June 17, 2021 (DURHAM, N.C.) – The Durham Sports Commission (DSC) is proud to announce that Senior Manager of Events & Operations, Alyssa Duke, has been named as one of 11 board members of the North Carolina Sports Association. The NCSA elected Duke to a three-year term during its Annual General Meeting held virtually earlier this month.
“I am honored to become a member of the NCSA Board of Directors, especially at this moment when sports have such great potential to be a significant driver of economic and social recovery after the pandemic for communities across North Carolina,” said Duke. “I am excited and look forward to working with peers from across the state as we continue to push for North Carolina to maintain its position as a major player in the sports tourism industry and figure out how to best serve championship event owners in this ‘new normal.’”
NCSA is a statewide collaboration of sports commissions, convention and visitors bureaus, parks and recreation entities, and sports authorities who share a direct interest in supporting sports events in North Carolina. The nonprofit’s mission is to grow, promote and enhance the general welfare of the sports industry across the state. By positioning North Carolina as a top-tier destination for the sports tourism market and recruiting event rights holders to the area, NCSA helps generate economic and social impact for destinations from the mountains to the coast.
“Alyssa’s been a gamechanger for the DSC and sports event owners in Durham,” said Marcus Manning, executive director of the DSC. “She’s made her mark thinking strategically about what sports events best suit Durham and how we can more efficiently work with our stakeholders. In doing so, Durham has benefited as she works every day behind the scenes towards our mission of bettering the community through sports. We’re proud to have her contribute to the development of sports tourism across the state.”
One of seven sports commissions in North Carolina, the DSC was established in 2016 as a collaboration between the City of Durham, Durham County, the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce and Discover Durham. Alyssa joined shortly thereafter and is the primary facilitator and service provider for both local and external events. Through her work as a key point of contact for organizations near and far, she has had a hand in all aspects of the DSC’s success to date. She has project managed multiple championship-winning bids including the 2019 USATF National Youth Outdoor Championships, Durham’s first track and field national championship since 2000, as well as the 2023 NCAA Fencing Championship and the 2025 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship, which were jointly submitted by Duke University and the DSC. When not directly bidding on events, Alyssa actively leads all event support and marketing campaigns to manage recruitment efforts, drawing more participants and spectators to the area to maximize economic impact.
Before she joined the DSC, Alyssa spent a four-year stint as the assistant director of women’s basketball with the Atlantic Coast Conference where she served 15 member institutions by supporting regular season challenges, scheduling, home game management, television exposure, and promotional materials. Her duties also included planning and administrating the ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament as well as staffing other ACC events. Prior to her time with the ACC, she interned with the Greensboro Sports Commission, Durham Bulls Baseball Club, and University of North Carolina Athletics Ticket Office.
For more on the impact of sports in Durham, review the DSC’s latest annual report. For more on the NCSA, please visit its website or contact Bonny Bernat, Chair, at bonny@visitwinstonsalem.com.
About Durham Sports Commission
The Durham Sports Commission (DSC) is a collaboration of the City of Durham, the County of Durham, the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce and Discover Durham. The DSC was established in 2016 as a 501(c)(3) with a mission to create economic and social impact by leading the community’s efforts to attract, support, and promote youth, amateur, collegiate, and professional sporting and recreational events and is operated by Discover Durham. The DSC provides leadership for sports-based initiatives and create positive economic impact and quality of life in Durham and the surrounding region. Be sure to follow the DSC on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up with all sports-related news in Durham, NC, and other announcements.