Olympic Sports Executive Greg Harney to Open Hartwick College’s 2026-27 Meredith Sport Management Speaker Series
International sports executive and Oneonta native Greg Harney will speak at Hartwick College at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, in the Anderson Theatre in the Anderson Center for the Arts. The event is free and open to the public.
Harney’s appearance is part of the Meredith Sport Management Speaker Series, which brings leading figures in the field to campus to share firsthand perspectives from their work in major sporting events and organizations.
Harney, the retired president of the international event and bid consulting company Global Sports Partners, has worked or been associated with 22 Olympic Games, 10 Pan American Games and nine Paralympic Games. During nearly two decades with the U.S. Olympic Committee, he spent 18 years overseeing the organization’s delegation and operational needs at international competitions.
He later served as the committee’s managing director of international affairs, overseeing its international relationships, events and programs. Harney received the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Olympic Shield Award and represented the organization through working groups and technical commissions of the International Olympic Committee, the Pan American Sports Organization and the Association of National Olympic Committees.
His career also includes serving as director of operations for the 1986 U.S. Olympic Festival in Houston and manager of venue press operations for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. During the Los Angeles Games, he managed press operations at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and helped bring the backup Olympic torch flame from Europe to the United States.
Through his international event and bid consulting work, Harney has helped cities pursue six successful bids for Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Commonwealth Games. He has also organized hospitality houses and pre-Games training programs for national Olympic committees and international sports federations.
A graduate of Arizona State University, Harney worked in the university’s athletic department for nearly a decade. He was team coordinator for the Sun Devils’ 1977 NCAA men’s track and field championship team.
Hartwick named the speaker series in honor of Thom Meredith ’73, whose 40-year career included work on the Pan American Games, Olympic Games and several FIFA World Cups. Meredith has remained involved with the College and has helped guide the development of its sport management program.
Hartwick’s sport management program prepares students for careers in professional and collegiate athletics, sports marketing, event management, facility operations and related fields. The speaker series connects students with professionals who can speak directly about the opportunities and demands of the industry.
