Vanessa Taveras Joins Athletes Unlimited as Chief Partnerships Officer

In addition, Cheri Kempf has been promoted to Chief Broadcast Officer, also reporting to Patricof. Previously SVP, Broadcasting, Kempf oversees all aspects of production across Athletes Unlimited including game broadcasts, while managing the organization’s relationships with media rights partners including ESPN, FanDuel Sports Network, and many others. In addition to overseeing the broadcasting department, Kempf was also previously Director of Softball for Athletes Unlimited.

Kempf and Taveras join a talented group of female C-Suite executives at Athletes Unlimited, including Chief Operating Officer Ana Drucker and Chief Growth Officer Allie Kleva. 

A veteran of the sports marketing industry, Taveras was most recently VP, Strategic Partnerships for IMG Academy, the global leader in sports education, where she oversaw partnerships with major brands including Under Armour, Gatorade, and Therabody. She also spearheaded creative new partnerships, including making Uniball the Official Pen of National Signing Day at IMGA and developing and launching an innovative new partnership with Merrill Wealth Management and Bank of America delivering Financial Literacy education.

Prior to joining IMG Academy, Taveras spent the entirety of her 20+ year career on the

agency side of the sports marketing business, most recently as SVP, Properties at CSM Sport & Entertainment, the global agency’s representation arm retained by rights holders to package and sell their corporate partnerships. She started her career at Octagon before spending nearly 10 years at Velocity Sports & Entertainment (now MKTG). In 2011, Taveras was part of a small team that launched boutique property representation agency SJX Partners, which was later acquired by CSM.

Taveras has worked with a diverse range of leading properties including New York Road Runners, the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), League International, and the United States Tennis Association (USTA), and has helped launch the commercial business for properties including the New Balance High School Tennis Championships, the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens, and the Dew Tour. 

Taveras was named a Sports Business Journal Game Changer in 2020 and is an active mentor of young people in the sports business through programs including the CSM/SBJ Mentoring Challenge and the University of Michigan’s Women Empowerment in Sport & Entertainment. She is a proud member of the Board of Directors of Sports Biz Careers, an organization with a mission to change the lives of underrepresented high school and college students through the sports industry. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and resides in New York with her husband and two children.

“We are thrilled to welcome Vanessa to Athletes Unlimited and have her lead our engagement with major brands looking to partner with our unique properties and incredible athletes,” Patricof said. “In addition, Cheri’s promotion is well-deserved and a reflection of the stellar work she and her team have done to make our game broadcasts and all aspects of our production truly world-class. Athletes Unlimited is fortunate to have such a talented group of leaders pushing our organization forward.”