George Mason University

Alumni Hall of Fame

Congratulations to the Inaugural Mason Recreation Hall of Fame Inductees!

We want to recognize those individuals and groups who, through participation, support, or lifetime achievements have made outstanding contributions to Mason Recreation.  These individuals and groups have helped bring recognition, honor, distinction and excellence to George Mason University and Mason Recreation.

Inductees are listed in alphabetical order.

Chris Carr Major: Recreation, Health, and Tourism (George Mason) Concentration: Sport Management  Masters: Athletic Administration (Indiana University)  Positions Held: Intramural Official, Intramural Supervisor, Intramural Intern, Intramural Program Assistant  Committees Served: Hiring Committee – Director of Recreation

Conferences Attended:

NIRSA: 2013, 2015, 2017
Western Kentucky Flag Football Regional: Official (All Tournament-2014), All Tournament Committee (2015, 2016)
UNC-Wilmington Flag Football Regional: Official’s Committee (2015, 2016)
Campbell University State Flag Football Tournament: Official’s Committee (2015, 2016)
IRSA: 2014 (Attendee), 2015 (Presenter-Programming through the Lens of the Participant)
Illinois Basketball Regional: Official (All Tournament 2014)
NoCRSA: 2015, 2016 (Presenter-Employee Retention Through Competition)
NoCRSA State Basketball Tournament: (Wake Forest-2016-Official’s Committee)
VRPA: 2017, 2018
NRPA: 2019
NoCRSA: Chair-Extramural Sports 2016-2017
Certified Parks & Recreation Professional: 2019-2021 

Impact on Mason Rec: Chris began working for Mason Recreation in the fall of 2009 in his first year at George Mason.  He began as a flag football official and eventually worked as an intern for the department through the sport management internship program.  His senior year he worked as a Program Assistant under the tutelage of Paul Bazzano and Colby Grant.  Chris assisted in all parts of the Intramural Program including training officials, facilitating alumni golf tournaments, scheduling teams, running captain’s meetings, etc.  He also created an Intramural All-Sports point system for Greek life and residence life.  Chris used his on-campus connections to recruit staff members and teams into the program.  He also assisted in the mentorship of several supervisors who later became interns and program assistants for the Intramural Program. 

In his senior year, the Department afforded Chris the opportunity to attend the Annual NIRSA Conference in Las Vegas.  He was able to network with other students and professionals and eventually obtained a Graduate Assistantship at Indiana University.  After completing his Master’s degree and graduate assistantship, Chris continued his collegiate recreation career at Appalachian State University where he served as the Coordinator for Competitive Sports; managing the intramural, club sport, and youth camp programs.  Today, Chris serves as the Athletics Director for the City of Charlottesville’s Parks & Recreation Department, facilitating the delivery of youth and adult sport to the Charlottesville community.  Chris credits many of his professional successes in the field of sport administration to the guidance he received at George Mason with Paul Bazzano and the Mason Recreation community.   

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Leah Ching  Majors: Nursing Minor: N/A  Years at Mason: 2001-2006  Years with Mason Rec: 5  Position(s) held: Lifeguard, Head Guard, Meet Manager, Customer Service Assistant, and Manager on Duty  Committee(s) served: n/a  Conference(s) attended/presented: n/a

Impact on Mason Rec: Leah Ching began working at the Aquatic and Fitness Center as a lifeguard at the end of her freshman year. With her pool operator’s license, she was able to move up to head guard shortly after. Leah spent a few days per week opening the pool for the swim teams, other days closing the facility, and leading swim meets on the weekends. She was also a Water Safety Instructor, and with that certification she also taught group and private lessons. Leah became the point person for improving stroke technique for members of Special Olympics. Through her continued hard work and vast knowledge of the AFC, Leah was promoted to Manager on Duty, while pursuing her undergraduate degree in Nursing. Leah continued to work at the AFC after graduation. After leaving Mason, Leah began her nursing career at the University of California Los Angeles, where she has been for the last 15 years working in the operating rooms at the level 1 trauma hospital/transplant center. 

Leah is incredibly grateful for the work/school/life balance her five years with Mason Recreation  gave her. Her time with Mason Recreation instilled helped instill the importance of a great work  ethic and teamwork, which has followed her through her professional career. 

