Nels Hawkinson, Executive Director
Nels is the executive director of BTI Events and is a well-known and respected member of the international basketball community. Nels has a masters degree in Sports Administration, has played and coached in the US and overseas, and is a certified FIBA instructor. He has traveled to 50+ countries to establish his network of international contacts.

Neal Holden, President
Neal directs the business and administrative end of BTI Events. His knowledge of computers and background as a systems analyst have been instrumental in keeping the company’s daily operations running smoothly and efficiently. Neal has a master's degree in Business Administration and also has experience playing and coaching professional basketball in France and Norway.

Erik Evans, Winter World University Games Coordinator
Erik will be managing the registration and forms requirements for the Winter World University Games, as well as assisting with participant communication. Since 1992, Erik has been running the high school San Diego Surf 'N Slam Basketball Tournament, which has grown into one of the largest Christmas-time high school competitions in the U.S. Erik also coordinates the men's NCAA Division I MTE tournaments such as Basketball Travelers and World Vision Classics.  Erik played basketball and tennis during his undergraduate years at Seattle Pacific University and also interned at BTI.

Nancy Hawkinson, Creative Services Director
Nancy’s duties include overseeing the websites and publications, apparel and gift management, and adding the special details that make BTI's tours and tournaments unique. She has worked for BTI since 1988, but after the birth of her and Nels’ two children, she works only part-time. Nancy played basketball at the University of Washington and professionally in Denmark.

Jason Sarkies, World University Championships Coordinator
Jason will be managing the registration and forms requirements for the World University Championships, as well as assisting with participant communication. Jason also directs the Phoenix Cactus Jam, a boys and girls high school and Men’s Div. III basketball tournament in the Tempe area held every Christmas. In addition, he oversees coordination of summer overseas basketball tours. Jason played football at Willamette University and finished his undergraduate work at Seattle Pacific University. After completing his masters in Athletic Administration at Ohio State, he began working full-time for BTI in 1995.

Craig Jonas, Marketing & Media Specialist
Craig consults on BTI's sponsorship, media and television contracts. Formerly the VP of Business Development for SportVision and Coaches Edge, he now pursues duties as a marketing consultant with the Jonas Group. Craig earned his PhD from Kansas University in Sport Psychology and coached basketball at Lakeland College. He has served as an advisor on the U.S. Olympic Committee and the South African Professional Basketball League. He is also a certified FIBA clinician. Craig lives in Littleton, Colorado with his wife, Seanna, and their two boys.

Jennifer Ashby, Summer World University Games Coordinator
Jenn will be managing the registration and forms requirements for the Summer World University Games, as well as assisting with participant communication. Jenn also co-directs the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam, BTI's NCAA Division I basketball tournament in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. She also handles most of the administrative details involved in the organization of foreign and domestic tours. Jenn played basketball at Puget Sound Christian College.

Becky Johnson, Travel Manager
Becky brings over 31 years of experience in the travel industry to Basketball Travelers. Becky coordinates the air ticketing and hotel bookings for our many events, tours and tournaments.

Sean McShane, Administration
Sean’s duties include meeting with the National Governing Bodies of various sports, directing the Junkanoo Jam NCAA Division I basketball tournament in Freeport, Bahamas. He also assists with the Surf ‘N Slam collegiate basketball tournament and overseas tours. Sean has been involved with Basketball Travelers, Inc. since 1996.  After graduating from Saint Martin’s College in Olympia, Washington, Sean spent extensive time overseas as a player, coach and basketball administrator.  His experiences include the Australian ABA and NBL as well as the American CBA where he served as an assistant coach and director of sales.  He also coached basketball at both Saint Martin’s College and TCU in Fort Worth, Texas where he still resides with his wife Kelli and son Sullivan. 

Ben Scheffler, Administration
Ben heads up the U.S. high school and AAU tours to overseas destinations, as well as incoming foreign youth tours to the United States.  Ben also coordinates booking men’s MTE basketball tournaments and handles many of the details for the Paradise Jam NCAA Division I basketball tournament, in addition to spending time researching and developing ideas for new company interests.  He has led several foreign tours for NCAA universities and has also helped administrate numerous tournaments.  Ben was an assistant basketball coach for Seattle Pacific University, where he also played for four years. 

Jason Taylor, Administration
Jason is a 1992 graduate of California State University, Chico. While there he was a member of 3 Conference Championship basketball teams under Prescott Smith. His passions for basketball and travel have always coincided. Jason founded the New Life Basketball Tournament in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan after living there for one year. He then came back to the States to play 5 seasons for Athletes in Action's USA basketball team and numerous international teams. In 2003, Jason and his wife Sara moved to Istanbul, Turkey with their 3 children where he enjoys the responsibility of looking out for BTI's future business interests. Jason also serves as a sport consultant to the wide variety of professional sports teams throughout Turkey.