Staff

Brent Thiessen | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

President & General Manager

As president and general manager, Brent oversees the day-to-day operations of the front office and hockey operations departments. Brent comes to the Mavericks having most recently worked for the NHL’s Florida Panthers as the director of corporate marketing. He is no stranger to the Central Hockey League, where he served as the Arizona Sundogs President for two seasons and he was also the vice president with the Colorado Eagles for two seasons. Brent is from Littleton, Colorado and graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in finance. He currently resides in Grain Valley with his wife, Nicki, and their two daughters, Katie and Emma, and two sons, Alex and Andrew.

Patrick Armstrong | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Vice President of Communications

Patrick serves as the Mavericks’ vice president of communications. In this capacity, he is the primary media contact for the club, he also works on the production of the team’s media guide, program and game notes, as well as design and maintain the team’s website. Patrick most recently was the director of communications for the Houston Aeros (AHL) for two seasons and served in the same capacity with the Colorado Eagles for four seasons. Patrick is from Littleton, Colorado and graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in speech communication. He resides in Lee's Summit with his wife, Jennifer, and their two dogs, Gus and Riley.

Greg Bergen | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Vice President of Sales and Marketing

Greg serves as the Mavericks’ Vice President of Sales and Marketing. In this capacity, he is responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with the Mavericks corporate partners, as well as the overall marketing strategies of the club. Greg grew up in Goessel, KS, attended Wichita State University and received a degree in public relations and journalism. Greg came to Kansas City in 1998 and worked in radio as a program director for a number of Kansas City radio stations before coming to the Mavericks. He lists the Kansas City Royals as his favorite sports franchise and the St. Louis Blues as his favorite NHL team. When he’s not at the hockey rink, Greg enjoys spending time outdoors. He likes biking, golfing, fishing, porch swinging, tailgate parties and even mowing the lawn. Greg, his wife, Kim and their son, Luke, live in Kansas City.

Debbie Howard | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Manager of Finance & Human Resources

Debbie joined the Mavericks in August of 2011 as the team's Manager of Finance and Human Resources.  In this capacity she is responsible for all of the day-to-day accounting functions of the team as well as human resources.  Debbie most recently moved from Laramie, Wyoming, but grew up in the Central Valley of California.  Her strong business background includes owning a number of mortgage companies.  She resides in Lee's Summit with her husband, Rick and enjoys sports, especially watching her grandson play for the Jr. Mavs.

Todd Mackin | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Director of Corporate Sales

Todd comes to the Mavericks having previously spent time with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Northland Sports Alliance, a local youth sports league. He serves as the Mavericks’ Director of Corporate Sales. In this capacity, he is responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with the Mavericks' corporate partners.  Todd  hails from Kansas City and attended Northwest Missouri State University and UMKC where he received degrees in Marketing and a Masters in Business Administration respectively. He currently resides in the Brookside area of Kansas City with his wife Lauren and his loyal dog Peeler.

Tina Short | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Director of Sponsorship Fulfillment

Tina is the Mavericks Director of Sponsorship Fulfillment. In this capacity, she is responsible for maintaining and fulfilling the sponsorships of the Mavericks' corporate partners. Tina comes to the Mavericks after spending the last ten seasons with the Kansas City Royals Radio Network as traffic and affiliate relations manager. Tina graduated from Baker University with a degree in Business Administration. She grew up in Raytown, Missouri. She enjoys sports, outdoor activities, bowling and spending time with family. She currently resides in Independence with her husband Lowell and daughter Savannah.

Samantha Watson | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Director of New Business Development

Samantha joined the Mavericks in September 2011 as the Manager of Business Development. She currently works with both the VP of Communications and Director of Sponsorship Fulfillment, assisting with community relations as well as sponsorships. Samantha graduated Texas Tech University with a degree in Mass Communications with minors in Business and Spanish.  She lives in Independence with her husband, Simon, and dog, Millie.

