Kyle Hunter Journalism 271 OXFORD, MISS. -- When you think of sports or the NFL, you think of men. I mean, football is in fact a man’s sport. That might be true, but Renie Anderson is the brains behind the sport. Anderson is a mother, wife, and is the current senior VP of Sponsorship and Partnership Management for the NFL. Anderson grew up on a farm in Kentucky and went to Union County High School. She graduated from Ole Miss in 1997 with a degree in journalism. After graduation, Anderson went on a job search not knowing where she would end up. After two years of searching, she landed her job in the Arena Football League which would eventually lead her to her job in the NFL. Event though she was originally a writer or journalist, she found something she was great at. “I was just looking for any kind of job and I ended up finding my niche in sales,” Anderson said. Anderson has been with the NFL since 2006 and has received three promotions in the past seven years. She started out as the Director of Business Development and then moved up to the VP of Business Development. Senior VP of Sponsorship and Partnership Management is a newly created position. “My job will include new businesses as well as daily management of the NFL sponsors,” Anderson said. The NFL has their own mission. The NFL strives to grow through integrity, teamwork, tradition and innovation, diversity, and learning. It’s people like Renie Anderson whose job is to help fulfill that mission and its values. Anderson’s job requires her to target certain audiences, produce exciting new proposals for the company, prepare contracts for sponsors, promote the NFL’s business mission and to always be ready for new marketing strategies. Anderson always aims high. She has scored deals with companies like Bridgestone, Marriott Hotels, McDonald’s, Papa John’s, USAA and many more. Anderson has had many accomplishments including Sports Business Daily naming her one of the top sports executives under the age of 40. They call her one of the best and brightest of young sports industry executives. True love must really appear within similar likeness. Anderson is currently married to Chris McCloskey and he is the VP of Communications for NBC Sports. Anderson currently lives with her husband and their two daughters in Darien, Connecticut and she looks forward to what the future brings. Anderson’s best advice is to never settle and to fake it until you make it. WORD COUNT= 413