Lisa Schleef

I graduated with my M.A. in PR/communication studies from Eastern Illinois University in August 2013. I am primarily interested in community relations, marketing, and event planning, specificatlly in the sports and entertainment industry. In 2013, I finished an internship with the Houston Astros Baseball Club in Houston, TX.

While working with the Houston Astros, I assisted with the planning and implementing of Picnic in the Park, which hosted over 700 people and raised over $100,000. I also assisted the Marketing department and created an in-game Twitter campaign designed to enhance fan experience and fan participation. The campaign was called "#WackyWalkup."

While completing the thesis requirement for earning my Master’s degree, I have done extensive research on corporate social responsibility in professional sports, looking specifically at the non-profit foundations and community relations programs of professional sports teams. My research has given me a unique perspective of the community relations work that professional sport organizations are involved with. I specifically researched how CSR programs influenced fan identification and how teams benefit from CSR programs. In my thesis, I used the Saint Louis Cardinals’ non-profit foundation, Cardinals Care, as a case study.