Advisory Board
MVP has worked with a number of people in the sports world over the years. As is natural with any situation, you find people that you rely on for advice. These people work within the field and can provide valuable insight into current conditions and trends. They are also great to pick up the phone and bounce ideas off and are willing to tell you when your idea is not such a good one. Serving on our board is voluntary and non-compensated, other than our appreciation.
Troy Garnhart
Troy is the Assistant Athletic Director for Communications at the Air Force Academy. Troy brings more than two decades of experience in the sports communications field to the board.
Larry Dougherty
Larry Dougherty is the Associste Athletic Director for Media Relations at Temple Univeristy. He serves as an officer for COSIDA and ECAC SIDA. Larry also teaches a sports communications class at Temple. Larry was the Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations at Saint Joe's for 15 years, the SID for Nichols State and the Information Director at the previous East Coast Conference. He is a Saint Joe's alum, graduating in 1992 where he also earned is MBA in 1994. Larry's father was the SID at Saint Joe's from 1972-1981.
Matt Elliott
Matt is a 1991 University of Michigan grad, where he played football for legendeary Coach Bo Schembechler. His experience as a former athlete provides invaluable insight to how MVP designs our programs and interacts with the athletes.
Matt played all three interior offensive line positions, starting 35 games for the Wolverines during his college career. He was named the co-MVP of the 1991 Gator Bowl at the conclusion of his junior season and earned All-American honors as a senior in 1991.
Matt was chosen by the Washington Redskins as the 336th pick of the 1992 NFL Draft, giving him the designation -- "Mr. Irrelevant". Despite that moniker, Elliot played 16 games for the Redskins as a rookie in 1992. A knee injury knocked him out for the 1993 season and he was cut during training camp in 1994.
In 1995 he signed with the Carolina Panthers and started 32 games for the team in three seasons. Since his playing days ended, Matt has covered games for NFL Europe on Fox Sports and for college football on ESPN.
Greg Prouty
Greg is the Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations at Longwood University where he is in his 17th year at Longwood. He was promoted to associate athletics director in February 2009 after previously being named an assistant athletics director in October 2004. Greg coordinates all publicity and promotion for the 14-sport intercollegiate athletics program and its student-athletes, including administration of the athletics website while overseeing the daily operation of the office and serving as a member of the department's senior management team. He is also the sport supervisor for women's soccer as well as the men's and women's cross country programs.
Prior to his current position, Greg was the assistant sports information director at Longwood from 1991-95 before serving two years (1995-97) as the SID at Lynchburg College.
A native of Norwich, OH, Greg earned a bachelor of arts degree in public relations with an option in sports information from Eastern Kentucky University in December 1988. He completed a one-year internship at ABC affiliate WTVQ-TV in Lexington, KY, and then worked with the Indianapolis Colts during the 1989 NFL season as a public relations intern.
Leonard Parisi
Leonard Parisi currently serves as Senior Vice President, and partner of Maxim Group LLC, a privately held financial services firm specializing in investment banking, equity research & private wealth management.
Leonard's expertise and background in the financial industry was an important component in our decision to bring him onto the board. In today's difficult economy, it's crucial to have someone who can provide insight into the financial sector and its impact on the sports industry. His knowledge of sports and understanding of our mission along with his passion for sports is an asset for MVP.
Leonard sees a coming era of growth for sports in America and believes the services that MVP provides are crucial to the economic recovery and long-term value of professional sports from a public relations and ultimately financial standpoint. Everyone from professional and college teams to individual athletes need to present themselves well with a positive image moving forward because the public perception of the teams and athletes will be crucial to how quickly sports will regain its priority for fans' disposable income.