Bucknell Athletics Partnering with Center for Career Advancement on Life After Bucknell Alumni Panel
9/15/2025 4:02:00 PM | Baseball, General, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Women's Soccer, Women's Swimming and Diving
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell Athletics for the second straight year is partnering with the Center for Career Advancement for a student networking event and alumni panel. This year's event, featuring five outstanding former Bison student-athletes, is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 25 from 7:30-9 p.m. in Trout Auditorium.
This year's panelists are Gia Hayes '20 (women's basketball), Tyler Wincig '20 (baseball), Kelly Jones '00 (women's swimming), Kat Fincher '10 (women's soccer), and John Griffin III '08 (men's basketball). The alumni will share their unique career journeys and offer advice and tips for navigating life after graduation. The event is open to all students, and pre-registration can be accessed at Bucknell.JoinHandshake.com.
When: Thursday, September 24
Where: Trout Auditorium
Registration Link: Bucknell.JoinHandshake.com
Event Schedule:
7:30 – 9 p.m. | Alumni Panel
Here is more information on this year's panelists:
Gia Hayes '20
Gia Hayes '20 is a software engineer at Microsoft, where she works on Microsoft Teams as an Android Developer and brings over five years of experience building scalable mobile apps and applying AI to real-world challenges. She is also the co-founder of an early-stage startup and a real estate investor focused on Arkansas-based properties. Passionate about giving back, Gia mentors aspiring technologists through programs like Break Through Tech AI. As a former member of Bucknell's women's basketball team, she brings the same grit and teamwork to tech, startups, real estate and beyond.
Kat (Sutton) Fincher '10
Kat Fincher '10 is a senior client engagement manager at Advent, leading collaboration with professional sports teams to design and build custom environments that inspire fans, engage sponsors, and elevate physical brand storytelling. Advent specializes in immersive, story-driven space design for professional teams, collegiate programs, and academic institutions.
Kat's career has taken her from the ballpark—developing large-scale event strategy for the Washington Nationals—to leadership roles in event production, client consulting, and employee experience across the East Coast.
A Bucknell alumna and a standout goalkeeper on the BU women's soccer team, Kat went on to earn her master's degree from Georgetown University. She credits her time at Bucknell with sparking her passion for collaboration and immersive storytelling—skills she now brings to every client engagement. Kat also mentors professionals navigating career transitions and growth opportunities.
Kelly Jones '00
Kelly Jones is currently the senior director of global sports marketing and business affairs at Under Armour, where she oversees strategic partnerships, athlete engagement, and brand initiatives across both domestic and international markets. With over two decades of experience in sports marketing and brand development, Kelly has played a pivotal role in negotiating and activating partnerships with athletes, universities, celebrities, and influencers—bringing these relationships to life through compelling storytelling and impactful brand experiences.
Before joining Under Armour, Kelly served as in-house counsel at Octagon, a leading global agency specializing in athlete and talent representation. She is deeply committed to mentoring emerging professionals and championing inclusive leadership within the sports industry.
Kelly earned her B.A. from Bucknell, where she was a four-year varsity swimmer, two-year team captain, and a member of the varsity and club water polo teams. She was also a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. She received her J.D. from The George Washington University School of Law.
Tyler Wincig '20
Tyler Wincig is a New York native and Bucknell graduate, Class of 2020, where he earned his B.S.B.A summa cum laude. Tyler was a two-year captain and a first-baseman, outfielder, and pitcher on Bucknell's baseball team. Off the field, he served as a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, participated in the Bucknell Athletic Leadership Institute and worked as a peer writing consultant at Bucknell's writing center.
Following graduation, Tyler joined LLR Partners, a private equity fund based in Philadelphia with $7 billion in AUM, focused on investing in growth stage healthcare and software companies. At LLR, Tyler evaluates new investment opportunities and works with management teams to drive growth.
John Griffin III '08
One of the catalysts of some of Bucknell's all-time greatest men's basketball teams, John Griffin III '08 returned home in 2023 to become Bucknell's 22nd head men's basketball coach. In just his second season at the helm, the Bison captured a Patriot League regular-season co-championship last season, and he was selected as the Patriot League Coach of the Year.
After graduating from Bucknell with a degree in economics in 2008, Griffin played professionally in Germany, Slovakia, England, and Italy. He was the Player of the Year in the German Pro B division with Crailsheim in 2008-09, but his career was ultimately set back by a torn ACL. His foray into coaching began with a stint as a video coordinator with the NBA's Indiana Pacers, and he later served as an assistant coach at Rider, Bucknell, and Saint Joseph's before returning to his alma mater as head coach.
Griffin was a key part of some of Bucknell's very best teams in his two previous stints in Lewisburg, comprising four years as a student-athlete and four more as an assistant coach. In those eight seasons, Bucknell compiled a 174-87 (.667) overall record and a 102-26 (.797) mark in Patriot League games. Griffin helped lead Bucknell to four NCAA Tournament appearances, two as a player (2005, 2006) and two as an assistant coach (2017, 2018). The 2005 team made history with a first-round upset of Kansas in the NCAA Tournament, and the 2006 squad, which was the first in team annals to be ranked in the national top-25, beat Arkansas in the NCAA first round.
