Elena Wells & Wendy Brand

Game On! with Jenny Carnes & Mary Ullmann Japhet

Game On! Elena Wells & Wendy Brand

Episode 9 * July 29, 2024 * 32:47

Excited about the Men’s Final Four coming to San Antonio in 2025? So are we! Hear the experiences and insight from the women who’ve run the game in years past. Between Jenny and guests Elena Wells and Wendy Brand, this episode has led the charge on four NCAA Final Fours. From Elena trying to figure out how to take down a blimp, to the emotional 2002 Women’s Final Four after 9/11, don’t miss these incredible stories.

Elena Wells Bio

Elena Wells first joined San Antonio Sports in 2001 as an intern, eventually working her way up to become assistant executive director. In 2006, she became the associate executive director of NCAA Championship events, helping put on the 2008 NCAA Men’s Final Four and the 2010 NCAA Women’s Final Four.

Elena left San Antonio Sports in 2010 to take on marketing and management roles with other San Antonio companies. In 2017, she returned to San Antonio Sports as managing director of the San Antonio Local Organizing Committee, where she helped put on the 2018 NCAA Men’s Final Four. In 2022, Elena became executive director of SALOC, and she will lead the hosting of the 2025 NCAA Men’s Final Four.

Wendy Brand Bio

Wendy Brand first joined San Antonio Sports in 1997 as the marketing coordinator for the 1998 NCAA Men’s Final Four. After leaving for a short time, she returned as the executive director of the San Antonio Local Organizing Committee, where she led the 2002 NCAA Women’s Final Four and the 2004 Men’s Final Four. In 2005, she became the first Vice President of Operations for the WNBA’s Houston Comets.

Transitioning into non-profit, Wendy served as chief executive officer for the former Palmer Drug Abuse program, now RISE Recovery. Her last decade in the corporate world was spent in Human Resources where she received a master’s degree in organizational development and leadership and worked for Rackspace Technology and Whataburger, two large San Antonio-based companies.

Today, Wendy is a speaker and culture consultant working with organizations to build and execute talent strategies that increase productivity, profits, and employee engagement. She is also the creator and host of her podcast, The Culture Coach.

Check out the 2025 NCAA Men’s Final Four website:

https://www.finalfoursanantonio.com/

To learn more about The Culture Coach:

https://culturecoachwendy.com/

To donate to San Antonio Sports 40th Anniversary “Dare to Dream” campaign, visit: https://connect.sanantoniosports.org/event/413573-San-Antonio-Sports-Dare-to-Dream-Campaign.

SanAntonioSports.org