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CU Alum Is Planning Super Bowl LVII

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 07:00:00 +0000

CU Alum Is Planning Super Bowl LVII Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/07/2022 - 00:00

David Schwartz

Jay Parry (Fin’80) got a healthy appreciation for sports from her father, who would shuttle her and her two older sisters around Del Mar, California, and beyond.

“He literally took us to every sporting event he could find in Southern California,” she said. “Sports were important growing up. He really opened us to all the possibilities.”

Decades later, the former banking executive would make her name in the same field, but this time off the playing surface — with the WNBA, the NBA and, now, the Super Bowl.

Parry currently serves as the public face of the group responsible for Super Bowl LVII in Arizona, and the rest of the world will be watching.

“What drives me is that I love putting together an all-star team and creating something that seems like it’s going to be a challenge, but ultimately we make it look easy,” said Parry, president and chief executive of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, during a break in her schedule in Phoenix. “I get excited about that.”

This is the second time around for Parry, who helped lead the effort to host the NFL’s big game in Arizona in 2015. This time, the stakes are even higher.

Delayed by the global pandemic, her 20-person staff has had to move quickly to prepare for the multitude of tasks in the months leading up to the opening kick-off.

The fundraising goal to defray the cost of putting on the game is $50 million, roughly $20 million more than the last time the desert played host. Sponsorships need to be inked. Some 5,000 volunteers need to be recruited. A full calendar of events must be put together and executed.

“We have a great road map from 2015,” Parry said. “Now the challenge is how we elevate our game and set new records for the Super Bowl and Arizona — and create a really fun fan experience for everyone.

“Sports is business, and creating a business plan for how to host the best Super Bowl yet is the goal.”

The California transplant took her first formal steps into the business world at CU, arriving at the never-before-visited school looking for a change in scenery, and decided that finance and marketing would serve her well. Parry said she came away with a degree, lasting memories and lifelong friendships — and she fulfilled her father’s request that she take up skiing.

The lessons she learned at ��ƷSM��ӰƬ helped provide a foundation for a 17-year career at Bank of America, where she steadily rose through the ranks. She left as an executive vice president overseeing 10 states.

The challenge is how we elevate our game and set new records for the Super Bowl and Arizona — and create a really fun fan experience for everyone.

“I thought, ‘There’s a great big world out there,’ and I needed to make sure that I was experiencing different aspects of it,” she said. “It seemed like the time had come to make a move.”

Parry launched a second career in sports as a top executive with the Phoenix Mercury basketball team of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), landing the job through a connection at the bank. That led to a stint as a senior vice president with the Phoenix Suns. And another connection from the bank and others, along with her track record, helped land her the top job running the Super Bowl for the first time and again a second time last year. In between, she served for two years as the WNBA’s chief operating officer.

She’s worked in largely male-dominated organizations throughout her career, but she downplayed any suggestion that her gender served as an obstacle.

“It’s about knowing your business and being prepared,” Parry said. “I think there’s a lot of progress being made around bringing women into the conference room and the board room. We still have a lot of work to do.”

Parry said she has learned over the years that a formula for success in any organization is creating and encouraging a culture of inclusion, and having a highly qualified group of professionals who make it work.

As for the future, Parry is taking a “wait and see” approach, concentrating on her team and the months until the big game.

“We’re really focused on delivering a really great experience for Super Bowl LVII,” she said. “And then we’ll all take a step back, take a breath and decide what comes next.”

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Photo courtesy Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee

After serving as an executive with the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury and as COO for the WNBA, Jay Parry is now heading up the planning for Super Bowl LVII in Phoenix — for the second time.

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A Conversation with ��ƷSM��ӰƬ’s Campus Architect

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 07:00:00 +0000

A Conversation with ��ƷSM��ӰƬ’s Campus Architect Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 03/11/2022 - 00:00

Christie Sounart

Last October, d’Andre Willis began her role as ��ƷSM��ӰƬ’s campus architect and director of planning. She is the first woman to hold the position. Here she discusses her favorite buildings, sustainable design and why she chose to work at ��ƷSM��ӰƬ.

What inspired you to become an architect?

