Alison’s rockin’ personal style made a great first impression when we were looking for a new Retail Manager. But aside from an expert fashion sense, she’s also in the know on all things running from her three years as second-in-command at Roadrunner Running Store. Her eye for design is perfect for overseeing our apparel and merchandise, coordinating the design process for participant shirts and even picking out swatches for our workspace redesign. As the official “t-shirt fairy,” she brings Christmas to the office by hooking up our staff and committees with awesome event schwag.

This Development Manager traveled the United States and the world before coming to Richmond. She’s spent time in North Carolina, Arizona, Texas, and even Russia. But, according to Cindy, Richmond feels like home, as she grew up right down the road in Charlottesville. We’re hoping she’s settled here because we won’t be able to fulfill our mission of making Richmond the most active community in the country without her help raising the funds. She’s always busy writing grants, formulating case statements and researching foundations to strengthen our development efforts. We already know she’s a hard worker and she knows how to have a good time, too. When she’s not in the office, she’s likely spending time with her family and friends, running, traveling, or… you guessed it… skiing!

An active person herself, Faith not only sets a good example for her own two kids, but she’s making strides to impact kids throughout the entire community. As our Youth Programs Coordinator, she takes care of… wait for it… our youth programs! From the Richmond Times-Dispatch/Sports Backers Scholarship program to the Sports Backers Youth Running program and from the Virginia 529 Kids Run to the 10k Healthy School Challenge, Faith does it all. She’s also the first Sports Backers staffer to make the switch from a regular old workstation to a walking desk. But walking while she works is no big deal for this 10-year volunteer Marathon Training Team coach. She’s got incredible endurance (wink, wink O). On a side note: She’s known to bring in killer potato leek soup from time to time.

It’s a good thing Jeff would rather be in running shoes than sitting behind a desk, because as Director of Sponsorship and Development, he’s constantly on the go. Whether he’s courting the local business community or forming partnerships on a national level, Jeff has a way with people and a knack for building relationships. If he’s not training for his latest triathlon, he’s working around the clock to secure sponsors for our events and programs, so it’s no wonder he’s rarely seen without a coffee in hand! He might humbly say that our events can sell themselves, but we all know he’s just good at what he does. Extreeemely good.

From instructing us on the proper packing method for event trucks to leading us in fiercely competitive rounds of Trivial Pursuit, this Event Operations Manager is always willing to fill any necessary role. He not only works tirelessly to keep our warehouse and equipment in mint condition, but he also researches new events and manages rentals of our Indoor Sports Tournament Center, which supplies equipment to tons of local tourneys. Most importantly, his alter ego Dan McGirt keeps us abreast of local weather forecasts for upcoming events.

Raising four teenagers has forced Lisa to get comfortable with a fast-paced lifestyle. It’s a good thing because we count on her as Event Director to manage the “controlled” chaos at the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k, Anthem Richmond Marathon and Connects Federal Credit Union Corporate 4-Miler. She’s gotten reallllly good at reverting to Plan B when Plan A doesn’t come together as planned, and trust us when we say – this happens pretty frequently in the event planning world! Either way, it takes an organized person to pull together the logistical and operational details of events, and we couldn’t be happier to have Lisa on our team.

Hailing from Seattle, "U Dub" grad Max Hepp-Buchanan was brought on the SB team to lead the effort in making RVA a more bike- and ped-friendly region. He brings with him a ton of experience from the 2.5 years he spent working at the nation's largest membership-based cycling club, the Cascade Bike Club.

In his role as Bike Walk RVA Director, Max will be rallying the troops (i.e. local governments, bike organizations, transportation officials, and other interested individuals) to support and encourage the construction of more safe, convenient, and comfortable places for everyone to ride a bike. He'll also be heading up annual programs that encourage biking and walking.

Advocacy... Grassroots... Infrastructure... That's all in his wheelhouse. Get it? "WHEEL" house? Get to know Max because you'll be seeing him around, likely biking down city streets, riding around the trails, or even walking through his Bellevue neighborhood with his wife, Anna, and their baby Lars.

Growing up, Meghan lettered in softball, basketball, soccer and indoor track. These days, she remains a multi-sport threat by serving as Event Director for the Times-Dispatch Go! Discover Richmond, the WhatIfCreditUnions.com Dragon Boat Festival and the Anthem Moonlight Ride. And if she’s not swamped with work managing the expos and finish festivals for our two largest events, you can find this passionate Mountaineer in the stands of a WVU football or basketball game.

After interning for the Sports Backers in 2009, Pete is back for more. He’s taken on the role of Event Production Assistant, coordinating all of the entertainment for our events (and that’s no small task considering we have more than 30 bands on our 10k course!). He is pretty good at thinking on his feet and we like to think that’s because he’s an accomplished soccer player from Virginia Tech. He also has stellar writing skills, so you can frequently find him contributing to PULSE and other community publications. With a Master’s degree in Sports Administration from the VCU Center for Sport Leadership under his belt, Pete is a valuable addition to the team.

Scott may live and breathe registration numbers, but his livelihood depends on it. Okay, not really – he’s an 18-year Sports Backers vet, so it doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere anytime soon. As Marketing Director, Scott is responsible for the integrated marketing campaigns of the entire organization and all of its events. Scott also oversees our communications program and manages our ever-changing website. This family man is a big fan of the holidays. During the Christmas season, he invites the staff to his neighborhood for a tacky light run. On New Year’s Eve, you’ll find him hanging on his couch refreshing the RaceIt website, tracking the 10k registration rate by the minute. And on Halloween, look for him in Chipotle wrapped up like a burrito in one of our marathon heat sheets to win a free lunch. Anything for freebies, right?

Maybe the fact that Townley is part of a huuuuge extended family (over 80 first and second cousins!) is the reason she’s able to build and maintain relationships with so many folks in the community. As Director of Event Development, she's the main point of contact for local entities involved in sports tourism including the RMCVB, Parks & Recreation departments, the counties, and other major partners. She’s the brains behind developing and recruiting new events for Richmond – both Sports Backers owned and outside events. Her thoroughness and attention to detail often land her the lead on major office projects, which is why she's in charge of managing the Sports Tourism Grant Program. We just know we can trust her to get the job done! And as if all her duties in the office don’t occupy enough of her time, her home is ruled by a high-energy toddler. . . who may or may not be more proficient with an iPad than she is.