Eric leads the Esports and Gaming strategy at Butler University; he manages a comprehensive program and facility (Esports Park) that integrates multiple levels of competition, activates community partnerships and supports faculty research from a multi-disciplinary approach of curriculum. Eric received his Bachelor of Science in Sport Administration from Ball State University, a Master of Arts in Sport Management from Indiana University, an MBA from Butler University and a Master’s in Risk Management and Insurance from Butler University. Eric is contributing member of the BIG EAST Esports Executive Board that structures the conference framework for esports. Eric was a contributor for "Esports Business Management", one of the first esports textbook produced by Human Kinetics. He has also presented at various conferences on the intersection of sports, technology and marketing.
Nathan Duke graduated from Full Sail University in 2019 where he obtained his degree in Show Production. While at Full Sail Nathan was a founding member of the Full Sail Armada, the universities varsity esports program. While a student at Full Sail Nathan was able to work professional esports events such as NBA2K League’s "The Ticket", Red Bull Proving Grounds, and more. Working with the start up 2050esports Nathan was also credited as the production and event lead for two different Street Fighter 5 events at the Daytona International Speedway and a Collegiate Rocket League invitational hosted at the Richmond Raceway in Virginia. Alongside these destination events Nathan also oversaw the planning and execution of over 100+ online tournaments and broadcasts with 2050esports. After graduating from Full Sail he went on to work for the University of Pittsburgh where he was a Broadcast Engineer working with ESPN and ACCN to delivery high quality network television for traditional varsity sports. He now works for Butler University managing varsity esports teams and overseeing production and day to day operations of the brand new Esports Park.
Megan Danaher is the Esports Coordinator at Butler University. She believes that being able to set up structure and organization can help to facilitate a great gaming experience for students and sponsors alike. In addition to coordinating with Butler University, Megan also works with Wisdom Gaming, as a Live Coordinator and live streams from time to time. Most recently she received a nomination for Best Esports Coach of 2022, and was featured in a 2019 article in the Red Bulletin. Megan holds a MS in Entertainment Business/Sports Management and a BFA in Creative Writing.
Dr. Lee Farquhar is an associate professor of Journalism and Sports Media. In total, he has been teaching multimedia storytelling and sports media courses for over 10 years. His professional experience is primarily in radio and television broadcasting. He has also worked as a freelance videographer, shooting video for Kansas State University and MTV. His research combines social media and social psychological theories. He current research focuses on social media use and the impact on how users view themselves and others.