Career Path of a Community Relations Senior Manager at San Francisco 49ers
Saya's career path to becoming a Community Relations Senior Manager at the San Francisco 49ers was "a winding road," combining a passion for community advocacy with a love of sports. This journey, marked by experiences such as working with Habitat for Humanity, a legal firm in Cape Town, and a soccer team in Tanzania, ultimately led Saya to a role using "sports as a vehicle for change," leveraging the unique ability of sports to connect diverse communities and create impactful social change.
Community Engagement, Nonprofit Work, International Relations, Sports Management, Advocacy
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Saya Lindsay
Community Relations Senior Manager
San Francisco 49ers
Trinity College, 2012
N/A
International Relations & Affairs
Sports & Fitness
Communication and Marketing
Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. Saya's career path highlights a winding road, emphasizing passion over a linear progression. This is encouraging for students exploring diverse interests.
2. Her experience combines international relations, human rights, sports, and nonprofit work, showcasing the value of diverse skills and experiences in this field.
3. Saya's work uses sports as a vehicle for community engagement and social change, offering a unique perspective on career opportunities in the sports industry beyond traditional roles.
Transcript
I am a senior manager of community relations at the San Francisco 49ers. My career path to get here was a winding road, which I think is the most wonderful way to arrive at your destination.
My biggest thing was that I just wanted to be passionate about what I did. In college, I studied international relations and minored in human rights law. Simultaneously, I was an athlete and a swimmer for all four years. So, I always had this connectivity between community and sports.
While in college, I interned at Habitat for Humanity Greater LA in their housing advocacy department. I also worked at a legal firm for women's rights, trying to change constitutional law in Cape Town to get women equal access to certain resources. So, I always had this path of community, advocacy, and nonprofit work.
When I graduated, I moved to Tanzania because I wanted to do something completely unexpected and try something different. While I was there, I needed a job. I was offered a role with a soccer team in the Tanzanian Premier League. The Premier League there wasn't what you might think of as a traditional Premier League; they didn't have a ton of resources. I wore a lot of hats in that job, which was wonderful because I got to learn many different skill sets.
One of my jobs there was to manage a relationship with an MLS-based US soccer team that would send resources to Tanzania occasionally. My contact there was in community relations. I didn't realize there was such an ability to combine sports and community into one role.
That's exactly what this is. It uses sports as a vehicle for change. I think sports have a unique ability to connect people from all different backgrounds and walks of life. It creates a platform, a level playing field, to connect with others.
Whether it's providing resources for nonprofits and communities who really need them, or creating a tangible connection for people who might not otherwise work together, it allows them to come together in different settings to have real conversations and create change. It's been an incredible platform for me to be able to do that and then work with athletes who are real changemakers. So, that's my career path and how I got to this role.
My name is Sial Lindsey. I am a Senior Manager of Community Relations at the San Francisco 49ers.
My career path to get here is a completely winding road, which I think is the most wonderful way to get to where you want to go. My biggest thing is I just wanted to be passionate about what I did.
In college, I studied international relations and minored in human rights law. Simultaneously, I was an athlete and a swimmer for all four years. I always had this connectivity between community and sports.
While I was in college, I interned at Habitat for Humanity Greater LA in their housing advocacy department. I also worked at a legal firm for women's rights, trying to change constitutional law in Cape Town to get women equal access to certain resources. So, I always had this path of community, advocacy, and nonprofit work.
When I graduated, I moved to Tanzania because I wanted to do something completely unexpected and try something different. While I was there, I obviously needed a job. I was offered a role with a soccer team in Tanzania's Premier League.
The Premier League there is not what you might think of as a traditional Premier League; they didn't have a ton of resources. I wore a lot of hats in that job, which was wonderful because I got to learn a lot of different skill sets. One of my jobs was to manage a relationship with an MLS-based US soccer team that would send resources to Tanzania.
My contact there was in community relations. I didn't realize there was such an ability to combine sports and community into one role. That's exactly what this is; it uses sports as a vehicle for change.
I think sports have a really unique ability to connect people from all different backgrounds and walks of life. It creates a platform, a level playing field for lack of a better word, to connect with others.
This can involve providing resources for nonprofits and communities who really need them, or creating a tangible connection for people who might not otherwise work together or come together in different settings. This then allows for real conversations and the creation of change. It's been a really incredible platform for me to be able to do that and work with athletes who are real changemakers.
So, that's my career path and how I got to this role.