Fiesta Bowl Names Erik Moses as Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer
SCOTTSDALE, AZ – Kicking off a new chapter in the Fiesta Bowl Organization's storied history, seasoned sports executive and business leader Erik Moses joins the Fiesta Bowl as Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer.
For more than two decades, Moses has built successful ventures for sports and entertainment properties through the creation of innovative events and development of community-centric programming and as a leader in elevating teams and organizations.
Moses comes to Arizona with a proven track record as an attorney, entrepreneur, economic development professional and chief executive. His professional experiences reflect the goals of the Fiesta Bowl Organization, delivering innovative and new experiences for college football fans and sports fans. Moses played an integral part in creating, operationalizing and hosting the Military Bowl and AT&T Nations Football Classic. During his tenure in the Nation's Capital, Moses delivered unprecedented corporate partnerships initiatives throughout the Washington, DC community, helped establish a professional football team into one of the league's top organizations in ticket sales, enabled unique gameday experiences and access, and created extensive social media engagement. In Nashville, he very quickly revived and repositioned a dormant race track into a world-class event venue to host NASCAR's top series for the first time in nearly 40 years.
The Fiesta Bowl Organization is More Than Just a Game® and is anchored by the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Guaranteed Rate Bowl and the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe. As a community nonprofit, Fiesta Bowl Charities has granted millions of dollars back to the Arizona community.
"The Fiesta Bowl has a rich history for innovation and a commitment to meaningful impact on and off the college football field. I'm excited to join this high achieving organization and to continue and enhance its inspiring work within Arizona's communities," Moses said. "The joy of sports, entertainment and charitable giving is how we help to connect our communities make our state a better place to live, work and visit. I look forward to working with the talented staff, collaborating with our dedicated Board of Directors, Yellow Jacket Committee and our incredible volunteers to ensure our prominent standing in a vastly changing college football landscape."
Moses joins the "Bowl of Firsts" from Nashville Superspeedway where he served as president and general manager since 2020. The track had been dormant for 10 years and under Moses' direction was revitalized to host a sold-out Cup Series event on Father's Day 2021 that earned kudos from NASCAR and the motorsports industry for its execution and community engagement.
Prior to that role, he led three sports and entertainment organizations in the Nation's Capital for more than 12 years. As CEO of the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission, Moses oversaw the formation and founding of the Military Bowl, now celebrating its 14th anniversary, and also facilitated the creation of the AT&T Nation's Football Classic featuring the tradition, unity and heritage of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). While in DC, he was also influential in the successful recruitment of MLB to the Nation's Capital and the construction of the acclaimed Nationals Park - home of the MLB Washington Nationals and cornerstone of the revitalization of the Southwest area of Washington, DC into a vibrant destination point of the city.
As Senior Vice President of Events DC, Moses solidified his expertise in sports tourism and event creation as the chief advocate for sports, entertainment and live events. He managed multiple venues – including the historic RFK Stadium, the Entertainment and Sports Arena at St. Elizabeths and the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. His responsibilities included creating industry-leading partnerships with A-list brands to support local events, overseeing a community grants program and maintaining strong relationships with major league sports teams and their governing bodies.
Moses' last stop in Washington was as the founding President of the DC Defenders of the newly-launched XFL spring professional football league, where he guided all aspects of the team's business operations and fan experience. The team quickly climbed to become the standard bearer of the league in the areas of gameday experience, ticket sales, corporate partnerships, content and community engagement.
"It was important to identify the right person who could guide the future of the Fiesta Bowl, and help build innovative ways to engage our fans, community, stakeholders and partners at every touchpoint. The landscape of college football and fan expectations continue to evolve. We selected a dynamic leader who we believe will deliver and meet those expectations and position us as the premier bowl game providing world class hospitality. We are excited to welcome Erik to the Fiesta Bowl family," said Fiesta Bowl Board Chair Randal Norton. "Thank you to our exceptional staff, board, committee and volunteers for their support through the hiring process. I would also like to mention our partners at TurnkeyZRG for producing an exemplary slate of candidates who expressed interest in being a part of the 52-year history and tradition of the Fiesta Bowl.
Prior to entering the sports and entertainment space, Moses excelled in a career that included being the first Director of the District of Columbia's Department of Small and Local Business Development, as a Director of Business Development and Senior Legal Counsel at AOL, and as an attorney at Dow Lohnes PLLC and Fisch Sigler, LLP. He served as an adjunct professor in the renowned Sports Industry Management Program at Georgetown University's School of Continuing Studies.
