Staff

Front Office

Scott Brand

River Dragons President/General Manager

What can we say about Scott Brand that he hasn’t already said about himself? Brand is a product of amateur hockey having played youth hockey in Michigan, Iowa, Texas, and Illinois.

After a “career” (not a very good one either) in Junior hockey, he spent eight seasons as an on-ice official in the United States Hockey League, International Hockey League and the East Coast Hockey League.

After leaving the ice, he held the position of Vice-President and General Manager of the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League from 1992-96 where he guided the team to set record crowds, corporate sponsorship and the building of a new arena. He also founded the Waterloo Bucks, the 1st expansion team in the Northwoods College Baseball League in 1995 and was named executive of the year. In May of 1996, he was named the Vice-President of the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL, where he increased attendance for two seasons in a row.

In 1998, and for the next 14 seasons, he guided USA Hockey’s Officiating Development Program along with being the Director of Hockey Operations with the USHL. Under his direction, 15 officials advanced to sign National Hockey League contracts (including Cottonmouths player Peter McDougall) and over 250 into minor professional & college hockey.

He is also the inventor of the icing rule that is used by every major hockey league in the world. In 2008 Brand received the Distinguished Service Award from the United States Hockey League and in 2012 he was inducted into the Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame.

2013 saw Brand hired by the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL, the team won the 2014-15 Anderson Cup Championship and he directed 22 of the team’s top 25 crowds, in 2015 the team was sold and Brand returned home to his family farm in St. Louis, MI, where he helped start a local farmers market and was named Vice President of Operations for Pure Pro Wrestling, a Michigan based sports entertainment promotion.

In 2016, Brand was lured back into hockey and was named the President & General Manager of the new Carolina Thunderbirds. Brand set attendance and corporate sponsorships records in Winston-Salem, along with securing that teams longevity in the community. During the 2018-19 season that team would go on to winning a record 24 games in a row, the regular season championship and the playoff championship along with selling out the building a record 13 times.

In June of 2019, he was hired as to the position of President/General Manager of the Columbus River Dragons.

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Kristen Buley

Chief Financial Officer

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Although she was born and raised in Louisiana, Kristen spent most of her adult life calling Georgia and Alaska home. With a Bachelor's degree from Louisiana College, and a Master's from University of Alaska Fairbanks, Kristen has held a variety of positions that have prepared her for her roles with Ignite Sports and BKI Accounting.

She's a bit competitive, having played sports all of her life. From playing high school through college athletics and intramurals, to coaching her kids' sports teams, to competitive archery and kickball; she's at home on the field of play and often leans into those experiences while making career decisions.

She's a self-professed lifelong student, often picking up courses to have the ability to better her clients' business. When she's not in the office she's usually looking for something new to experience, or curled up with a book and her dogs.

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Diego Wilson

Corporate Account Executive

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Diego moved down to Columbus, from Lansing, Michigan where he grew up playing hockey. His career took him all across the country from Junior hockey in Richmond, Virginia to Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. It has also allowed him the opportunity to earn his B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. His continued love for the game has now led him to the River Dragons where he will be working in the front office.

Diego is the youngest of four with two older brothers, Tony & Michael, and one older sister Kristal. He is also the proud Uncle of his niece Raquel.

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Korbin Greeno

Office Manager

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Prior to working for Ignite Sports, Korbin worked extensively in the child development field. Currently working on her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Korbin is expanding her management skillset into the sports world. Hailing from Spokane, Washington, Korbin enjoys spending time with her four children and looks forward to working in the sports landscape.

Elysse Bradford

Marketing Manager

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A native of Dallas, Texas, Elysse earned two Bachelor's degrees from Auburn University in Marketing and Psychology, concentrating on digital marketing and neurodevelopment. Elysse previously worked for Auburn's Club Hockey team for three years prior to joining the Ignite Sports team.

Tom Callahan

Broadcast and Media Relations Manager

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Tom Callahan brings over 350 games of NHL play-by-play to Ignite Sports. He has also served as a playoff correspondent for NHL Network, been an on-air host for ESPN Radio Nashville, and has called numerous sports in addition to hockey like baseball, football, basketball, golf and lacrosse.

A native of Lackawanna, NY, Tom is an avid Buffalo Bills and Toronto Blue Jays fan. He also enjoys playing, writing and listening to music, playing all kinds of games and is likely to quote 80s comedies verbatim. He has indeed heard your Tommy Boy jokes.

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Jaden Krueger

Game Night and Event Operations Manager

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Jaden was born and raised in Grand Junction, CO, graduating in May of 2021 from Colorado Mesa University with a B.S. in Sports Management and Business Administration.

Growing up he played several different sports, including basketball, golf, track and field, and baseball, where his love for sports continued to grow. Prior to working for the River Dragons, Jaden held positions as the Events and Activation Coordinator for the Grand Junction Sports Commission, and as a Game Night Operations Staff Member for CMU Athletics.

In the fall of 2021, Jaden was brought on to Ignite Sports and Entertainment, where he continues to develop his expertise in Game Night Operations and Community Relations.

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Kirk Underwood

Group Sales Manager

Kirk is originally from Littleton, CO where he grew up playing hockey! He moved away from home when he was 16 to play junior hockey on the east coast for the next four years. After he finished playing junior hockey, he spent his first two years of college at Chatham University in Pittsburgh before transferring to UNLV where he graduated in 2020 with a B.S. in Kinesiology. Shortly after, he started playing for the Columbus River Dragons!

Emily Kniffen

Operations Specialist

Before moving to Columbus, Emily lived in Endicott, NY where she was a full-time student and taught dance classes. She graduated with her Bachelor's degree in Art and Design from Binghamton University in 2020 and is currently working on her Master's degree in Art Education through Adelphi University. She also teaches art classes online for the BOCES Virtual Learning Academy. In her free time, Emily enjoys dancing, spending time with her family, and playing with her kittens, Mango and Peach.

Taylor Ann Yaughn

Ticketing and Digital Media Specialist

Taylor Ann is a Columbus, GA native. She graduated from Columbus State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication with a focus in Public Relations, in the fall of 2023 she will begin working on her Master's Degree at the University of Texas at Austin in Strategic Communication with a specialty in Sports Communication. She is a fur mom to two pups, Spud Opie and Cordelia May, and enjoys baking and home renovation projects.

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Javaris Harris

Game Night Operations Assistant

Javaris comes to Ignite Sports from Jonesboro, Georgia. He has been with Ignite since the inaugural season as an intern for Game Night Operations and now is with the staff as a Game Night Operations Assistant. Javaris is a graduate of Columbus State University with a bachelor's in Communications/Integrated Media. Javaris has a passion for sports and he enjoys being able to share it with others.

Taylor St. Jacques

Special Projects Coordinator

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Born in Edmonton and raised stateside in Glen Allen, VA, Taylor is a senior at Auburn University majoring in Business Administration with a focus in management.

When not in school or with Ignite Sports, Taylor is a world-class show jumper with the Auburn Equestrian team and has won 3 SEC titles and 2 national titles with the Tigers.

Her family is filled with hockey players, not only did she play growing up but her brother Jay plays with the River Dragons and her other brother, Jared played in college. She also has an uncle that is the current head coach of the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes.

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