Lisa Delpy Neirotti, MS, PhD

Lisa Delpy Neirotti is the director of the MS in Sport Management Program and an associate professor of Sport Management at the George Washington University School of Business (GWSB). She has been a professor of sport, event, and tourism management at the George Washington University for more than 28 years. Dr. Delpy Neirotti has established a strong academic program at both the undergraduate and graduate level and has also helped develop the Sport Philanthropy Certificate, which serves to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of non-profit organizations using sport for social good. She also directs the GW Green Sports Scorecard to help increase the sustainability of sport facilities, organizations and events, and serves on the faculty of the International Olympic Committee’s Executive Master's In Management of Sports Organizations (MEMOS).

Beyond her responsibilities at GW, Dr. Delpy Neirotti works with a number of sport event organizations, sponsors, and professional teams to conduct economic and market research studies including the Olympic Games, World Cup, BNP Paribas Open, Citi Bank Tennis Tournament, Rock and Roll Marathon, Marine Corp Marathon, College Football Bowl Games, among others.

As a pioneer in the field of sports tourism, Dr. Delpy Neirotti founded the annual TEAMS: Travel, Events, and Management in Sports conference. Since 1997, TEAMS serves to define, develop and expand the fast growing field of Sports Tourism. Numerous organizations including USAID have commissioned her to look at sport tourism as an economic development tool.

Dr. Delpy Neirotti co-authored The Ultimate Guide to Sport Event Management and Marketing and serves on the editorial board of SportsTravel magazine. She also is a member of the Women’s Sport Foundation (WSF), Up2Us, and Council for Responsible Sports advisory boards as well as Vice-President of the DC Chapter of Women In Sports and Events (WISE).

Prior to arriving at the George Washington University, Dr. Delpy Neirotti traveled to 56 countries around the world studying the development and organization of the Olympic Movement. Since 1984, she has attended 19 consecutive Olympic Games, 5 World Cups, and hundreds of other major sport events as a consultant, volunteer or researcher. In 2004, she served on the World Cup host committee in Washington, DC.

Born and raised in California, Dr. Delpy Neirotti received her undergraduate degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; a MS in Sport Management from George Mason University, Fairfax, VA; and a Ph.D. in Sport Administration from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Her doctoral dissertation was on the organizational structure and effectiveness of the U.S. national sport governing bodies.