THIS. IS. IMPACT.
WELCOME TO YOUR FUTURE
IMPACT Learning Institute bridges the gap between education and employment for students and young professionals seeking careers in the Sports, Entertainment, and Media industries.

Accelerate your journey from education to employment with IMPACT this summer.

We bring in the best in the business to share their knowledge and career advice.

IMPACT helps students like Gigi make their dream careers a reality.
Meet the Team

Felisa Israel
Founder, Executive Director & Lead Instructor
Throughout her 20+ year career in the NBA, including serving as the Phoenix Suns’ Director of Entertainment & Special Events, NBA Entertainment’s Director of Live Programming & Entertainment, and helping to start the WNBA with the Phoenix Mercury, along with her entrepreneurial success founding 2 companies, Felisa has established herself as an industry leader in Sports & Entertainment.
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Nathan Leonard
Operations & Programming
Starting his professional career as a student intern, Nathan is a first-hand example of how proper training, guidance, and opportunity can impact students in an extraordinary way.
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Sara Schumacher
Business Development
Sara (aka Schu), a Sports & Performance Psychology grad from Grand Canyon University, is a testament to the transformative power of the IMPACT program. As an IMPACT student, she discovered a vibrant community that shared her passion for sports and entertainment.
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Jessica Benisch
Student Relations & Recruiting

Alexandra Ortiz
Digital Media Analyst
Student Recruitment Team

Annie Dollarton
Recruitment Coordinator

Maile Cacal
Recruitment Coordinator

Sophie Abelow
Recruitment Coordinator

Tyra Appertey
Outreach Specialist
Media Team

Ella Wolter-Sanchez
Staff Writer / Journalist

Jalen Stubbs
Podcast Host - Jalen's Jumpstart
The IMPACT Journey
The journey of IMPACT Learning Institute and founder, Felisa Israel - The inspiration, adversity, and passion that has led to IMPACT’s success as the premier resource for college students and early-stage professionals pursuing careers in the Sports, Entertainment, and Media industries.

2010
The birth of 10 Fold Entertainment
After a 15+ year career in the NBA, including serving as the Phoenix Suns’ Director of Entertainment & Special Events, NBA Entertainment’s Director of Live Programming & Entertainment, and helping to start the WNBA with the Phoenix Mercury, Felisa started her own live event production company, 10 Fold Entertainment.

2013
WSOBV - Hiring and Training Interns
After being hired to executive produce the World Series of Beach Volleyball, a 6-day live event for national and international broadcast, Felisa began a relationship with UCLA Anderson School of Management, hiring and training ambitious college students as interns. After 5 years of WSOBV, dozens of other events, and continued mentorship, Felisa and her team developed an army of 100+ rockstars.

2017
Begin Teaching for Summer Discovery
UCLA Anderson asked Felisa to be an instructor for one of their programs, Summer Discovery, the world’s leading pre-college summer program provider for high school students. Felisa taught (and continues to teach) the Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports class and further developed her passion for helping to grow the next generation.

2019
Creating IMPACT
Seeing an opportunity to create their own program in partnership with UCLA Anderson, Felisa and her team created a program that combined their decades of experience, industry insight, and professional relationships in Sports, Entertainment, and Media – IMPACT Internship.

2019
Year 1 in the Books
IMPACT came out of the gate swinging with a successful inaugural year held at UCLA – IMPACT’s academic partner. We secured paid internships for our students at the LA Dodgers, Wasserman, and Tandem Entertainment, a CAA company.

2020-2021
The Virtual Years
Quickly adapting to the global pandemic, we shifted our programs online and found innovative ways to engage in a virtual setting and created an interactive, educational experience. As we continued to adjust to industry changes and the needs of our students, we developed into IMPACT Learning Institute, an all-encompassing professional development program.

2022
Back on Campus
With the green light to be back on campus, we thrived in year 4 with a robust, hands-on in-person program and a fully polished online program as well. We took the best of both worlds and created incredible experiences with the highest level of industry leaders and executive mentors.

