USA Rugby Appoint New CMO Pam Kosanke

USA Rugby is making bold and aggressive moves to advance its organization by appointing Pam Kosanke as Chief Marketing Officer to lead all internal and external marketing and sponsorship efforts for the organization.

Kosanke joins USA Rugby from Leo Burnett in Chicago, IL where she was a Vice President and oversaw several highly awarded blue-chip consumer product goods (CPG), retail and QSR (quick service restaurant) accounts including McDonald’s. She also led sponsorship activation for various football, Olympics and NASCAR events on Allstate Sports. Additionally, Kosanke volunteered on the communications team for the Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid Committee. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan where she played Varsity Softball as an Academic All-American, and earned her Bachelor’s of Business Administration.

“Pam is uniquely suited to spearhead our marketing department and help position USA Rugby as a world class organization that champions and develops the sport of rugby in America,” said Nigel Melville, USA Rugby CEO and Director.

Kosanke’s expertise on and off the rugby field will help prepare the organization for the sport’s first appearance at the 2016 Olympic Games and beyond. She is a well respected and seasoned rugby veteran who is a current USA Women’s National Rugby Team player and played in both the 2006 and 2009 Women’s Rugby World Cups. Kosanke was recently selected as an International Athlete representative to the USA Rugby Congress and was named Rugby Magazine’s Female Player of the Year in 2011.

“I am thrilled to create a reinvigorated expression of the USA Rugby brand leading into the 2016 Olympic Games,” said Pam Kosanke. “Joining USA Rugby is a perfect marriage of my passion for sport and career. Now that rugby is an Olympic sport again, the opportunity for growth is legendary. USA Rugby must turn the corner with podium-worthy performance on all levels.”