Spalding has promoted Christy Hedgpeth to Director of Branding and Licensing. Hedgpeth will be responsible for brand consistency across all of the Spalding businesses and will also manage existing licensees, establish new licensing partnerships with strategically aligned companies, and manage the new initiative of licensing patented technologies.
Hedgpeth joined Spalding in January 2005 as senior manager of basketball marketing. In her previous role she was responsible for marketing and product management related to the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Womens National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the National Basketball Development League (NBDL).
“Christy is a seasoned marketing professional whose knowledge and passion for the game of basketball have played an integral role in our growth the past two years,” stated Dan Touhey, vice president of marketing. “She is a natural leader with high standards and a commitment to excellence and well look to Christy to maximize our branding and licensing initiatives.”
Hedgpeth, quite experienced with Spaldings strongest category, basketball, played for nationally recognized Stanford University before playing professionally for the American Basketball League. At Stanford, she played in two Final Fours (1991, 1992) including the 1992 NCAA Basketball Championship which Stanford won. . In addition to earning All Pac-10 Team honors and her teams Most Inspirational Player Award in 1994, Hedgpeth was nominated for an ESPN ESPY Award in 1993. She was a Pac-10 All-Academic selection from 1992 -1994 and served as team captain in 1994.
Professionally, Hedgpeth earned one of 80 roster spots in the ABLs inaugural season (1996) and played for the Seattle franchise until 1998, after serving as manager of the ABLs player development during the leagues startup phase. She is a 1994 graduate of Stanford University and earned an MBA from Duke University in 2001.