This year's panelists are Gia Hayes '20 (women's basketball), Tyler Wincig '20 (baseball), Kelly Jones '00 (women's swimming), Kat Fincher '10 (women's soccer), and John Griffin III '08 (men's basketball). The alumni will share their unique career journeys and offer advice and tips for navigating life after graduation. The event is open to all students, and pre-registration can be accessed at Bucknell.JoinHandshake.com.
When: Thursday, September 24
Where: Trout Auditorium
Registration Link: Bucknell.JoinHandshake.com
Event Schedule:
7:30 – 9 p.m. | Alumni Panel
Here is more information on this year's panelists:
Gia Hayes '20Gia Hayes '20 is a software engineer at Microsoft, where she works on Microsoft Teams as an Android Developer and brings over five years of experience building scalable mobile apps and applying AI to real-world challenges. She is also the co-founder of an early-stage startup and a real estate investor focused on Arkansas-based properties. Passionate about giving back, Gia mentors aspiring technologists through programs like Break Through Tech AI. As a former member of Bucknell's women's basketball team, she brings the same grit and teamwork to tech, startups, real estate and beyond.
Kat (Sutton) Fincher '10Kat Fincher '10 is a senior client engagement manager at Advent, leading collaboration with professional sports teams to design and build custom environments that inspire fans, engage sponsors, and elevate physical brand storytelling. Advent specializes in immersive, story-driven space design for professional teams, collegiate programs, and academic institutions.
Kat's career has taken her from the ballpark—developing large-scale event strategy for the Washington Nationals—to leadership roles in event production, client consulting, and employee experience across the East Coast.
A Bucknell alumna and a standout goalkeeper on the BU women's soccer team, Kat went on to earn her master's degree from Georgetown University. She credits her time at Bucknell with sparking her passion for collaboration and immersive storytelling—skills she now brings to every client engagement. Kat also mentors professionals navigating career transitions and growth opportunities.
Kelly Jones '00Kelly Jones is currently the senior director of global sports marketing and business affairs at Under Armour, where she oversees strategic partnerships, athlete engagement, and brand initiatives across both domestic and international markets. With over two decades of experience in sports marketing and brand development, Kelly has played a pivotal role in negotiating and activating partnerships with athletes, universities, celebrities, and influencers—bringing these relationships to life through compelling storytelling and impactful brand experiences.
Before joining Under Armour, Kelly served as in-house counsel at Octagon, a leading global agency specializing in athlete and talent representation. She is deeply committed to mentoring emerging professionals and championing inclusive leadership within the sports industry.
Kelly earned her B.A. from Bucknell, where she was a four-year varsity swimmer, two-year team captain, and a member of the varsity and club water polo teams. She was also a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. She received her J.D. from The George Washington University School of Law.
Tyler Wincig '20Tyler Wincig is a New York native and Bucknell graduate, Class of 2020, where he earned his B.S.B.A summa cum laude. Tyler was a two-year captain and a first-baseman, outfielder, and pitcher on Bucknell's baseball team. Off the field, he served as a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, participated in the Bucknell Athletic Leadership Institute and worked as a peer writing consultant at Bucknell's writing center.
Following graduation, Tyler joined LLR Partners, a private equity fund based in Philadelphia with $7 billion in AUM, focused on investing in growth stage healthcare and software companies. At LLR, Tyler evaluates new investment opportunities and works with management teams to drive growth.
John Griffin III '08One of the catalysts of some of Bucknell's all-time greatest men's basketball teams, John Griffin III '08 returned home in 2023 to become Bucknell's 22nd head men's basketball coach. In just his second season at the helm, the Bison captured a Patriot League regular-season co-championship last season, and he was selected as the Patriot League Coach of the Year.
After graduating from Bucknell with a degree in economics in 2008, Griffin played professionally in Germany, Slovakia, England, and Italy. He was the Player of the Year in the German Pro B division with Crailsheim in 2008-09, but his career was ultimately set back by a torn ACL. His foray into coaching began with a stint as a video coordinator with the NBA's Indiana Pacers, and he later served as an assistant coach at Rider, Bucknell, and Saint Joseph's before returning to his alma mater as head coach.
Griffin was a key part of some of Bucknell's very best teams in his two previous stints in Lewisburg, comprising four years as a student-athlete and four more as an assistant coach. In those eight seasons, Bucknell compiled a 174-87 (.667) overall record and a 102-26 (.797) mark in Patriot League games. Griffin helped lead Bucknell to four NCAA Tournament appearances, two as a player (2005, 2006) and two as an assistant coach (2017, 2018). The 2005 team made history with a first-round upset of Kansas in the NCAA Tournament, and the 2006 squad, which was the first in team annals to be ranked in the national top-25, beat Arkansas in the NCAA first round.
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