When your Uncle was one of the first mascots for the Minnesota Vikings, patrolling the sidelines at old Metropolitan Stadium as Viktor the Viking, you knew it wouldn’t take long for Kym Adair to navigate towards a career in football.
The new Executive Director of the Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl in Tucson, Adair grew up in a sports-enthused family in Scottsdale, Arizona. “I played Little League baseball for about four years and although I was the only girl on the team, I never felt like I didn’t belong there,” said Adair. “My parents instilled in me the sense that I could do anything I wanted in life.”
With a degree in political science from Northern Arizona University, Adair is extremely adept at negotiating contracts. As Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Nova Home Loans for nearly ten years, she struck deals with numerous professional sports organizations, namely the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets along with the Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche of the NHL. She also handled sports marketing deals with Arizona State University Athletics and University of Arizona Athletics. “I have a lot of experience in marketing, public relations and large event execution and those skills have enabled me to quickly learn the nuances of the college football bowl world and start making a quick impact with the Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl.”
Adair’s quick ascent to the top of one of college football’s post-season landscapes, is even more remarkable in the fact that she is just one of two female Executive Directors now leading a Bowl game. The other – Missy Setters of the Independence Bowl which is played in Shreveport, Louisiana. “There are a lot of amazing women in college football and in the Bowl arena who are making their way up the chain of command,” added Adair. “In my short tenure, I’ve been very impressed by how many women are working in Bowl offices and how many college women are studying sports management. While there are only two female Executive Directors now, as those roles start to open up, I think more and more will be filled with qualified women. I also think it’s critical to communicate that whether its business, government or college football, women can enter these fields, work hard and find success.”
The 2018 Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl will be played on December 29, 2018 at the University of Arizona. In just three short years, the game has generated a loyal following with a renewed purpose to donate all net proceeds from the game back into the local community. “For us to achieve our goal of giving back to the community, we need to provide a fantastic fan experience that generates excitement and loyalty year after year and I think we do that with concerts, parties, special events and kid’s events as well,” remarked Adair.
New to this year’s line-up of festivities is the Top Deck for Education. The Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl is partnering with Tucson school districts who will be selling tickets, then keeping a significant portion of the proceeds to help fund special initiatives in their schools. “We are excited about this new program and expect to provide over $200,000 to local area schools,” said Adair.
Some of Adair’s fondest memories of her childhood was spending time with her Dad watching football games on TV. Now, not only is she watching football games in person, she’s the one in charge.
For more information on the 2018 Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl, visit www.novaarizonabowl.com or call (520) 292-6951.