2023
Year 5
The IMPACT experience was fully realized in year 5 with our largest class size, new high-caliber executive mentors and speakers, and more work opportunities and experiences offered to students than ever before!

2024
YEAR 6
IMPACT soared to new heights in 2024 with a phenomenal group of 60 students from around the world participating in our UCLA Anderson Summer Professional Development program!

2025
Year 7
Year 7 featured our first expansion with an incredibly successful New York City program in addition to our flagship UCLA Anderson program!

2026
YEAR 8
We are excited to go bigger and bolder in year 8 with continued growth that will see us taking the IMPACT experience to more locations around the country!
It's Your Time to Make an Impact!
Get Started! Pick Your Preferred Learning Experience
UCLA Anderson Program
DATES: July 6 - July 31, 2026
IN-PERSON PRICE: $6,595
ONLINE PRICE: $4,495
(Payment plans available!)
LOCATION: UCLA Anderson School of Management
New York City Program
DATES: June 8 - June 19, 2026
PRICE: $4,195
(Payment plans available!)
LOCATION: New York City
The IMPACT Advisory Board
We are grateful for our incredible Advisory Board filled with industry leaders that share our passion for paying it forward and making a positive IMPACT on the next generation.

Andy Bernstein
Co-Founder & Podcast Host, Legends of Sport | Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Sports Photographer

Angeline Buenaventura
Creative Talent Development Manager, Netflix

Annie Cornforth
Associate VP, Corporate Partnerships, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Brian Fitzsimmons
Vice President, Owned Brands, Barstool Sports

David Cooper
Owner, MVP Sports Public Relations

Dawn Wilcox
Vice President, Development, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Elisa Padilla
Sports & Entertainment Marketing Executive – New York Red Bulls, Roc Nation, Miami Marlins, Brooklyn Nets, NBA, New York Knicks, AT&T, HBO, and more

Evan Flagg
Founder, Reach Capacity | Former Executive – AEG, LA Kings, UCLA Athletics, Ontario Reign

Evan Warner
Partner & Unscripted TV Talent Agent, WME

Fabiola Torres
Global Chief Marketing Officer, GAP

Jaime LaBelle
Director, Human Resources, Milk Bar | Former HR Executive – LA Lakers, NBA

Jay Harris
Journalist & SportsCenter Anchor, ESPN

Jay Tucker
Executive Director, UCLA Anderson Center for Media, Entertainment & Sports

Jennifer Lau
Vice President, Action Sports, IMG

Jennifer Pope
Senior Vice President, Community & Hockey Development, Los Angeles Kings

Jennifer van Dijk
President, Boston Legacy FC | Former Executive – Wasserman, NBA, Los Angeles Clippers, IMG

Jimmy Musiker
Executive Director/Owner, Summer Discovery

Joe Mulvihill
Talent Manager (Boyz II Men, Joey Fatone) & Executive Producer, Film, Music & TV

Lenny Washington
Marketing Manager, Unrivaled Basketball

Leonard Armato
Founder, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Management Plus Enterprises

Lexie King
Co-Founder, IMPACT Learning Institute | Freelance Senior Producer, Peacock Productions, LLC

Libby Bush
Head of Media & Entertainment Partnerships, CAA

Mark Francis
Associate Sports Business Professor & Sports Business Graduate Program Manager, University of Oregon | Sports Business Lecturer, UCLA Anderson Center for Media, Entertainment & Sports

Melanie Wallner
Senior Vice President, Napster Corp. (formerly Infinite Reality)

Rachel Jacobson
Sports & Tech Executive – NBA & The Drone Racing League

Tamala Lewis
Senior Director, Community Affairs & Foundation, AEG’s Dignity Health Sports Park

Tanesha Wade
Executive Vice President, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion & Chief Impact Officer, Chicago Bears

























