FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Houston Marathon hires Kate Klein as new Director,
Business Development & Marketing
Committee announces additional organizational advancements
and reassignments
HOUSTON (June 21, 2016) - The Houston Marathon Committee (HMC) on Tuesday
announced the hiring of executive Kate Klein as Director, Business
Development and Marketing. Klein will lead the business and community
development department and is responsible for managing sponsorships,
branding, and experiential marketing for the Chevron Houston Marathon race
weekend, an annual hallmark event scheduled for January 13-15, 2017.
"Kate brings years of sales, advertising, and brand activation experience
to the Houston Marathon Committee," said Wade Morehead, Executive Director
of the Houston Marathon Committee and Foundation. "Her background and
skillsets are ideal for the HMC, and we are thrilled that she will lead all
business and community engagement initiatives for the organization."
A graduate of Texas A&M, Klein will manage a team that now includes:
Kristin Wolters, the former venue manager of the convention center on race
weekend who is now Senior Manager, Sponsor Services & Marketing, and
responsible for managing the Memorial Hermann Ironman Sports Medicine
Institute EXPO; Vicky Oddi, who manages all public and media relations,
including social media and press operations as the Senior Manager,
Communications; Ally Walker, who is the Senior Manager, Houston Marathon
Foundation Community Development, and manages all support programs and
community initiatives for the HMF; and Erin Kasperek, who moves from
volunteer services to Manager, Community Development, and is responsible
for the Chevron Houston Marathon Run for a Reason Charity Program, the We
Are Houston RunFest presented by Michelob Ultra and all on-course Hoopla
over race weekend.
"I am thrilled to be joining such a talented team of individuals," said
Klein, who has run Houston the past four years, including as a member of
Team Sarah Pepper in the 2016 Mascot vs. Media Challenge. "The Chevron
Houston Marathon is truly a first-class event. The impact on the community
through the Houston Marathon Foundation and Run for a Reason Charity
Program are wonderful representations of the spirit and energy of Houston.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to join the organization."
Klein joins the HMC following her tenure at Kapow, where she led the launch
of the Houston and Austin offices, including generating sales growth and
marketing strategy. Prior to that start-up endeavor, she developed
solution-based marketing programs across broadcast, event, print and
digital assets at CBS Radio and The Houston Business Journal. A former
volunteer Board of Director and Marketing Committee Chair for the
Queensbury Theatre, Klein currently serves on the Houston Interactive
Marketing Association Board of Directors, where she facilitates events and
programming designed to help Houston businesses grow through interactive
strategies.
In addition to the aforementioned staffing changes, the HMC today announced
the following promotions of Carly Caulfield to Senior Director, Operations,
responsible for all logistics and planning of every HMC hosted event; and
Erin McGowan to Senior Director, Legal Affairs & Elite Services,
responsible for all participant services, including the management of the
world-class elite athletes who compete in Houston each year.
About the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc.
Established in 1972, the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc. (HMC) annually
organizes the nation's premier winter marathon, half-marathon, and 5K. Over
250,000 participants, volunteers and spectators make Chevron Houston
Marathon Race Day the largest single-day sporting event in Houston. A
founding member of Running USA, the HMC is an IAAF bronze level event that
retained Gold Certification from the Council of Responsible Sport and was
awarded the AIMS Green Award for industry-leading sustainability
initiatives. Race Weekend generates over $50 million in economic impact for
the region annually. In 2016, the Run for a Reason Charity Program raised
$2.3 million, while the Houston Marathon Foundation supported youth and
community running initiatives. Televised annually by broadcast partner
ABC13, 2016 was the first time that the event was syndicated live
nationally and internationally on ESPN3 and the Longhorn Network. Host to
16 U.S. Half Marathon Championships since 2005 and the 1992 women's Olympic
Trials Marathon, the HMC also conducted the 2012 men's and women's U.S.
Olympic Trials Marathon.
For more information, visit www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com or call
713.957.3453.
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