Global Summit XVI sponsorship

Support the JES's mission of fostering dialogue for the Erie region on a global level.

We are pleased to present to you the  speaker lineup for the Jefferson Educational Society’s 16th Annual Global Summit. Our goal is to ensure that each year the Summit builds on past Global Summits' success. This is especially the case as we host this year’s Global Summit. Last year we hit record numbers; not only was it our largest summit, but we also made a record number of registrations!

This year we will learn about a variety of topics ranging from politics, sports, history, technology, and social issues. For example, we will hear from former U.S. Representative Liz Cheney, ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith, historian Heather Cox Richardson, public intellectual Eddie Glaude Jr., and Lincoln historian, Harold Holzer. They are just some of those who will be in Erie from October 17 through November 15 as part of our 16th Annual Global Summit. 

It is because of the generous support of civic-minded citizens like you that we can continue our mission of fostering dialogue for the Erie region on a global level. We hope that you will help us celebrate our 16th year and the ambitious growth of the Global Summit to a truly regional affair as we extend our outreach to the surrounding regions of Buffalo, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh by showing your support this year.

Global Summit XVI Speaker Lineup

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The Future of College Athletics and Sports Media: Where They Are Now, Where They Are Headed

October 27th,2025 | 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
TBD
Speaker: Adrian "Woj" Wojnarowski

Featuring Adrian "Woj" Wojnarowski, St. Bonaventure Men's Basketball General Manager, former ESPN Senior NBA Insider 

 

Date/Time: Monday, October 27, 2025 7:00-8:30PM

Location: TBD

Admission:

  • General Admission (Early Bird Pricing) $25
  • Preferred Seating  (Early Bird Pricing) $50 (Closest Section Near the Stage)
  • Additional Fees: Amusement Tax, Processing Fee 

Parking: TBD

NEED TO KNOW INFO: 

  • Arrive early: Doors open at 6:00 p.m., please be patient with our volunteers and staff as we all make sure the event is enjoyed by all.
  • Seating: Seating is first-come, first-served per each designated section.  
  • Photo ID: You must present your photo ID at the door to enter the event.
  • Ticket holders: NO ONE who is not registered BY NAME will be admitted. If you purchased tickets for someone who is no longer able to attend, you must call to update us with the name of the person coming in their place. Tickets cannot be transferred to anyone while checking into the event. Please call us to update any ticket holder information 48 hours before the event- 814.459.8000.
  • Updated information: Please check the JES website, JESErie.org, for the most up-to-date event information.
Adrian "Woj" Wojnarowski

Adrian Wojnarowski was named the first-ever general manager for St. Bonaventure men's basketball on Sept. 18, 2024, announcing his retirement from an award-winning career as ESPN's Senior NBA Insider.

 

Wojnarowski joined ESPN in July 2017 and worked at the network for more than seven years, becoming one of the most well-known and respected names in the industry and the sports world as a whole. 

In his role as general manager, Wojnarowski will serve the coaching staff in managing a wide range of responsibilities including name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities and as a liaison with collectives; transfer portal management; recruit, family and alumni player relationships; professional player programs; and program fundraising.
Recognizing the rapidly evolving landscape of college athletics, many power conference and mid-major schools have added the role of general manager since 2022, especially for their football and men's basketball programs.

Bonnies head coach Mark Schmidt called the decision to add Wojnarowski to his staff a "home run."

"This move is critical to navigate the new landscape of college basketball in NIL, recruiting and retention," said Schmidt, the winningest men's basketball coach in school history. "Woj is as connected as anyone in the basketball world and his decades-long network of relationships can only help our program remain among the top teams in the Atlantic 10 going forward."

In walking away from a lucrative contract extension he signed with ESPN in 2022, Wojnarowski now wants to give back to a university that has made an indelible impression on his life. He and his wife, Amy, '92, have been major benefactors to the basketball program and the Jandoli School of Communication. Wojnarowski, recognized with transforming NBA newsbreaking and reporting across the past decade-plus, was central in ESPN’s multimedia coverage of the NBA throughout the year — covering the league, its teams, players, trade deadline, free agency, the NBA Draft, the NBA Summer League and more. His reporting, insights and analysis appeared on ESPN.com and in the ESPN app, featured on SportsCenterNBA CountdownNBA Today, Get Up, Outside the Lines and other programs.

Wojnarowski hosted The Woj Pod, which regularly featured the biggest stars and newsmakers in the NBA. Wojnarowski also hosted “The Woj Report” on ESPN’s YouTube page.

Wojnarowski’s peers voted him the National Sports Media Association’s National Sportswriter of the Year in three consecutive years — 2017, 2018 and 2019. Wojnarowski joins past NSMA winners as Tom Verducci, Rick Reilly, Frank Deford, Jim Murray, and Red Smith as winners in three successive years. He was the first digital reporter to win the award. Wojnarowski is the New York Times best-selling author of “The Miracle of St. Anthony: A Season with Coach Bob Hurley and Basketball’s Most Improbable Dynasty.” 

 

Prior to his work for ESPN, Wojnarowski worked for Yahoo Sports, where he spent nearly 10 years, including two as editor of The Vertical. His standout career in journalism includes nearly 10 years at The Record of New Jersey (where he was twice named the APSE “Columnist of the Year”), as well as several years each at The Fresno Bee, The Waterbury (Conn.) Republican-American.

He is a 1991 graduate of St. Bonaventure University and a 1987 graduate of Bristol Central High School. He was named the 2019 Alumnus of the Year at St. Bonaventure, and is inducted into the Russell Jandoli School of Communications Hall of Fame.

 

With the help of Gale Dickau, an English teacher of five decades at BCHS, Wojnarowski founded and funds the “The Writing Initiative.” The multifaceted program encourages students at Bristol Central High School to write and helps them develop and hone their skills, funds scholarships for college, residential summer writing programs, numerous educational trips in the Northeast and develops teacher enrichment programs for educators teaching writing. Wojnarowski is also active in fundraising with the Bristol Boys and Girls Club and Family Center.