The Staff Behind the Project

Steve Sexton assumed the role of President of Formula 1 United States™ on February 18, 2011, his fifth time to lead and manage the operations of a premier, internationally renowned event center. For more than 25 years, Mr. Sexton has been in the business of building world-class events and venues. He was President of Churchill Downs Entertainment in 2009 after serving as President of Churchill Downs racetrack. He was appointed Executive Vice President of Racing Operations for Churchill Downs Inc. in 2002 and delivered six consecutive years of growth for the venue, posting the second, third and fourth highest attendance records for the Kentucky Derby. Prior to joining Churchill Downs, Mr. Sexton was President of Arlington Park and head of the company’s Illinois operations. While there, he guided the track through preparations for the Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships – the first to be hosted by an Illinois racetrack.

Mr. Sexton is also a veteran of planning and construction of large-scale facilities. In 2004-2005, he led the team that completed the $121 million Churchill Downs grandstand construction, establishing 80 luxury suites and seven exclusive hospitality areas. In addition, he was a key member of the team that constructed and operated Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie, located in Grand Prairie, Texas, a $96 million project that opened in 1997.

Steve is a past member of the boards of the Louisville Metro Police Foundation, Lincoln Foundation, Greater Louisville, Inc., and Governor’s Scholars Board of Directors. He has been a guest lecturer in the University of Arizona’s Racetrack Management Program, at the University of Louisville Equine Law Program and a frequent guest speaker at the Greater Louisville, Inc. Breakfast Series and Enterprise Institute.

A native of Topeka, KS, Sexton graduated from Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, CA, with majors in economics and psychology. He resides in Austin with his wife, Kim, and two children, Taylor and Kalli.

Bruce Knox serves as Executive Vice President of the Circuit of The Americas, the multi-purpose motorsports and entertainment facility that will host the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. In addition, Mr. Knox is a director with McCombs Partners, the entity that manages investments in a diverse group of portfolio companies and identifies new investment opportunities for Red McCombs.

Previously, Mr. Knox served as CEO and director of Interactive Remarketing, a company he co-founded and grew to become the largest seller on eBay Motors, managing asset portfolio liquidation for clients such as Bank of America, HSBC, Capital One, Wells Fargo, Americredit and National City. The company was acquired by McCombs Partners in 2005.

Mr. Knox’s association with eBay, Inc. began in 1999 when eBay acquired his company in 1994. Subsequently, Mr. Knox served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer of an eBay subsidiary from 1999-2003. The entity served as the foundation for eBay Motors and quickly evolved to become the world’s largest online automotive marketplace. In addition to assisting in the launch of the eBay Motors platform, Mr. Knox was also charged with running a national series of vintage car auctions that formed the world’s largest vintage car auction company.

Mr. Knox serves as Vice Chairman of the Collectors Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that provides scholarship and educational opportunities for young people in the automotive industry. He also serves on the board of St. Luke’s School and is a volunteer with the San Antonio Spurs Youth Basketball League. Mr. Knox received a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University.

Dan Allen serves as Chief Financial Officer for the Circuit of The Americas, home to a motorsport world championship in Austin, Texas. As CFO, Mr. Allen oversees all financial aspects of this growing company and is responsible for creating and executing the overall financial architecture. Mr. Allen brings more than 25 years of finance, accounting and project management experience in which he has worked for a variety of commercial, medical and residential real estate development companies to build successful teams, drive company growth and improve profitability.

Prior to joining Circuit of The Americas, Mr. Allen was CFO and Executive Vice President for Wilson Family Communities, a publicly traded real estate start-up which developed residential subdivisions and delivered specialized services to homebuilders. He also previously served as CFO for HealthCare Facilities Development Corporation (HCFD), a regional medical facility developer and full-service real estate company. There, he managed the financial and operational aspects of the firm’s new developments, operating companies and its real estate portfolio. During his tenure with HCFD, Dan guided 13 medical office developments valued at over $120 million through feasibility, legal negotiations, financing, construction and lease up. Mr. Allen also served as CFO and Vice President for Brock Consulting Group and as Controller at Capstone Real Estate Services.

