.

When it started, it focused primarily on facilities and event management, marketing and law, Baumgarten explained. Today, the curriculum spans social media, analytics and business intelligence, community development, gaming and NIL (Name, Image and Likeness)—the latter of which she calls “the Wild, Wild West—a beast to keep up with on its own.”

The gaming industry, betting and wagering are also now integrated into the program. “We have bet365, which has a Denver headquarters. We partnered with PointsBet in the past, which was purchased by Fanatics. It’s a huge industry in itself,” she said.

Opening up opportunities

In a cohort of 50 students each year, BOS participants receive more than just theoretical instruction—they get personal attention and the chance to engage in real-world, project-based learning with top-notch industry professionals. One recent cohort worked on conducting a comprehensive competitor analysis of the partnership landscape within specific categories (airlines, wealth management and wellness). Based on their research, students recommended specific partners the client could engage with based on brand fit.

While CU offers other sports-focused programs, such as minors in sports media or critical sports theories, the BOS certificate stands apart by offering a comprehensive view of the sports industry. It allows students to explore a variety of career paths.

“A lot of students don't realize all the opportunities within the industry,” said Baumgarten, pointing to roles in community development, agency work and analytics. “I have a number of students who are traders at betting companies, so they’re helping set the lines and they’re using quantitative and analytical skills.”

“Not every student wants to major in sports management,” she added. “This certificate gives them a foot in the door and real exposure to the industry, while still pairing it with a solid business degree. They get that niche specialization without having to go all-in on a sports-specific major.”

Beyond building a solid foundation, she said, "the networking piece is huge."

Through her leadership, Baumgarten has cultivated a learning environment that balances academic rigor with professional readiness. Students and alumni view her not just as an educator, but as a coach, mentor and lifelong supporter.

More than a playbook

For Baumgarten, success is as much about mindset as it is about skills. She instills in students the importance of having a positive attitude, being a team player and committing to hard work—principles from sports that translate to business and life.

She also reminds students not to burn bridges. “The sports industry is a close-knit community built on relationships, collaboration and information sharing,” she said. Her mantra is simple but powerful: “How you treat people matters.”

“The sports industry is a close-knit community built on relationships, collaboration and information sharing ... How you treat people matters.”

Jessica Baumgarten

She carries that belief into everything she does—not just with the students she helps in BOS or in consulting, but also with the career coaching team she oversees in the Career Development Office. If she doesn't know the answer to something, she'll work hard to find it.

Ultimately, said Baumgarten, “It’s not about how much you know. It’s about how much you care.”