Faculty/Staff

Janelle Wells

Janelle Wells

Associate Professor
janellew@usf.edu
Room: BSN 3429
Phone: (813) 974-4292

Janelle E. Wells is an associate professor in the USF Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management Program, within the School of Marketing and Innovation. Through her love of sport, Wells earned a collegiate athletic scholarship, progressed into the coaching ranks and then transcended into the private sector and classroom as a professor of practice.

While working full time and serving as the assistant coach for the Florida Institute of Technology volleyball team, she earned an MBA. She went on to coach volleyball at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), while teaching as an adjunct at Butler University. After earning her doctorate at the University of Florida and teaching at Florida State University, she joined the faculty at USF.

As a lifelong learner, Wells’ lived experience stimulated her research in organizational behavior, specifically leadership and career development, which has been published in outlets such as the Journal of Sport Management, the Leadership & Organizational Development Journal, Sport Marketing Quarterly, and the Journal of Intercollegiate Sport. In addition to her 30-plus published articles and book chapters, she recently co-edited the book The Business of Esports: The Wild Wild West on Fire. Putting theory into practice, Wells is the co-founder of WellsQuest, a consulting firm specializing in developing talent to positively disrupt systems, teams and individuals. Most recently, she has partnered with the Tampa Bay Lighting to create the Lightning Leadership Line, a personal and professional development initiative.

Wells is a believer in experiential learning and includes it in each of her courses: Leadership/Management Concepts, Globalization of Sport, Marketing Research in Sport & Entertainment and Social Issues in Sport. Notably, Wells has cultivated relationships across the industry with the National Hockey League (NHL), Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, weCOACH, MiLB, The Identity Tampa Bay, NCAA, Feld Entertainment, Harlequin Football Club, and Special Olympics Florida.

In the community, Wells finds fulfillment serving as an advisory board member of the YMCA, empowering women as a board of director for the Women’s Sport Museum and Membership Chair of Women in Sports and Events (WISE) Tampa Bay. On campus and in the profession, Wells serves on several committees (Title IX, Diversity Committee, North American Society for Sport Management, Academy of Management, Management Faculty of Color Association, and American Volleyball Coaches Association).

Teaching

  • MAN 6147 Leadership/Management Concepts

  • SPB 6608 Issues in American Sport – Marketing Research in Sport & Entertainment

  • SPB 6735 Global Environment of Sport

  • SPB 6605 Sport & Social Issues

Recent Research

  • Popp, N., Harrolle, M. G., & Wells, J. E. (2019), "How Major League Teams Hire Entry-Level Ticket Sales Representatives: A Qualitative Analysis," Sport Marketing Quarterly, 28, 163-174.

  • Welty Peachey, J., Burton, L., Wells, J. E., & Chung, M. R. (2018), "Exploring Servant Leadership and Needs Satisfaction in the Sport for Development and Peace Context," Journal of Sport Management, 32, 96-108.

  • Welty Peachey, J., Burton, L. & Wells, J. E. (2018), Exploring Servant Leadership and Needs Satisfaction in the Sport for Development and Peace Context," Journal of Sport Management, 32, 96-108.

  • Wells, J. E., & Kerwin, S., (2017), "Intentions to be an Athletic Director: Racial and Gender Perspectives," Journal of Career Development, 44 (2), 127-143.

  • Burton, L., Welty Peachey, J., & Wells, J. E. (2017), "The Role of Servant Leadership in Developing an Ethical Climate in Sport Organizations." Journal of Sport Management, 31(3), 229-240. 

SERVICE

  • Board of directors, Women's Sport Museum, 2019-present

  • Chair, New Tampa YMCA Advisory Board, 2015-present

  • Co-chair, Women in Sports & Events Tampa Bay (WISE TB) Membership Committee, 2018-present

  • Founding Steering Committee, WISE TB, 2018-present

  • Member, Muma College of Business Diversity Committee, 2018-present

  • Member, USF Title IX Committee, 2016-present

  • Member, Tampa Metropolitan YMCA Oversight Committee, 2014-present