Jesse Tsu ’11, a Rice University Sport Management graduate, has been working his way up the ranks of Nike since graduating, and is now shining in his position as the Business Planner on the Academy Sports + Outdoors account.
As the Business Planner for the Academy account, Tsu analyzes the metrics in retail that track the selling of apparel, footwear, and other products to drive profitable and sustainable growth. He is responsible for providing recommendations and influencing the decision making process of the Nike corporate teams, Nike Houston account team, and the Academy buying teams.
Tsu began his climb to this position as a student in the Department of Sport Management at Rice University. Between the assignments and projects specifically directed to careers in the industry and the networking and internship opportunities available, the major and the department’s faculty provided him with the foundation of skills and knowledge required for him to succeed in his chosen career.
“The Sport Management major at Rice is one of the biggest reasons that I’ve been able to make it to where I am,” Tsu said. “I am extremely grateful to the entire Sport Management team at Rice.”
Tsu says it was the internship experiences that were the most valuable. Tsu interned with the Houston Rockets for two seasons during his time at Rice thanks to the connections through the Sport Management Department. He also credits Professor Tom Stallings with establishing the connection to the Nike Houston office, which is where he got his start.
Tsu hopes to ultimately work internationally with Nike at one of the three international campuses: World Headquarters in Beaverton, Europe Headquarters in Amsterdam, and the Asia Headquarters in Shanghai, which is in the process of being built. Tsu hopes to work in Shanghai, knowing how important China is to Nike’s long-term success.
Jesse Drummond ‘14, a senior from College Station, TX, is majoring in Sociology and Sport Management.