Governance in Sport

Bonnie Tiell, EdD, is a professor of sport management at Tiffin University and the United States Sports Academy (USSA). Since 2004, she has organized a study-abroad program in conjunction with the Summer Olympics, which has included a humanitarian program for underprivileged youths in host cities and volunteer service at the OLY House and USA Welcome Center. She has authored over 60 publications, including two sport management textbooks and four book chapters. She serves on the editorial board for The Sport Journal and as the education correspondent for Sports Destination Management magazine, published by Due North Media.

Tiell has been recognized as the Woman of the Year in Sports for Cleveland, Ohio, and Educator of the Year for Seneca County, Ohio. She was named Alumnus of the Year by the U.S. Sports Academy and was a recipient of the Donahue Service Award from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. She is a two-time recipient of the Teaching Excellence Award from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs and has received multiple awards for teaching, scholarship, and service at Tiffin University.

Tiell has worked with the Sports Authority of Thailand to deliver annual training workshops to directors, military personnel, and administrators representing almost every Thai national sports federation. In addition to being a featured speaker at various conferences around the world, she has taught classes and delivered workshops on strategic management, international marketing, sport governance, and sport psychology in the Kingdom of Bahrain; Shanghai, China; and Bucharest, Romania. She twice lectured for the Futbol Business Academy, headquartered in Europe, and continues collaborating on educational projects with international organizations such as the American Institute of Applied Science and Ball Academy in Switzerland.

In the United States, Tiell has led efforts to organize multiday education programs featuring dozens of Olympians, Olympic coaches, and professional athletes engaging with youths, college students, and community members. In 2000 she cofounded the Women’s Leadership Symposium, a program currently funded and administered by the NCAA and Women Leaders in Sports. She is also the lead developer of Life After the Games, a self-paced online professional development course for athletes and coaches.

Tiell holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Troy University, a master’s degree in sport administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a doctorate of education in sport management from the USSA. She is a featured sport columnist for the Advertiser-Tribune and is also the author of the textbook Human Resources in Sports: A Managerial Approach.

She and her husband, Greg, reside in Tiffin, Ohio, where she serves on the Frost-Kalnow Stadium Endowment Committee and the Calvert Catholic Schools Curriculum Committee. The Tiells have two daughters (Kim and Katie), a son-in-law (Jack), and a grandson expected in 2025.