Jeffrey Petersen, PhD, CAA

Bio:

Dr. Jeffrey Petersen is a Professor of Sport Management and the Graduate Program Director for the Department of Educational Leadership within the Moody School of Education. Currently entering his 18^th year at Baylor, Petersen has prior Sport Management teaching and leadership experience in several collegiate settings and formerly served as coordinator of the Sport Administration undergraduate program at Ball State University (Muncie, Indiana) as well as the division chair and Sport Management program director at Loras College (Dubuque, Iowa). His experience also includes stints as interim chair for the Department of Educational Leadership from 2019 to 2022 as well as teacher, coach, athletic director, and New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA) district chair at the high school level.

An active researcher, Petersen has published work in more than 90 peer-reviewed journal manuscripts, and he has made more than 200 refereed presentations at state, national, and international conferences. His first textbook, Facility and Event Management: Applications in Sport, was released in 2017 with Kendall Hunt Publishers along with his co-authors, Dr. Lawrence W. Judge and Dr. John J. Miller. Petersen's primary areas of research include sport facility design and management, sport management curriculum and pedagogy, interscholastic sport sponsorship, and the Youth Olympic Games (YOG). Prominent leadership roles have included serving as the Chair of the Council on Facilities and Equipment within the American Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), serving on the executive board of the American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (AAPAR), and serving as inaugural chair of the Sport Management Council of the Indiana Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (IAHPERD). Petersen was also an integral member of the organizing committee that brought the Applied Sport Management Association (ASMA) Conference to Baylor in both 2018 and 2020.

Petersen’s research and scholarship has been recognized by the Sport Marketing Association with a Best Paper Award in 2012 and as a best paper finalist in 2011. The Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (TAHPERD) has recognized his research with the Outstanding Research Poster Award – Professional Division in both 2011 and 2014. His research accomplishments were also recognized with the designation of Research Fellow by AAHPERD in 2014 and by the Applied Sport Management Association in 2026. His professional service and support of students was recognized by the Applied Sport Management Association awarding him the Distinguished Service and Mentorship Award in 2023 in Birmingham, AL. His strategic partnerships with area sport organizations like the Fort Wayne Tincaps, Indiana Ice, American Football Coaches Association, Baylor Athletics, Baylor Bear Sports Properties, SMG McLane Stadium, McLennan Community College, Boys and Girls Clubs of Waco, ClubCorp, the Oakview Group, Sodexo, Savor, and the Greater Waco Sports Commission have resulted in over $1,084,000 internal and $858,000 external funding that fostered the creation of numerous graduate assistantship opportunities.

What nominators say:

Jeff has been a key part of the program since his arrival at Baylor in 2009, and he has helped myriad students find belonging and success in their field through his expert teaching, collaborative research approach, and thoughtful connections to the field in which he aligns students with clinical experiences. He has mentored hundreds of students from application to job placement, and he has exemplified Baylor’s unique Christian mission.