Meet the alum, LA Clippers president who will speak at Hamilton College commencement

Gillian Zucker, president of business operations for the Los Angeles Clippers, wasn't sold on Hamilton College initially. Her father, Preston Zucker, a 1960 graduate of Hamilton, had other ideas.

“I think he credits Hamilton with so much of what he's been able to accomplish in life and who he is and he just adores the school, so of course I had no interest in going there,” Gillian said with a laugh. “But we made a deal. I was like, I'll definitely apply.”

After being accepted to Hamilton, Gillian’s mind was completely changed about the college.

“I went to an accepted students weekend to spend some time there and it was just – it's a magical place,” Zucker said. “I just – I loved all the people and realized that so much of college is about community and the friendships you build and the people who help you to mature and grow and I just felt like this was the place that I had to go.”

Gillian will return to Hamilton College as the commencement speaker at the May 22 ceremony. Zucker is a native of Northern New Jersey who attended Hamilton College, where she graduated in 1990.

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Gillian’s desire to work in the sports industry was sparked by her time at Hamilton and an internship she had with the Observer-Dispatch.

Zucker was a creative writing and religion double major, but thought that sports journalism may be her passion, so she interned with the Observer-Dispatch. While interning, she shadowed a sports reporter who was covering Utica’s AHL team at the time – the Utica Devils. During this internship, she learned that journalism may not be the end goal for her, but a job in sports was certainly one she wanted.

“As the game went on, I found myself watching more and more frequently this guy who was working there who was sort of all over the place. He was running the message board, he was pulling a name out of a hat for groups so that somebody could win a prize, he was down on the ice between periods and I was just so intrigued by him,” Zucker said.

“And when he came back up to the press box, I asked him what he did, and he was the head of operations and public relations and I thought, ‘huh, you know, this is a place I could see myself.’"

After her experience at the Devils’ game, Zucker secured an unpaid internship with the team for her senior year.

After graduation, Zucker used her Hamilton connections to break into the world of sports on a professional level.

Gillian reached out to fellow Hamilton alum Neil Pilson, who was the president of CBS Sports at the time for guidance on how to get into the sports industry. Pilson then referred her to some places that ultimately resulted in her getting her first job in sports.

Zucker’s first job involved her working for a PR agency that worked with the NFL. Her early resume also includes working with Minor League Baseball and the Durham Bulls, before she was recruited by NASCAR where she worked for 16 years before joining the Los Angeles Clippers.

Gillian has served as the president of business operations since LA Clippers chairman Steve Balmer hired her in 2014.

With her role, Zucker is considered one of the most powerful women in sports. With the diversity in fans, Zucker believes it is best practice to feature more women and minorities in these positions of power in any business you run.

“If you want to continue to grow and develop, you have to surround yourself with people who think differently and who have different opinions and provide an environment where people feel free to express those differences of opinion,” Zucker said. “And I think that that's what makes for really, really strong organizations.”

For Zucker, diversity goes beyond gender and skin color.

“When I talk about diversity, I always say that diversity, it takes on a very, very broad view,” Zucker said. “And if you think about it, it should be geographic, it should be educational, it should be background, it should be – if everybody that you surround yourself with comes from the same kind of background or looks like you or thinks like you, or acts like you, then you're just going to get back sort of what you want to hear, what you already think.”

Zucker credits Hamilton for preparing her for the career path she has gone on since graduation.

“I think what happens during your college years is about your personal development and Hamilton pays particular attention to that is how they teach people to think critically and to express themselves in either verbal or written communication in a way that is persuasive and those skills can be applied to absolutely anything.”

Kenny Lacy is a sports reporter for the Observer-Dispatch. Email Kenny Lacy at klacy@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Los Angeles Clippers exec to speak at Hamilton College commencement