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Ebonie Gibbs Major: Government International Politics Minor: Spanish and Criminology Law and Society Years at Mason: Fall, 2010-Spring, 2014 Years with Mason Rec: Fall, 2011-Spring, 2014 (Sophomore to Senior) Position(s) held: Customer Service Assistant; Customer Service #2; Manager on Duty; Program Assistant, Marketing Committee(s) served: Operations Hiring Committee, Student Leadership Committee, Professional Staff Search Committee Conference(s) attended/presented: presented at 2 NIRSA conferences and 1 VRSA Regional conference

Impact on Mason Rec: Ebonie Gibbs was primarily a fixture within the Facilities/Operations team during her tenure with Mason Recreation. She worked with us for three years and during this time was part of an influential student group that began laying the foundational brick for our department. She quickly soared to leadership positions as her commitment to not only her own development but to those of her peers was recognized within the first semester of her employment. She was a part of the powerhouse three (Ebonie Gibbs, Trent Houston and Donovan Tyson) that quickly became fixtures at conferences (both Nationally and Regionally) as presenters on leadership topics and the impact employment in University Recreation has on building leaders. In addition to her dedication and passion for the department as a student, Ebonie has been an active alum. She has given her time back to current students by attending staff meetings to network with current employees, she participates in alumni panels and most recently has served as a mentor to fellow alums in assisting with career advice and interview readiness.  Ebonie received her Master’s Degree from Georgetown University in 2015 in Sports Industry Management.   Ebonie is currently the Senior Director of Events at Axios. 

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Trent Houston  Major: Health Care Administration and Policy Minor: Economics  Years at Mason: Fall, 2010-Spring, 2015  Years with Mason Rec: Fall, 2010-Spring, 2015 (Freshman to Senior)  Position(s) held: Customer Service Assistant; Customer Service #2; Event Supervisor; Intramural Official; Intramural Supervisor; Manager on Duty; Program Assistant, Facilities  Committee(s) served: Operations Hiring Committee; Student Chair, Recreation Advisory Board (2014-2015)  Conference(s) attended/presented: presented at 2 NIRSA conferences and 1 VRSA Regional conference

Impact on Mason Rec: Trent Houston was one of those rare students that walked through our doors as a freshman and work for us for the duration of their Collegiate career. Trent started with intramurals as an official and was quickly identified as an employee with developing leadership skills. He moved on to work for both intramurals and facilities in leadership positions for both areas. Alongside two of his peers (Ebonie Gibbs and Donovan Tyson), he was an instrumental part of laying out the student development foundational bricks for our department. He attended and presented at multiple conferences to include NIRSA and VRSA. Presentation topics always focused on the impact that working within recreation can have on building leaders. Trent saw the impact that he made on his peers when he was recognized as the departments first Employee of the Year recipient in the Spring, 2015.  In addition to his commitment to the department as a student, Trent has been an active alum. He has attended operational staff meetings to connect with current students and has assisted in planning Homecoming activities. Trent is currently an Assistant Manager with Cambridge Associates. 

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Charles “Mickey” McDade Mickey served as the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Athletics and Recreation. He was a key stakeholder in the expansion of Mason Recreation facilities, programs, and services. The AFC, RAC, and Skyline were all completed during his tenure. Mickey was key in building the foundation for Mason Recreation as we see it today.

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Men’s Rugby Club

The Men’s Rugby Club was the first organized sports club and athletic team to represent George Mason University. The club was started in September 1965 by Rick Stafford and George Wiltshire, GMC Freshmen, with sponsor support and encouragement from Dean of Students Meb Turner. Whilst looking at the bulletin board in the Ordinary (Student Lounge) one day, they spotted an invitation from GMC student Bob Aitcheson, who was recruiting players for the Washington Rugby Club. They called Bob, received information on practice times and days, and subsequently joined in their first WRC practice session which was held on the Ellipse in Washington, DC.

They were so excited about the game, they encouraged others to join us learning from the WRFC. Jody Taylor, Ron Swanson, and Nick Scholl (now deceased) were in the first group to join them. Later in the fall season, others fell in beside them and the nucleus of the GMRFC was formed. Despite the fact that they did not have enough players for a full 15 player side, they were able to get some game experience by playing for the WRFC third side during the fall 1965 season.

In spring of 1966 they were fortunate to get coaching from Jerry Taylor, whom had played in New England. This provided the impetus to recruit enough players to form a full side, then schedule and play their first games as GMRFC. The team picture on page 97 of the 1966 Advocate (GMC yearbook) shows the initial side as 14 players, although Nick Scholl and 1 or 2 others were missing that day. Players included Rick Stafford, George Wiltshire, Ron Swanson, Jody Taylor, John Simon, Bob Wilkins, Tom Kreutzer, Steve Furimsky, Isaac Unciano, Dave Dugan, Mike Ludwig (now deceased), Marty Goldrick, Fitz Fitzpatrick, George Lollar.

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Brian Money  Major: Sport Management          Minor: N/A  Years at Mason: 20011 – 2015  Years with Mason Rec: 2013-2015  Position(s) held: Intramural Official, Program Assistant, Intern  Committee(s) served: Hiring Committee

Conference(s) attended/presented: 

University of Georgia NIRSA Regional Basketball Tournament – 2014
University of Maryland NIRSA Regional Basketball Tournament – 2015
Rated: All Tournament Official
University of Central Florida NIRSA Regional Basketball Tournament – 2015
Rated: All Tournament Official
NIRSA National Conference – 2015
NIRSA National Basketball Tournament – 2015 

Impact on Mason Rec: Brian began working for Mason Recreation in the spring semester of 2013 during the start of the intramural basketball season. Brian was a member of Cardinal Basketball Official’s Association beginning in 2006 and brought a desire to help educate his peers on the available opportunities through athletics. 

