Front Office Staff

Front office

Steve Curran

President

EmailSend a message

Tim Johnson

Senior Vice President

EmailSend a message

Johnson brings many years of professional sports experience to the Jacksonville Sharks organization. From 1999-2006, Johnson served as the Director of Operations and Sales for the Jacksonville Barracudas hockey team. As Director, Johnson was responsible for all corporate sales and promotions as well as game-day operations.

From 1996-1998 Johnson served as Operations Manager for the Jacksonville Barracudas USBL team, overseeing sales, promotions and game-day operations. From 1991-1996 Johnson served as the Assistant General Manager of the Jacksonville Bullets, a minor league hockey team. With the Bullets, Johnson handled day-to-day operations as well as managing ticket sales, game promotions and advertising. In 1984, Johnson was named Assistant Marketing Director for the Jacksonville Bulls of the USFL. In this role Johnson was responsible for corporate marketing sponsorship's as well as creating special promotions and functions in the Jacksonville community. From 1975-1980, Johnson was the General Manager of the Lakeland Tigers, the Detroit Tigers Single A affiliate. As the G.M. of the Tigers, Johnson was responsible for managing the sales, marketing and stadium support staff for Spring Training. In his time serving as G.M. the Tigers increased attendance by 40 percent. Johnson was named General Manager of the Year by the Florida State Baseball League. In addition, Johnson was awarded the Governor's Award for his work with Youth Programs in the Lakeland area. Johnson began his professional career in Jacksonville where he was the Assistant General Manager of the Jacksonville Suns from 1970-1975. While the Assistant G.M. of the Suns Johnson was responsible for corporate sales as well as game day operations. Senior Vice President Tim Johnson has been with the Sharks since 2011 and continues to spearhead corporate partnership for the Sharks along with many of his other duties with the team.

In his free time he likes to spend quality time with his loving wife Karen.

Show less

Dave Gleeson

Vice President - Group Sales and Community Relations

EmailSend a message

Dave Gleeson is a native of Pittsburgh, PA and attended Penn State University. During his time at Penn State he received his Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration / Finance. Moving to the warm weather of Neptune Beach, FL Gleeson found his way to the Sharks after spending 23 years in Medical / Device Sales. Gleeson has built a presence in the Golf Community in Jacksonville, FL volunteering for the PGA Tour, Web.com, and Players Championship over the last three years. David's experience in sports ranges from hospitality, group sales, fan experience, and special events.

In 2015, Dave joined the Sharks as an aid to the Assistant General Manager of the Jacksonville Sharks. In 2016, Dave was promoted to the Group Sales Manager, overseeing sponsorships, suite sales, team projects, fundraisers, group outings and community events. Gleeson has a passion for business networking and excellence. Currently, Gleeson is a member of the JAX Chamber of Commerce and has grown the team presence in the Jacksonville Business Community. Following the 2017 season David was promoted to Director of Group Sales. In 2018, Gleeson continued his success in group sales and was promoted to Vice President of Group Sales following the conclusion of the 2018 season. Following the 2019 Championship season, the Jacksonville Sharks named David Gleeson Vice President of the Jacksonville Sharks and will continue the Sharks league leading pursuit of excellence with the organization.

Outside of work, Dave enjoys rooting for his alma mater and local sports teams, going to the beach, and enjoying time with his family.

Show less

David Diana

Director of Ticketing

EmailSend a message

A Native New Yorker from the Bronx, David worked as an Account Executive with the Jacksonville Sharks from 2012-2021 and was promoted to Director of Ticketing for the 2022 season. His sales career began in 1993, working for Tandy Corporation. Due to his passion for sales, and customer service, he was quickly promoted to Store Manager. In this role, he was responsible for store operations, sales, hiring, and training. David soon expanded his sales experience by becoming a successful owner of Satellite Connections, an authorized sale agency for Direct TV & Dish Network.

David builds on his passion for sports, having played, coached, and mentored a variety of little league sports. He is now fulfilling his lifelong dream of working in a professional sports organization.

He lives in Orange Park, Florida, where he enjoys spending time with his family, fishing, his hobby as a DJ, and supporting his favorite NFL team, Dallas Cowboys.

In 2022, David Diana received Alignable's Urban Core Local Business Person of the Year award.

Show less

Catherine Cavallo

Director of Multimedia

Emailcatherine@jaxsharks.com

Catherine is a Jacksonville native who grew up loving football. She is a former Sharks multimedia intern. Catherine interned with the Sharks for two seasons (2016 and 2017) while she was in high school. Her internship fueled her passion for sports and led her to pursue a degree in multimedia journalism. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of North Florida in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in communications and double minors in sports management and leadership. While at UNF, Catherine was the sports anchor on UNF’s weekly TV show, Nest News. She interned with both News4Jax and ITG Next her senior year. Catherine was also the co-host of In the Game, a local TV show that highlighted high school sports in Florida and Georgia, in her final semester. She was also a member of the Hicks Honor College.

