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From World Pandemic to World Champions: the Story Behind the 2020-21 NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks
RECORDED ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2021
Presenters Kareeda Chones-Aguam, Comm ’98, senior vice president of partner strategy and management, Milwaukee Bucks; Kelly Kauffman, Arts ’97, chief human capital officer, Milwaukee Bucks. Moderator Tim Van Vooren, Sp ’87, Sports Director, FOX6
Like all NBA teams, the 2020-21 season was met with great uncertainty for the Milwaukee Bucks. Travel and health protocols, limited stadium capacities and revenue for most of the season caused players and administration to adapt to a season like no other.
Thanks to perseverance, a vision and commitment to excellence, the Bucks brought Milwaukee its first NBA championship in 50 years.
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the season, including responding to on- and off-court changes due to the pandemic, the excitement of Deer District and the euphoric celebration that united the Milwaukee community and beyond.
This program proudly supports the Bridge to the Future Fund. All proceeds from registration provide financial aid assistance to students whose changing economic circumstances jeopardize their ability to continue their Marquette education.
More about this session
KAREEDA CHONES-AGUAM, COMM ’98, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF PARTNER STRATEGY AND MANAGEMENT
In her 22nd season with the Milwaukee Bucks, as the Senior Vice President of Partner Strategy and Management, Kareeda Chones Aguam, Comm '98, leads a team responsible for managing and retaining 70+ marketing partnerships for the Milwaukee Bucks including working closely with the management team in the construction and development of the new 500M Deer District in downtown Milwaukee. The partnership revenue line has quadrupled during her leadership.
In addition to her position with the Milwaukee Bucks, Chones Aguam has also been a free-lance voice talent artist for over 20 years as the voice of numerous radio and television commercials, television programs, and professional employee videos for various clients throughout the city and across the country including Milwaukee Bucks' Basketball, and her most recent project as the Voice of Fiserv Forum! Chones Aguam was formerly the TV host of the Marquette Women's Basketball Coach's Show, Marquette Women's Basketball TV Color Analyst, and on-air voice talent on Milwaukee's Smooth Jazz 106.9. Chones Aguam is excited to launch Aguama Productions LLC. in 2022!
A graduate of Marquette University and four ( 4) year letter winner of the Marquette Women's Basketball Team, Kareeda majored in PR along with a minor in Spanish. Kareeda also is engaged in the community as a Board of Directors for the Penfield Children's Center of Wisconsin and Board Director for Hunger Task Force, and past member of the African American Chamber of Commerce Women in Business Committee, Employ Milwaukee and the Women's Fund Board of Greater Milwaukee. In 2016 Chones Aguam was awarded the Marquette Athletic Department Young Alumnae of the Year Award. In June 2019 Kareeda was celebrated as one of the Milwaukee Business Journal's Women of Influence 2019 for mentorship and honored as one of the 2019 Milwaukee Magazine's Women of Distinction, most recently, Kareeda was selected as a Sports Business Journal's distinguished "Game Changer Recipient- Class of 2020."
In addition to her responsibilities in the office, studio, and community, Kareeda' s most cherished role is being a wife of 14 years to husband Ryan and mother to her amazing children, daughter Averie (10) and son Carter (7).
KELLY KAUFFMAN, ARTS '97, CHIEF HUMAN CAPITAL OFFICER, MILWAUKEE BUCKS
Kelly Kauffman, Arts '97, is the Chief Human Capital Officer for the Milwaukee Bucks, a sports and entertainment organization within the National Basketball Association. With over 20 years of human resources experience, she joined the Bucks staff as a human resources executive with the task of creating the organization’s first human resources department from the ground up. The human resources function at the Bucks was implemented to set the foundation in building a world-class sports organization by supporting the team’s long-term strategy and goals, including the opening and operation of Fiserv Forum, the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Sports Science Center, and ancillary development within the Deer District that will increase the breadth of the Bucks’ reach in the community.
Prior to joining the Milwaukee Bucks, she held various leadership roles in human resources at Badger Meter, Racine Federated, Bombardier Recreational Products and Moore Business Forms where her focus has been on employee relations; talent management; organizational development; compensation and benefits; training; and mergers and acquisitions.
TIM VAN VOOREN, SP ’87, SPORTS DIRECTOR, FOX6
A 1987 graduate from the College of Speech, Tim Van Vooren, Sp '87, is the sports director at WITI FOX SIX in Milwaukee. He has won the Wisconsin Sportscaster of the Year Award three times as well as multiple Emmy Awards and is a member of the NATA Silver Circle for Wisconsin.
He worked in radio in Wisconsin and Illinois, as well as at WMBD-TV in Peoria, Ill., before joining WITI in 1990.
He lives in Mequon with his wife (also an MU graduate) and four children.