Mary Claire Schatzberg ‘18 recently joined the Women In Sports and Events (WISE) Arizona Board of Directors. During her time at Rice, Schatzberg majored in Sport Management and was a member of the women’s soccer team before moving to Arizona after graduation.
After college, Schatzberg worked just one step removed from the sports industry as a project manager at Bluemedia, a signage company where she worked directly with the Arizona Cardinals, Super Bowl, and similar events. In 2022, she transitioned to The Destination Manager (TDM) and is now an Events Operations Manager, partnering with corporate conferences to plan their galas, meetings, travel, transportation, and other logistical needs.
Schatzberg first joined the Houston chapter of WISE during her time at Rice as an undergraduate, after Kerri Barber, Department Administrator for Sport Management, introduced the organization to Rice students.
“I really liked the camaraderie and women supporting women,” Schatzberg said. “It was one big networking field that introduced me to people that I would have otherwise never met.”
After moving to Arizona, Schatzberg mentioned that she didn’t have many contacts in the city since she was new to the industry making it initially challenging to get her professional exposure in her new environment. This allowed her to start building a professional network in her new environment. She then joined the membership committee and also began helping with the Women of Inspiration Gala, growing the event from 150 to 400 attendees. She currently serves as Event Chair and is on the Events Committee, and she has also joined the Board.
"It's a lot of figuring out how I fit in, how I can help, and how to grow the community while also getting students more involved," Schatzberg said. "So, I’ve been providing more volunteer and internship opportunities because, when I was a student, all I wanted was to gain experience and get my foot in the door."
Schatzberg joined the WISE Arizona Board of Directors eight months ago. She said she likes it a lot, describing the work as enjoyable despite being demanding. The board holds monthly meetings and organizes one event each month. She also mentioned the upcoming WISE Symposium in Arizona, noting that it's great because there aren't many West Coast events that are more hands-on.
“It is a lot more hands-on than I initially thought which is nice because you can’t get complacent," Schatzberg said. "You have the opportunity to enforce what you want to see in the group”
Schatzberg is currently the co-chair of the Women of Inspiration Gala and plans to fully take over the event next year, managing the 400-person gathering to help alleviate some pressure from the president. She expressed her happiness about being part of the group and the board, noting the opportunity to make positive changes for new members.
“It’s been really great,” Schatzberg said. “I had the realization that high school me would be extremely proud of where I currently am. I have grown so much in the past few years throughout each stage of my life, and one thing I’ve wanted after college was to be a board member of an organization. I’m glad it’s been WISE because they have given back to the community and all they want to do is empower women in the field, and that’s one thing I cannot empower enough.”
Sergio Rojas, a junior from Houston, Texas, is double-majoring in Business with a concentration in Finance and also Sport Management with a concentration in Leadership.