Brian was encouraged by Mason alumni, Chris Carr, to apply to be a program assistant and pursue opportunities through NIRSA. With the help and guidance of Paul Bazzano, Jeremy Hans, Willie Ehling, and the entire Mason Recreation staff Brian experienced a great deal of success through the NIRSA professional development opportunities available to student members. Brian attended 3 NIRSA Regional Basketball tournaments and was rated as a top official at two of them. In 2015 Brian was the first student official to earn a spot on the official’s roster at the NIRSA National Basketball tournament. 

As an intern with the Recreation department Brian helped to advance the alumni golf tournament to be a revenue driver for the student development fund under the direction and guidance of Paul Bazzano. 

Since leaving Mason Brian has worked in the financial services industry as well as maintaining a connection to the sports industry through a part-time opportunity with the Washington Nationals. Brian was a member of the 2019 World Series Washington National’s staff. Brian currently works for Carson Group, a financial planning and wealth management company, as their Associate Vice President of Strategic Partnerships while also pursuing his Certified Financial Planner certification. 

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Bob Spousta  Majors: N/A Minor: N/A  Years at Mason: 1987-Present  Years with Mason Rec: 2000-2015  Position(s) held: Crew Club Head Coach (1987-Present), Coordinator of Club Sports (2000-2015)

Impact on Mason Rec: Bob has served as the Head Coach for the Mason Crew Club since 1987 and has helped grow the club into one of the best clubs at Mason. He has started an endowment for the club and is helping build a foundation for years to come. His alumni love giving back to the organization because of how much he contributed to their experience as a student. Bob also helps organize several major fundraising regattas for the club each year. Bob embodies the Club Sport coaching ideal as someone who promotes the growth and development of officers and members through mentorship and supportive guidance. Beyond his involvement with Mason, Bob is a pillar of the rowing community in the region. Bob also served as the Coordinator of Club Sports with Mason Recreation from 2000-2015. The achievement he is most proud of from his time in this position is having overseen the expansion of the Club Sports program from a modest 6 teams to 26 teams. Bob’s work set much of the foundation that has allowed for the 34 teams and more than 900 participants the program has today.  

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Nominee: Donovan Tyson  Majors: Accounting and Economics Minor: African American Studies  Years at Mason: Fall, 2009-Spring, 2014  Years with Mason Rec: Fall, 2009-Spring, 2014 (Freshman to Senior)  Position(s) held: Customer Service Assistant; Customer Service #2; Event Supervisor; Intramural Official; Intramural Supervisor; Manager on Duty; Program Assistant, Business Services  Committee(s) served: Operations Hiring Committee; Student Chair, Recreation Advisory Board (2013-2014)  Conference(s) attended/presented: presented at 2 NIRSA conferences and 1 VRSA Regional conference

Impact on Mason Rec: Donovan Tyson started his career with Mason Recreation as an intramural official his freshman year and immediately started making an impact within the department.  Donovan quickly moved into leadership roles within Intramurals as a supervisor before transiting to the Facilities team and working in multiple positions. He could be seen daily in the facilities either working a shift, training a new employee or speaking with departmental leaders on upcoming conferences or the next Advisory Board meeting.  He was a “go to” for most of his peers whenever they had questions and was often referred to as “Mr. Recreation.”  There weren’t many questions or situations he couldn’t resolve.   Donovan took the lead on multiple presentation proposals to present at NIRSA and VRSA conferences.  Topics focused on the impact that working in recreation has in building leaders.   Donovan’s name along with two of his peers (Ebonie Gibbs and Donovan Tyson), is commonly referenced whenever discussing the growth and development of Mason Recreation and its commitment to student development.  He is still active with the department as he has attended staff meetings to meet and connect with current students and has served on the Homecoming Planning committee.   Donovan is currently a Real Estate Advisor for Compass. 

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Nominee: Merrissa Vault  Majors: Sport Management Minor: N/A  Years at Mason: 7/28/2016 to 4/26/2019  Years with Mason Rec: 7/28/2016 to 4/26/2019  Position(s) held: Graduate Assistant and Coordinator of Competitive Sports   Committee(s) served: Recreation Involvement Committee, Mason Recreation Advisory Board, Multiple Search Committees  Conference(s) attended/presented:

Impact on Mason Rec: Merrissa did it all during her time at Mason. She was our first Graduate Assistant for the department and was able to make a seamless transition to a full-time member of the professional staff. She also led the Mason Recreation Advisory Board, presented at multiple NIRSA state, regional, and national events. Merrissa also served on various sports committees and worked in the National Club Soccer Championships Tournament. She brought a very contagious and positive attitude to Mason Recreation. Students loved working for and with her.