Sadly, Catherine had to put her dreams of working in the sports industry on hold during the Covid lockdown. She explored other career options but ultimately, she knew that sports was her true passion. When the opportunity to return to the Sharks presented itself, Catherine couldn’t pass it up. “I am so happy to be doing what I love most again,” Catherine said. “I am looking forward to my first season with the Sharks.”

In her downtime Catherine enjoys working out, going to the beach, spending time with her friends and family, and cheering on the Jags at TIAA Bank Field.

Show less

Stephanie Orth

Office Manager & Attack Dance Team Director

EmailStephanie@jaxsharks.com

A native of Texas, Stephanie moved to Jacksonville and attended Trinity Christian Academy where she was an outstanding student. After graduation she attended Florida State College of Jacksonville.

Stephanie joined the Sharks as a member of the Jacksonville Sharks Attack Dance Team for the 2017 season, she was a captain of the 2018 Attack Dance Team with her current Assistant Director Cayla Kurtz. During her rookie season, Stephanie received "Rookie of the Year." During her veteran season, she received "Attack Dancer of the Year" and was also recognized for her involvement in the community. During Stephanie's time as an Attack Dance Team Member they Attack won the NAL "Best Dance Team" in both of her seasons.

In 2019, Stephanie became the Director of the Attack Dance Team where the Attack won their third straight NAL "Best Dance Team" award. This will be Stephanie's third season as the Director of the Attack where she manages the dance team, game day routines, Attack's community efforts, and dance team sponsorships.

Stephanie enjoys exploring Jacksonville supporting our local sports teams but also her home state Dallas Cowboys.

Show less

Emerald Painter

Events and Operations Manager

Emailemerald@jaxsharks.com

Emerald enters her third season as the Sharks Operations Manager. Emerald first came to the Sharks as a Game Operations Intern where she worked for the team from 2016-2017, in 2018 she was promoted to Game Day Producer before receiving her role as Operations Manager before the start of the 2019 season. Emerald oversaw game day production, live sponsorship execution, event management, and fan entertainment. Under Emerald's leadership, the Sharks won their fourth straight "Best Game Day Entertainment" award by the National Arena league. Emerald also played a key role in the Sharks National Arena League Championship Game and NAL Award Banquet.

Emerald received her A.A. in Sports & Fitness Administration at the Florida State College of Jacksonville and earned her Bachelor of Science in Sports Management from the University of North Florida. During her time as UNF she also served as a Marketing Assistant for UNF Athletics.

Beyond College, Emerald has spent time with multiple local sports teams including the Jacksonville Jaguars where she was a Game Day Fan Experience Representative, and the Jacksonville Armada as a Match-Day Fan Services Supervisor. In her spare time Emerald enjoys dogs, travel, supporting U.S. Womens Soccer, and going to Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure.

Show less

Game Day Staff

Chum

Director of Excitement

Chum is orginally from Amity, NY, a town made famous by the 1975 Steven Speilberg film "Jaws." Chum's father starred in the movie and was instrumental in catching the shark. The people in Amity have always loved Chum because of his father's help saving the town. People were always coming to Chum and patting him on the back, telling stories about his father and all the sharks he helped fisherman catch. Unfortunately, Chum's father went out with some fishermen one day, but the boat never came back. To this day, no one knows what happened to Chum's father. Chum tried to follow his father's path and help Amity continue to rid itself of Sharks. He had worked on some local fishing trips to help fishermen catch sharks. Chum had a tough time watch sharks killed for no reason and had difficulty coming to grips with his role in life. He no longer felt uncomfortable with the praise and adoration he received from helping the fishermen catch sharks.

Chum no longer wanted to help fishermen catch sharks. He instead would sneak on to fishing boats at night and dump all the bait overboard. he wanted to do whatever he could to save sharks. Chum couldn't get to every fishing boat, but he did enough damage that people in town were getting very upset. One night, while Chum was wreaking havoc on the boats, he was caught red handed by Sheriff Brody of the Amity Police Department. When news broke the next morning, the townspeople were stunned. The son of a local hero known for killing sharks and keeping the beach safe was arrested. But instead of putting Chum in jail, it was decided that Chum would be banned for Amity forever.

As Chum sadly left his hometown, he had figured out what he wanted to do in life.... Save Sharks. This was his mission and he dedicated his life to it. Over the years, he lived along the Atlantic seaboard, trying to find a home to live out his dream. It was not until he had made it to Jacksonville, FL and learned about the Jacksonville Sharks Arena Football team that he got really excited again. Sharks that played football???? He had to find out what this was about.

Chum first saw the Jacksonville Sharks in action when they hosted the Georgia Force. When a Force fan stormed the field, Chum decided to take matters in to his own hands and help security deal with the unruly fan. Chum instantly endeared himself to the home crowd. Chum was later found at the next home game against the VooDoo and was interviewed by TJ Streit, voice of the Sharks. TJ asked if Chum would be willing to join the franchise. After weeks of phone calls and emails from Finatics, the Sharks decided to contact Chum and extend a job offer. On Wednesday, April 20, 2011, Chum accepted the offer and became the Sharks’ official mascot and Director of Excitement. Most recently, in July of 2017 the National Arena League awarded Chum "Best Mascot."