A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Mr. Allen earned his MBA Degree with a Finance and Management concentration, his BBA in Accounting and was a member of the 1983 National Champion baseball team. Mr. Allen earned his CPA license in 1987 as well. He currently lives in Austin with his wife and two children.

Geoff Moore serves as Chief Marketing and Sales Officer for Circuit of the Americas, the multi-purpose motorsports and entertainment facility in Austin, Texas. Moore takes on a wide range of responsibilities in his new role, including brand management, advertising and promotions, public relations, sponsorship, suite and ticket sales, social and digital media, and merchandising. He is responsible for developing, implementing and managing all aspects of this world-class, global brand.

Previously serving as Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing for the Dallas Stars, Moore oversaw the general business operations of the team for eight seasons. He was also proud to serve on the Board of Directors for the Dallas Stars Foundation, a charity dedicated to providing support to children in the community so that they may develop into contributing members of society.

The first employee hired by the Stars in March of 1993, Moore coordinated the renovation of Reunion Arena and all game-day operations since their first season. He was also involved throughout the entire planning, design and construction process of the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Prior to joining the Stars, Moore worked for the Dallas International Sports Commission. He was involved in a variety of projects at DISC, including their work relating to Dallas’ involvement in the 1993 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the relocation of the Minnesota North Stars to Dallas in 1993.

Moore graduated from Oklahoma State in 1989 with a degree in marketing and from Baylor in 1990 with his MBA. He currently lives in Allen, Texas with his wife, Jill, and four children.

Ben Cahalane is Chief Sales Officer at Circuit of The Americas. He leads the partnership sales team, which is responsible for corporate sponsorship, hospitality and media sales. Prior to joining Circuit of The Americas, Cahalane served as Executive Vice President of Corporate Partnerships with the Dallas Stars™. Cahalane oversaw sponsorship and media sales for the Dallas Stars Hockey Club, Dr Pepper Arena and the Dr Pepper StarCenters. He also represented the Stars' ownership and executive team in negotiating corporate sponsorships at American Airlines Center. Before leading the Stars’ corporate partnership department, he served as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Hicks Sports Marketing Group in Dallas, Texas.

Julie Koenig Loignon serves as principal spokesperson for the Circuit and oversees day-to-day communications, public relations and media services, while working with sanctioning bodies to promote media coverage of all Circuit events. Loignon joined Circuit of the Americas in 2012 after serving as vice president of corporate communications and brand marketing & development for Churchill Downs Incorporated and its flagship racetrack, Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.  In her previous role, Loignon managed Kentucky Derby media relations and strategic, financial, crisis and employee communications for the parent company and its stable of racing, casino and online gaming businesses.  Loignon was instrumental in developing the company's first brand development and marketing team, focused on creating new, monetizable assets around the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks franchises.  She oversaw the Kentucky Derby Red Carpet program and celebrity hospitality; managed the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks official event websites; launched the integrated "Derby Nation" social media platform; and was the architect of the Kentucky Oaks "Ladies First" marketing campaign, including the very successful "Pink Out" initiative that helped set a new Oaks on-track attendance record in 2010.  Additionally, Loignon served as a liaison with NBC Universal in developing content and marketing promotions for the Kentucky Derby telecast on NBC, Kentucky Oaks telecast on Bravo (2009) and the Road to the Kentucky Derby television series, which aired on USA and NBC in 2010.  Before joining Churchill Downs, Loignon served as a television anchor, reporter and producer in Louisville, Ky. (WHAS-ABC) and in her hometown of Fort Wayne, Ind. (WANE-CBS). 

Regan Holley serves as vice president of Marketing. His responsibilities include developing and managing the CoTA brand, overseeing consumer marketing initiatives including advertising, promotions and database marketing, and building experiential and interactive marketing events for the venue and the events promoted at the Circuit. Holley joins the team after his tenure at TracyLocke Advertising, the premier firm for Hewlett-Packard, PepsiCo and Pizza Hut serving as Chief Creative Officer in the Dallas office. Holley oversaw the creative output and direction for more than 80 members of the company’s creative department.

