Lisa Tirrell serves as the Executive Vice President, Key Partnerships and External Affairs for Scarlet Knight Enterprises. She is an accomplished sports business executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience spanning professional sports, Division I athletics, corporate partnerships, multimedia rights, naming rights, licensing, retail, and revenue generation. In her current role with Scarlet Knight Enterprises, Tirrell oversees the external affairs and key partnerships of the company. She is also responsible for the brand partnerships, creative, operations, and strategy for the unit.
In her previous role as President & CEO of Scarlet Assets Management Company (SAMCO), the first privately owned university athletics subsidiary of its kind, Tirrell led the strategic vision, business operations, and commercial growth for Rutgers University, beginning with Rutgers Athletics. She oversaw all revenue-generating initiatives including corporate partnerships, naming rights, premium hospitality, ticketing, merchandise.
Prior to leading SAMCO, Tirrell served in several executive leadership roles within Rutgers Athletics, including Associate Athletic Director for Marketing & Business Development and Assistant Athletic Director for External Affairs & Brand Marketing. She directed marketing, multimedia rights, branding, merchandise, licensing, and fan engagement strategies for all 24 Division I programs while overseeing relationships with some of the most recognized brands in sports, including Adidas, Gatorade, Coca-Cola, LEARFIELD, and Audacy.
Among her most notable accomplishments, Tirrell played a leadership role in securing and activating the naming rights partnerships for SHI Stadium and Jersey Mike’s Arena, helping generate significant long-term revenue while creating meaningful business engagement strategies with corporate partners. She also spearheaded Rutgers Athletics’ yearlong 50th Anniversary of Title IX celebration, integrating all varsity sports into one of the department’s most celebrated institutional initiatives.
Tirrell’s professional career began with the Lakewood BlueClaws, the High-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, where she spent nearly eight years progressing through multiple leadership positions. She managed special events featuring nationally recognized entertainers, led corporate revenue initiatives, directed retail operations, built one of Minor League Baseball’s premier internship and inside sales programs, and earned the 2010 South Atlantic League Female Executive of the Year Award for her leadership and innovation.
Her work has been recognized through numerous honors, including being named to the NJBIZ Power Education 50 in both 2024 and 2025 and being named the American Heart Association Woman of Impact Winner in 2025.
Tirell earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Spanish from Wagner College. She currently resides in her hometown of Point Pleasant, NJ with her husband Tom, and their sons Ty Thomas & Duke Thomas.