A devoted advocate for the communities where he lives and works, Moses currently serves as a National Trustee for Boys & Girls Clubs of America – Southeast Region, on the board of directors for the Nashville Sports Council, and in leadership positions for the DC Jazz Festival and Military Bowl Foundation. Additionally, he is a member of the NASCAR Industry Diversity Council, Leadership Middle Tennessee, the Rotary Club of Nashville and the Board of Trustees of Cumberland University.
A proud graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Moses earned his J.D. from the Duke University School of Law, has an honorary doctorate of humane letters from LeMoyne-Owen College and is a member of the bar in Maryland and the District of Columbia.
Fast Facts about the Fiesta Bowl Organization:
2022 will be the 52nd Annual Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and the 33rd Annual Guaranteed Rate Bowl
The 2003 and 2007 Fiesta Bowl games are regularly considered among the top five games in college football history, and the
This season will be the third CFP Semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, after Clemson defeated Ohio State in 2019 and 2016
The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl has hosted seven national championship games
Our core pillars of youth, sports and education have enabled Fiesta Bowl Charities to donat$5.7 million to Arizona teachers in the seven years of the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Wishes for Teachers program
The Fiesta Bowl delivers an average of approximately $175 million in annual economic impact to the State of Arizona and fills more than 7,500 hotel room nights per year. Over the last 14 years, the total is approximately $3 billion in economic impact.
Bowl of Firsts:
First to have a corporate title sponsor
First to create and stage a National Championship game
First to have an African-American Board Chair
First to have a female Board Chair
Most volunteers with 3,000 annually
Record annual charitable giving
First to host an esports event
First to partner in sports betting
What They're Saying about Erik Moses:
"Erik brought tremendous passion to motorsports in Nashville, helping to elevate NASCAR and bring our sport to race fans throughout Tennessee. The legacy of his leadership will benefit our sport in many ways for years to come." – Steve Phelps, President, NASCAR
"Can't think of a better fit for the role of chief executive of the Fiesta Bowl – Erik Moses is the consummate leader. Having worked with Erik and witnessed his tremendous success over the years, I've been so impressed with his effortless ability to build consensus and drive results. There is no one better at building dynamic teams that innovate and thrive on accomplishing the impossible." – Greg O'Dell, President of Venue Management, Oak View Group
"Erik Moses is a consummate professional, who in a very short period of time became integrally engaged in numerous organizations and truly distinguished himself throughout Nashville and the entire Middle Tennessee community. Among his many contributions and accolades, he has served with distinction on the Board of Trustees at Cumberland University, where his keen insights have positively influenced our institution." – Dr. Paul C. Stumb, President, Cumberland University
"Erik is a disruptive and visionary executive who is changing the landscape of how sporting events are developed, executed and consumed. He brings fresh thinking around creating full ecosystems that don't relegate sports events to a moment in time, but rather a full year activation that is inclusive, engaging and energizing. He will be an amazing leader for the Fiesta Bowl." – Andrea Brimmer, Chief Marketing and PR Officer, Ally
ABOUT THE FIESTA BOWL ORGANIZATION
The Fiesta Bowl is a world-class community organization that executes innovative experiences, drives economic growth and champions charitable causes, inspiring pride in all Arizonans. As a nonprofit organization, it believes in the importance of community outreach and service. Through charitable giving, the organization strives to enhance Arizona nonprofit organizations that contribute to the success of communities through youth, sports and education. Since 1971, the Fiesta Bowl has worked to increase its footprint across the state and work to benefit Arizonans year round, during and outside of Bowl Season.
ABOUT TURNKEYZRG
Founded in 1996, TurnkeyZRG is a highly specialized talent recruitment/executive search firm filling C-level, senior-level and mid-management level positions throughout sports, entertainment and media. Over the past 25 years, TurnkeyZRG has filled more than 1,400 positions throughout sports, entertainment and media. TurnkeyZRG helps teams, leagues, stadiums, arenas, theaters, college athletic departments, events, sponsors, agencies, media companies, private equity companies and other clients identify, recruit and hire the very best management talent. Turnkey now benefits from ZRG’s global footprint, full array of industry practice groups, data-driven, analytical search tools, and technology investment in changing the way executive search/talent recruiting is done. TurnkeyZRG becomes a tech-enabled disrupter of the prior executive search model. For more information about TurnkeyZRG, visit www.turnkeyzrg.com.