Erin Q. Byrd
Hello!
Thank you so much for taking the time to get to know me and review some of the highlights of my career including Clemson Hot Market Activations and Sports Matter Community Engagements for 2022.
A little bit about me. I was born in Savannah, GA and have lived all over the country as well as in Germany and Puerto Rico as a professional volleyball player. I am the oldest of five and a proud aunt to seven nieces and nephews. I attended the University of Wisconsin on a full-scholarship to achieve my Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in French and Accounting. In my late 20's, I returned to the University for a Masters of Business Administration due to the generous donation of a former UW track athlete whose bequest was designated for an athlete demonstrating entrepreneurial skills in the real world. At the time, I was running my own company called Mission Volleyball while playing professional beach volleyball.
I started working for DICK'S Sporting Goods after graduation as the Community Marketing Manager for the state of South Carolina. During that time, I have opened eight new DICK’S locations, developed 100’s of youth and key community partnerships, distributed over $250,000 in Sports Matter grants, and drove over $5M in attributable revenue in 2022. My geography is one of the largest in the company as I cover 19 retail locations ranging from Wilmington, NC to Brunswick, GA and all of South Carolina. It has been an exciting and rewarding career and I can look back with a ton of pride on all the work that has been accomplished to bring the DICK’S brand to life in our communities.
During the initial COVID shutdown, myself along with 20,000 others from DICK'S were furloughed. It was a shock to the system for sure but I used the downtime to earn a Digital Marketing Certificate from e-Cornell and have developed the digital marketing strategy for multiple small businesses to broaden my skillset. I also painted my house of course. :)
To read more on my professional accomplishments, please click here.
During my tenure at the University of Wisconsin, I was a four-year starter and All-American for the Women's Volleyball Team. We were the first team to achieve Back-to-Back Big Ten Championships and a Final Four appearance. In the 2000 National Championship Match, we lost to Nebraska in five sets; a loss that has haunted my teammates until last year when the current Badgers defeated the Cornhuskers in five sets for the ultimate redemption.
I was also a member of the USA National Team. Competing with the best athletes from the USA against the best athletes from around the world provided so much personal growth and expanded my horizons immensely. It is hard to describe in words the intense feeling of pride and responsibility you have when walking onto the court wearing the letters U-S-A on your jersey.
The UW Fieldhouse
My athletic career was extremely rewarding. In addition to teaching me determination and grit, I have formed life-long friendships and am comfortable building rapport with people from many different cultures and backgrounds. Post-athletics, I have focused my energy on giving back and supporting our future generations.
I am immensely grateful for my role as a Big Sister as part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. My “Little” is now all grown up and in the Navy. She was the salutatorian of her high school graduation class and I could not be more proud of her.
My CORE class at the Collegiate School of Memphis recently graduated. As a monthly donor, I supported the 2022 graduating class when they started their journey as freshmen. I followed their progress in the classroom and the community through the newsletters, social media, and in-person events. I am extremely honored to have supported their achievement of 100% collegiate acceptance for every student in their class.