Danielle is involved in creating corporate partnerships for advertising and hospitality at Circuit of The Americas. Prior to joining Circuit of the Americas, Danielle served as Assistant Vice President of Corporate Sales for Cedar Park Center, a multi-use arena located near Austin, Texas. In this role, Danielle was responsible for overseeing corporate sponsorship, luxury suite sales and partnership activation for Cedar Park Center and the Texas Stars Hockey Club. Danielle was part of the startup team that opened the arena and started the Texas Stars franchise in 2009, and was also a founding Board Member of the Texas Stars Foundation. Danielle is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, holding a B.A. in Political Science and History. She is a passionate sports fan that enjoys running, traveling and being outdoors.

Todd Fleming joined Circuit of the Americas in January of 2012 and serves as the Vice President of Sales. In this role, Fleming is responsible for the sale of Suite and Premium seating products at the Circuit. Fleming also is the Vice President for Legends Sales & Marketing. LSM is a sports sales and marketing company that focuses on fully executing new stadium construction projects and facility renovations within the professional and collegiate sports marketplace. In the role of Vice President, Fleming is responsible for expanding LSM's ever-growing client list and maximizing revenue capabilities for LSM’s current partners.

As Circuit of The Americas senior vice president of consumer operations, Tom Schneider brings 20 years of experience in the hospitality and guest services industry from some of the most respected facilities in the country. He is responsible for creating and managing a variety of guest programs to enhance fan experience. From hotel concierge programs to Welcome Centers throughout the region, Schneider establishes all aspects of a guests’ visit to Circuit of The Americas, including the volunteer, guest service, luxury suite and seat license holder programs. Prior to joining Circuit of The Americas, Schneider worked as Regional Vice President of Operations for Island Hospitality in Louisville, Kentucky, where he managed overall sales and operations of 24 Marriott, Hilton and Starwood hotels in 10 states. Schneider also worked as Vice President and Assistant General Manager for Churchill Downs where he established service training, measurement, and motivational programs for the Kentucky Derby. Additionally, he increased corporate and sponsorship sales and group sales while transforming the sales processes.

David Sweazy joins Circuit of The Americas as Vice President of Operations, overseeing operations for the Circuit, including preparations for and execution of a vast array of events held at the venue, including sports, entertainment and community activities. Sweazy will also assist project managers in operational areas with the ongoing construction of the racing and entertainment complex, which will host its first Formula One™ event in November 2012. Sweazy previously served as Vice President of Operations for Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, the 138-year-old racetrack that hosts the annual Kentucky Derby and Oaks. In that role, Sweazy managed all operational elements of North America’s premier horseracing events, including the logistics surrounding the safe and efficient movement of 250,000 racing enthusiasts to and from the historic facility throughout Derby weekend. Sweazy oversaw similar functions when Churchill Downs hosted eight Breeders’ Cup World Championships and major entertainment events, such as concerts by The Rolling Stones and The Police, the inaugural HullabaLOU music festival and several major motion picture productions, including Walt Disney’s Secretariat.

Mr. Aksland began his career as a professional motorcycle racer, participating in the AMA National Roadrace Championship Series in the mid-1980s. Upon retirement from racing, Mr. Aksland moved into race team management, developing and operating teams competing in National and World Championship Series. He has participated in over 200 World Championship events, primarily in the MotoGP Series where he was involved in four World Championship titles. Mr. Aksland has over 30 years of experience in managing complex budgets, racers and facilities.

For the past 19 years, he served as the executive in charge of GP Motorsports (Team Roberts) UK/USA while simultaneously overseeing operations of Kenny Roberts Training Ranch in Barcelona, Spain. In his dual role as director of the facility and team, he was solely responsible for every aspect of the two operations—budgeting, HR, contract negotiations with vendors, sponsors, and facilities, as well as business development, licensing, marketing, scheduling, and logistics. Mr. Aksland has truly overseen all aspects and inner-workings of a racing series, from each and every perspective of the business.

During his time at GP Motorsports, he interfaced frequently with Dorna, the MotoGP rightsholder, and was an elected member of the International Road Racing Teams Association (IRTA). His involvement in IRTA allowed him to contribute to the organization’s goal of improving the sport of MotoGP across all areas.

Mr. Aksland was a past Trustee for Riders for Health. The goal of this organization is to develop and maintain systems to deliver medicine and medical equipment across Africa, utilizing motorcycles and SUVs.