December 15, 2016
Hackettstown, N.J., December 15, 2016 – Justin Belanger, a 2013 Business Administration: Sports Management and Marketing graduate from Centenary University, recently landed the position of Director of Marketing and Community Relations for the 2018 United States Senior Open. In this key position, Belanger is responsible for the creation and execution of the Championship’s marketing plan, media plan, and strategic marketing alliances.
Prior to this position, Belanger was an integral part of the staff at the 2013 U.S. Senior Open in Omaha, NE, the 2014 U.S. Senior Open in Oklahoma City, OK, and the 2015 U.S. Senior Open in Sacramento, CA. Most recently, Belanger held the position of Championship Manager for the 2016 U.S. Women’s Open in San Jose, CA.
The 39th U.S. Senior Open, conducted by the United States Golf Association, to be held June 25 – July 1, 2018 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, CO will feature a field of 156 of the world’s best professional and amateur golfers (over the age of 50). The U.S. Senior Open will be the eighth USGA Championship held at the Broadmoor. Fox Network will provide live television coverage of all four rounds of the Championship.
Belanger, who is originally from Avon, CT., credits his education at Centenary University for preparing him for the world of sports management. He learned solid time management skills, which is essential to have in the event industry. His experience at Centenary also helped him cultivate the skill of breaking big projects into manageable tasks.
“I learned how to break large projects into manageable tasks during my senior year while planning the 1st Annual Centenary University Sports Management Conference in Professor David Perricone’s class,” says Belanger. “Professor Perricone presented us with the semester long project of planning, organizing and executing this conference. He threw us right into the ‘fire’ and gave us first-hand experience on what it takes to plan an event. I quickly learned that splitting up the different tasks into multiple committees helped made the event a success that year.”
Lastly, Belanger cites that his communication skills improved during his time at Centenary. Working in committees is integral aspect of running an event. Each team member has a role and each role is just as important as the next. Listening to teammates and accepting constructive criticism is key to success. Belanger did not always know that he would pursue a career in sports management, but sought out advice from others to come to that conclusion.
“As a freshmen, I honestly did not know exactly what I wanted to do as a career,” says Belanger. “I asked family, friends and professors what made them pick the career path they chose. All of them said that it was important to have passion for your work. Sports have always been a part of my life and I wanted that to continue, so I ultimately decided to pursue a career in sports management. I thought working in sports only included the four major leagues in the United States (NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB). Boy, I was wrong. There are many more options and I owe that realization to the Sports Management program at Centenary University and Professor Perricone.”
Founded in 1867 by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church, Centenary University is an independent, coeducational liberal arts and career studies institution distinguished by an accomplished faculty, small class size and diverse student body. Centenary is the only baccalaureate and master’s degree granting institution in northwest New Jersey.
Centenary’s main campus is located in Hackettstown, N.J., with its equestrian facility in Washington Township (Morris County). The Centenary University School of Professional Studies offers degree programs online and in two locations: Parsippany and Edison, online and at corporate sites throughout New Jersey. The School of International Programs recruits international students for study at Centenary and Centenary students for study abroad.
###