Assistant Directors
Dr. Tolga Ozyurtcu
Dr. Tolga Ozyurtcu is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at the University of Texas at Austin. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Haverford College, a M.Sc. in Sport Management from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Sport Studies, also from UT-Austin. His doctoral dissertation was a cultural history of the original Muscle Beach (1934-1958), in Santa Monica, California, titled Flex Marks The Spot. He teaches in the areas of Sport Management and Physical Culture and Sport Studies, including classes in the management of sport organizations, media and public relations in sport, and the sociological, philosophical, and ethical aspects of sport and physical activity. Ozyurtcu’s research interests include sport development, sporting subcultures, sport and cultural geography, and physical culture history, and he has presented his work to the North American Society for Sport History, International Association for the Philosophy of Sport, and the North American Society for Sport Management. An experienced coach and sport industry consultant, Ozyurtcu seeks to engage his students by combining practical and theoretical approaches to the study of sport.
Dr. Emily Sparvero
Dr. Sparvero received her BA in Economics from Duke University and both her M.Ed. and Ph.D. in Sport Management from the University of Texas at Austin. She joins the faculty at the University of Texas after three years as an assistant professor in the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Temple University and two years as a visiting assistant professor at Texas A&M University. Dr. Sparvero worked in development at the athletic departments at the University of Texas and Duke University, as well as at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. She has worked with convention and visitors bureaus and event organizers to analyze the economic impact of mass participant and spectator events. Dr. Sparvero has provided expert commentary to national and local media outlets, including CNBC, USA Today, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Business Journal, and Comcast SportsNet.