Meet Kinesiology and Sport Management’s New Faculty

We are proud to introduce our Department of Kinesiology and Sport Management’s new faculty members for the 2024-25 academic year.

Jonathan A. Jensen
Associate Professor, Sport Management

Dr. Jonathan A. Jensen is a leading voice in sport marketing, with decades of research and industry experience including his role as Associate Professor of Sport Administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Jensen’s research focuses on the intersection of data science and sport marketing, with 50+ peer-reviewed papers published in leading academic and business/marketing journals, including the Journal of Sport Management, Sport Marketing Quarterly and the Journal of Business Research. His work has also been recognized by the American Marketing Association (AMA) and MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, as well as featured in USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and other mainstream news and business outlets. He is also a Research Fellow of the National American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) and a Fellow of the Collegiate Sport Research Institute (CSRI).

Before entering academia, Jensen served as an executive for leading sport marketing agencies in global advertising networks Omnicom Group (GMR) and Publicis Groupe (Relay Worldwide). He also worked for teams in the National Football League and Major League Baseball.

Mark Lu
Associate Professor, Sport Management

Mark Lu, Ph.D. conducts research in the intersections of sport marketing, technology and sustainability. You can find his work in numerous academic and industry publications including the Journal of Marketing Research, the Journal of Retailing, Annals of Tourism Research and the Asia Pacific Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, among others.

Lu serves as the Vice-Chair for the American Marketing Association Entrepreneurial Marketing Special Interest Group (SIG). He is passionate about inspiring and teaching and has won two university-wide teaching awards. Lu earned his Ph.D. in Marketing at Pennsylvania State University.

Claudia Benavides-Espinoza
Clinical Associate Professor, Sport Management

Dr. Claudia Benavides-Espinoza joins us with a career of 15 years as a professor in universities across the United States and Mexico. Her passion for sports and the intricacies of the industry is exemplified in her expertise and innovative approaches to education and training.

At the core of her practice, Benavides-Espinoza believes in the power of technology to revolutionize the classroom and enhance workforce training. She is dedicated to exploring cutting-edge methods of incorporating new technologies into her curriculum, ensuring her students are equipped with the latest tools and knowledge to thrive in the dynamic sport management field. Her commitment to experiential learning is evident in her extensive involvement in major sporting events such as the Super Bowl, Final Four, and various international tournaments. By providing her students with firsthand exposure to these high-profile events, Benavides-Espinoza fosters practical learning or transferable skills.

Alex Sullins ‘19
Clinical Assistant Professor, Sport Management

Alex Sullins, Ph.D. brings a combination of higher education experience and 20 years of professional experience in the sport and recreation industry. His research interests include community sport, recreational programming, sport tourism and positive youth development through sport.

Sullins believes in the holistic development of all students by challenging worldviews. One of his favorite ways to teach student development is through international student experiences and engaging with various cultures through sport. Sullins volunteered in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and has served as an advisor for global student engagement programs in Scotland, England, France, Switzerland and Germany.

Sullins earned his Ph.D. in Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences from Texas A&M and served as a graduate teaching assistant in that department before becoming an Assistant Professor for Sport Management at Tarleton State University-RELLIS. Before entering academia, he oversaw adult and youth sports programs at Dalton Parks and Recreation in Georgia.

To learn more about the faculty, research and degree programs in our Department of Kinesiology & Sport Management, visit knsm.tamu.edu.

For media inquiries, contact Ruben Hidalgo.