153. Rana Dershowitz, A Career Driven by Passion from Sports Law and Public Policy

Rana Dershowitz went straight to Harvard Law School after graduating in 1992, partly due to the economy and her love for learning. She describes her experience at Harvard Law School, including her role as a law school "old timer" in Cambridge. After law school, Rana moved back to New York and started working on Wall Street, initially hating the big law environment but appreciating the people she worked with.

Entertainment Law at Madison Square Garden and onto Sports Law

Rana discusses her career counselor's advice to explore sports law, which she had overlooked despite her involvement in sports and technical theater at Harvard. She took a six-month leave of absence and was offered a job in sports law the day she started her leave. Rana worked in entertainment law at Madison Square Garden (MSG) from 2001 to 2007, handling legal work for the Knicks, Rangers, and the WNBA's New York Liberty. She met her future husband during this time and moved to Colorado  in 2007, where she continued her legal career.

Joining the US Olympic Committee and Life in Colorado 

Rana joined the US Olympic Committee (USOC) as Deputy General Counsel in 2007, becoming interim General Counsel and then General Counsel and Head of Government Affairs. She describes the challenges of commuting between Colorado Springs and Denver, with her husband working in Bould, while managing her job and family life. Rana and her husband moved to Basalt, Colorado, in 2011, where she continued her legal work,  joined the Aspen skiing company, and became involved in the Aspen community. She transitioned to a part-time role at Aspen Skiing Company while working as Phil Weiser's policy director for his gubernatorial campaign.

Challenges and Opportunities at the US Olympic Committee 

Rana explains the unique structure of the USOC, which is federally chartered and subject to congressional oversight, unlike most Olympic committees. She discusses the complexities of funding and intellectual property rights, including the USOC's unique trademark rights. Rana highlights her work on safe sport initiatives and the challenges of managing independent national governing bodies for various sports. She reflects on the legal and operational complexities of hosting Olympic Games in the United States and the international dynamics involved.

Working at Madison Square Garden and New York Liberty

Rana shares a story that reflects her personal connection to Madison Square Garden. She describes the structure of MSG, which owns the building, the Knicks, the Rangers, and the Liberty, and her role in handling sponsorships and league rules. Rana recounts her involvement in the New York Liberty's WNBA finals run in 1999, feeling proud to be part of the team's success. She also discusses her role in managing entertainment acts during team sports events at MSG and shares a few of her proudest moments.

Policy Work and Campaign for Phil Weiser 

Rana explains her role as Phil Weiser's policy director, focusing on active listening and building a grassroots campaign across Colorado. She outlines key issues the campaign is addressing, including affordability, climate change, water resources, and public lands. Rana emphasizes the importance of bridging urban-rural divides and finding innovative solutions that benefit the entire state. She highlights the campaign's efforts to address youth mental health and promote outdoor activities for children.

Rana's Broader Role at Aspen Skiing Company 

Rana discusses her expanded role at Aspen Skiing Company, overseeing sustainability, community engagement, planning and development, and PR.

She describes her transition to leading mountain operations and her current role that spans looking into employee housing and childcare. Rana reflects on the importance of understanding systems and structures beyond legal work, drawing on her experiences at Aspen. 

Harvard Reflections

Rana shares her initial reluctance to follow in her family's legal footsteps but eventually being drawn to law by her interest in the "Justice" class. She credits the course for shifting her perspective and leading her to law school. She also mentions auditing the “Thinking about Thinking” class taught by Stephen Jay Gould, Robert Nozick, and Alan Dershowitz, and reflects on the importance of considering different perspectives in policy work and legal decision-making.

Timestamps:

02:26: Transition to Sports Law and Madison Square Garden 

05:23: Joining the US Olympic Committee and Family Life in Colorado 

13:15: Challenges and Opportunities at the US Olympic Committee 

20:38: Experiences at Madison Square Garden and New York Liberty 

31:34: Policy Work and Campaign for Phil Weiser 

40:33: Rana's Broader Role at Aspen Skiing Company 

44:24: Reflections on Harvard 

Links:

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/rana-dershowitz/

Phil Weiser for Colorado: https://philforcolorado.com/

Aspen One: https://aspen.com/ 

USOPC: https://www.usopc.org/

Madison Square Gardens: https://www.msg.com/madison-square-garden

 

Featured Non-profit:

The featured non-profit of this week’s episode is brought to you by Peter Kang who reports:

“Hi. This is Peter Kang from the class of 1992. The featured nonprofit of this episode is the Greg Marzolf Jr. Muscular Dystrophy Center at the University of Minnesota. We provide cutting edge research and clinical care for children and adults with muscular dystrophy and other neuromuscular disorders. I have been the director of this center since 21 and it has been a privilege to see all the good work that we do to find out more. Please go to M, E, d.umn.edu/md center, or email me at p, k, a, n, [e-mail], thanks very much. And enjoy today's podcast.” 

To learn more about their work, visit: https://med.umn.edu/mdcenter

 

*AI generated show notes and transcript.