Show less

Lil Chum

Mini Director of Excitement

Before Chum was asked to leave the town of Amity, NY, he fell in love with a beautiful lady named Chumina who shared his shark-saving passion. The two were inseparable and spent their nights together dumping bait overboard and sabotaging boats in an effort to save as many sharks as possible

But on one fateful night, everything changed.

Chum was caught red-handed by Amity Sheriff Brody while messing with one of the boats. He was alone that night since Chumina had been feeling a little under the water. Forced to leave without saying goodbye, Chum began his long journey down the Atlantic seaboard until he arrived with the Jacksonville Sharks where he is today.

In the 2021 offseason,Chum spent nearly every day roaming the beaches and water in search of sharks to save. It was a long and hard job that required Chum to be out and about all day constantly monitoring the water. One day while he was saving yet another nurse shark who had gotten too close to the shore, he spotted a small shape off in the distance walking towards him. The closer the figure got, the more confused Chum became, until finally, she was standing right in front of him.

It was like looking in a smaller, gender-swapping mirror. At first Chum thought it was a hallucination due to spending all day on the beach without enough water, but sure enough she was real! Seemingly out of nowhere appeared a little girl who looked just like him! She had his coloring and something about her eyes reminded him of nights in Amity throwing bait around.

The little girl in front of him explained that a woman named Chumina had told her to go south to Jacksonville to find her father who was a very famous and successful director. Chum’s eyes lit up when she mentioned Chumina and he instantly realized that this girl was his daughter.

Being the incredibly creative Director of Excitement that he is, Chum decided to name her Lil Chum. The two connected with one another and in 2022, Lil Chum started to show up to Jacksonville Sharks games alongside Chum where she quickly became a gameday favorite.

When she isn’t driving around at Sharks games, Lil Chum enjoys ice skating and saving sharks with her dad.

Show less

Finn

Assistant Director of Excitement

Finn is a native of the First Coast coming to shore out of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. Finn was caught by fellow mascot Chum who was fishing during the 2014 offseason. Rather than throw him back, Chum got him a uniform and a audition with the Jacksonville Sharks arena football team.

Finn quickly impressed the Sharks staff and under the wing of his best friend and teammate Chum, the tallest sports mascot in Jacksonville got his first start during the 2015 season. During Finn's rookie year the Sharks went 10-8 and appeared in Arena Bowl XXVIII. Throughout Finn's career he has been crucial to the team winning multiple awards including "Best Mascot" and "Best Game Experience."

Finn's size & talent for show business is no accident, Finn's famous family is notorious for guest starring on espisodes of Discovery's "Shark Week." Finn's Famous Shark family includes his father 16 foot South African Great White Shark Colossus and his Mother famous Ashley Grace is quite famous visitor of the Cape Cod area appearing in several episodes of Shark Week. Chum's cousin Sand Tiger Shark Gus received recent facetime on Discovery's Shark Week in 2018.

Outside of arena football, Finn enjoys being in the community, helping chum come up with ideas, and playing two fin touch football. If you would like to book Finn for an event email: chum@jaxsharks.com

Show less

Josh Jackson

Public Address Announcer

The official announcer for the NAL 2019 National Champion Jacksonville Sharks Arena Football Team!

Zander Kean

Broadcast Play By Play Analyst

Originally from Massachusetts, Zander moved to Jacksonville in 2011 and was the Sharks' Director of Media Relations for the 2012 through 2015 season. He has handled play-by-play duties for the last several years, calling the team's two NAL championships alongside former Sharks wide receiver Sale' Key.

Zander began his broadcasting career while attending the University of Miami, gaining experience on both game broadcast and studio shows before graduating in 2010. Before coming to Jacksonville, he worked with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, the AA affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. In addition to handling play-by-play duties for the Sharks, Zander also serves as a public address announcer at both the University of North Florida and Jacksonville University.

Show less

Sale Key

Broadcast Analyst

DJ Dark Knight

Game Day DJ

EmailSend a message

MC Wale

On-Field MC

Emcee 2 the T

On-Field MC

ET, or “Emcee 2 the T” is an On-Air Talent/Producer with 1010XL/92.5FM radio. He produces The Drill with Dan Hicken and Jeff Prosser from 6am-10am Monday through Friday, then transitions right into Jaguars Today with Mike Dempsey and Tony Smith from 10am till noon Monday through Friday. ET is also a content contributor for the Jacksonville Jaguars with his segment “Come On Somebody” on all Jaguars social platforms on game days. Emcee 2 the T is a retired Coast Guard Veteran, with bachelor's degrees, one in Converged Communications and the other in Sports Broadcasting. Emcee 2 the T was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, and graduated from Clay High School in Green Cove Springs.

You can find out more about ET on his social channel

Instagram: @e2thet

Twitter: Iame2thet

If you would like to book ET for your event, he can be reached at nothinbutaEthang@gmail.com

Show less