The Houston Dynamo and Dash have named Katie Scallan as the club’s Chief Marketing Officer, the club announced today.
In her role, Scallan will oversee the branding, marketing, advertising, communications and broadcast efforts for the Dynamo and Dash as well as for events at BBVA Stadium. She brings more than 20 years of experience in sports and entertainment marketing, including experience in Major League Soccer and in the Houston sports and business community.
”I’m honored to join the Dynamo, Dash and BBVA Stadium team. Living in Houston, I’ve witnessed the success that this club has had on and off the field, but I believe its best days lie ahead of it,” Scallan said. “I’m excited to play a part in engaging the Houston soccer community and establishing the Dynamo and Dash as Houston’s teams.”
Scallan joins the club after spending the previous 16 years in a variety of roles with The Friedkin Group, a privately-held consortium of automotive, hospitality, entertainment, golf and adventure companies. Her most recent role was as the Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications, in which she was responsible for all marketing, corporate branding, communications and events for The Friedkin Group and its portfolio of companies.
“We’re thrilled to be able to add someone of Katie’s caliber to our executive team,” said Dynamo and Dash President of Business Operations John Walker. “Her experience managing multiple brands in the Houston market will be extremely valuable to our club as we evolve and grow in the coming years.”
During her tenure with The Friedkin Group, Scallan oversaw brand development and management, sponsorships and marketing partnerships, digital marketing, experiential marketing, event presentation, broadcast production, broadcasting rights negotiation and crisis communications. She also led the Group’s rebranding effort, which included the creation of a new logo and brand image, as well as a brand-new digital platform that showcased all of the Group’s investments.
Prior to joining The Friedkin Group’s executive office, Scallan spent several years with Gulf States Toyota, a part of The Friedkin Group and one of the world’s largest independent distributors of Toyota vehicles and parts. She launched the SCION brand for Toyota and successfully launched Toyota’s entry into sports marketing. She successfully negotiated naming rights agreements on behalf of Gulf States Toyota with the NBA’s Houston Rockets (Toyota Center), Major League Soccer’s FC Dallas (Toyota Stadium) and the USL Championship’s FC San Antonio (Toyota Field). She also led experiential marketing and special events for Toyota’s partnerships throughout the region, including Texas Parks & Wildlife, the University of Texas, the University of Arkansas, the Texas Rangers and San Antonio’s annual Fiesta celebration, among others.
Scallan launched her career in sports marketing in 1997 as an account executive with the then-Dallas Burn of Major League Soccer, which was in its second season. She then spent five years working for Dallas-based advertising agencies before joining Gulf States Toyota in 2003 to oversee the launch of the SCION brand in collaboration with the manufacturer’s North American and Japanese headquarters.
An alumna of Baylor University, Scallan serves as a board member for the Center of Sports Strategy & Sales for the Hankamer School of Business at her alma mater. She also sits on the Marketing Advisory Committee for Austin Community College and has provided marketing and public relations assistance to the Chance for Hope Foundation, which provides housing and meals to families of children undergoing inpatient pediatric cancer treatment. She has also held committee chair positions for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and the Texas Bass Classic Foundation.
She continued her education participating in the Executive Education Program at the University of Texas McCombs School of Business in 2013.
Katie and her husband Dave live in Houston.