I have always had a deep response to buildings — both as objects and as habitable spaces. I remember trips to Chicago as a kid and being wowed by individual buildings that looked cool to me and intrigued by the way the buildings conversed with each other in the city. At that age, I drew a lot of plans for dream homes; most of them had streams running through them and trees growing inside.

Why did you want to work for ��ƷSM��ӰƬ?

I am passionate about the link between the physical environment and the culture of a place. The focus of my career has been on creating public spaces that have an impact on making communities better, and it’s an honor to be asked to steward a physical campus of ��ƷSM��ӰƬ's quality in support of the academic mission, culture and people of the university.

What is your favorite building on campus?

Often an architect’s favorite building is their current project, and by that measure I am most passionate about the Hellems Arts and Sciences Building. Hellems is so important to campus — it’s a key part of our historic Norlin Quad, a center for teaching where nearly all undergrads take at least one class and the first building on campus designed by Charles Klauder in the Tuscan Vernacular style. Unfortunately, within the wonderful exterior of Hellems, the classrooms and other spaces for faculty and students aren’t up to the quality that the university needs. Currently we’re in the early design phases of a project that will renew all of Hellems to create a dynamic and welcoming hub for learning while taking care of the historic fabric for the next 100 years of this important building’s life.

What’s your favorite building in the world?

I’d like to take that question in a different direction and tell you about one of my favorite places in the world. I love buildings in their context, particularly cities and campuses, where structures, landscape and public art shape outdoor spaces that are joyful and energetic. Dearborn Street through Chicago’ Loop, for instance, is a place where buildings and sculptures create a string of amazing public spaces.You can start near the south end with wonderful historic structures like the Monadnock Building; then traverse Federal Plaza, which is ringed by Miesvan der Rohe’s Federal Towers, his luminous post office and the historic Marquette Building by Holabird and Roche with its ornate lobby and Calder’s exuberant flamingo sculpture anchoring the center. Continue north to the Chase Bank Plaza with Chagall’s Four Seasons mosaics. Last and not least is Daley Plaza, where the stately columns of the city and county building and the groundbreaking Daley Center tower designed by C.F. Murphy in CORTEN steel shape a plaza enlivened with sculptures by Picasso and Miro.

How does sustainability factor into everyday thoughts about design, especially here in Boulder?

The negative impacts that buildings have made to climate change, habitat loss and other ecological damage is clear: We can do better and we must. CU has been a leader in sustainable design, and I look forward to continuing to push the bar higher on our new construction and renovation projects. Sustainable design works best when it is an integrated effort working simultaneously on many different fronts. These efforts include stewarding our existing buildings so that they can continue to serve the university for years to come, creating buildings that are resilient to natural and human-caused events,decarbonizing through changing fuel sources and reducing energy usage in both new and existing buildings. Also, buildings need to contribute positively to the health and wellness of the people who use them, such as by connecting to the amazing natural environment all around us here in Boulder.

How do you strike a balance between traditional design styles and innovation?

I’m new to campus, but from my first moments here, I’ve been impressed by the reverence in which the Klauder buildings in the historic core are held.These buildings are treasures, and CU is known across the country for their standard of beauty. I’m also excited by the opportunities in East Campus, north of Boulder Creek and Williams Village to explore aesthetic expressions that expand the campus identity and create a sense of neighborhood and community.

What is most different now for someone entering the architecture field today than in the past?

One of the major differences is the understanding that the profession needs to expand to include diverse voices and people from diverse backgrounds. Change is slow, but steady. I’ve seen significant change in the span of my career in the number of women in leadership positions in the profession, and am honored to be the first woman to serve as ��ƷSM��ӰƬ's campus architect. I am encouraged by the serious efforts underway to create lasting gains for LGBTQ people, and Black, Latinx, Indigenous and other people of color in the profession.

What do you like to do for fun?

My favorite outdoor activities are nature walks, biking and rowing; sculling in single person boats has been a favorite activity enjoyed by my husband and me for many years. I also enjoy playing music, particularly in ensembles with other people. My pandemic creative outlets have been learning to play keyboard and doing weekly watercolor sessions with my two sisters via Zoom.

Anything else we should know about you?

I start my day with the KenKen puzzle in the Daily Camera.

Interview condensed and edited.

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Photo by Matt Tyrie

Last October, d’Andre Willis began her role as ��ƷSM��ӰƬ’s campus architect and director of planning.

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