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So, Barclays Center gets a new VP for Community Relations (but where are those schedules?)

Some changes appear to be afoot at the Barclays Center front office, perhaps related to arena management's new responsibilities.

Roland Guevara, via LinkedIn
There's a new position, VP, Community Relations, held by Roland Guevara, who, according to his LinkedIn profile, took the job in July after working as Director of Public Affairs at Nickolodeon. His position has not been publicly announced, as far as I can tell.

Nor has he been introduced to community stakeholders at arena-related events like the Quality of Life or Atlantic Yards Community Development Corporation meetings.

Guevara oversees three staffers, including Terence Kelly, Senior Manager, Community Affairs, who's served as the sole listed person in the Community Affairs office since the arena opened in 2012, as noted in the April 2006 version of the Barclays Center front office list.

Barclays may have a bigger presence in Community Affairs, but it doesn't seem oriented to the nearest neighbors. For example, a few months ago, the arena apparently stopped circulating a monthly calendar of events, with expected attendance. (Or: it stopped sending them to me and and people who might share it with me.) And the arena doesn't always send its own representatives to public meetings.

Internal reorg?

That said, there may be some internal reorganization. Michael Wisniewski, now listed as Manager, Community Relations for the Barclays Center (according to the arena web site), on his LinkedIn profile says he's been Community Relations Manager for the Brooklyn Nets since October 2013 and previously was Community Relations Coordinator for the Nets.

Similarly, Courtney Lapsley, now listed as Coordinator, Community Relations for the Barclays Center (according to the arena web site), on her LinkedIn profile says she's been Coordinator, Community Relations for the Brooklyn Nets since July 2016, and was previously since December 2014 a Community Relations Assistant for the Nets.

This may relate to the arena's larger budget and responsibilities, as it takes in revenue from the New York Islanders and guarantees a payment in turn to the team. But it also may mean stretching the budget to have staffers previously working only for the Nets to also work for the arena.

Barclays also has gone from a listed two-person Communications Department to a three-person one.

Barclays Center Front Office, October 2016 (screenshot)


Barclays Center Front Office, April 2016 (screenshot)


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