Kacy Muller | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Director of Retail

Kacy serves as the Mavericks’ Director of Retail. As such, her responsibilities include overseeing the daily operations of the Top Shelf Team Store, as well as design and purchasing of all Mavericks’ merchandise. Kacy most recently was the Director of Merchandising for the Tacoma Rainiers (Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners) for the past five seasons. Prior to that Kacy worked for the Kansas City T-Bones in group sales and merchandise, and for Kansas Speedway. With much of her background being in baseball, Kacy is very excited about transitioning into the world of hockey! She is a graduate of Wichita State University with a degree in Sports Administration. An avid sports fan, Kacy’s favorite teams are the Wichita State Shockers, Oklahoma Sooners, and Kansas City Chiefs. She resides in Basehor, Kansas with her husband Alex, their cat, Elliott, and dog, Riley.

Mike Fisher | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Director of Ticket Operations

Mike is entering his third season with the Mavericks after spending the previous three and a half seasons with the CHL's Arizona Sundogs.  He helped start that franchise and has experience working on all aspects within the ticketing department.  His current role encompasses all things ticket related, specializing in season tickets with regards to locations, renewals and working with Ticketmaster.  Mike lists the Ohio State Buckeyes and New York Mets as his favorite sports franchises. He graduated from Colorado State University and received a degree in Speech Communications. He has strong ties to the East Coast and was born in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.  Mike currently resides in Lee's Summit with his wife, Tiffany, chihuahua Tucker, and cat Lily.

Benjamin Gaul | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Director of Ticket Sales

Ben has been with the Mavericks since day one.  He previously worked for the Kansas City Royals and Iowa Cubs, the AAA-affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. He hails from Ames, Iowa and earned a degree in Sports Management from Iowa State University. Ben enjoys running, playing guitar and going to concerts in his free time. He lists the NHL’s Minnesota Wild and the Chicago Cubs as his favorite teams other than the Mavs.  He currently resides in Lee's Summit with his wife Stacey.

Chris Kreiser | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Senior Account Executive

Chris comes to the Mavericks with a wealth of Kansas City sports experience. He has previously worked for the Comets (MISL) and the Blades of the old International Hockey League. He also worked two seasons with the Kansas City Brigade.  Chris is originally from Akron, Ohio and earned his degree at the University of Akron. He lists his favorite team as the Denver Broncos of which he is a current season ticket holder.  He currently resides in the Northland and likes golf, bowling, chess and traveling.

Dana Nicholson | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Account Executive

Dana is originally from the Quad City Area in Illinois.  He graduated from Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre.  Since graduating, Dana has been performing in various shows all over the country.  Most recently, he has been seen in Eating Raoul: The Musical, as well as Evil Dead: The Musical at the Off Center Theatre in Crown Center.  He’s also been known to perform the National Anthem for the Mavericks games every now and then.  Away from the performance life, Dana’s sales abilities have been put to use by National “Write Your Congressman”, Careerbuilder.com, and the Kirby Company.  Besides the Mavericks, his favorite teams are the Chicago Blackhawks, Bears, Bulls, and sadly, the Cubs.  He currently resides in the Westport area of Kansas City, enjoys living with his girlfriend, Emily.

Craig Morency | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Director of Game Operations

Craig is the Mavericks’ Director of Game Operations, and is responsible for planning the Mavericks' in-game entertainment, as well as the production of video content. He comes to the Mavs having previously worked for the Kansas City Royals from 2007-09 as an account executive - Season Tickets and Premium Sales. Craig is originally from Auburn, Maine and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Maine in 2007. He cheers on the Boston Celtics, Red Sox and Bruins and enjoys spending time with his family and friends, running and going to movies in his free time. Craig and his wife Ashley welcomed a beatiful baby girl, Maddilyn in October of 2011.  They live Independence with their dogs, Rondo and Sophie.

Bob Rennison | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Director of Broadcasting

Bob is a native of Kansas City and has lived in Independence since 1981. After his first season with the Mavericks, Rennison was honored by the CHL by winning the Ralph Backstrom Soul of Service award which recognizes outstanding community and customer service.  He has worked all over the sports/media landscape in Kansas City. Prior to joining the Mavericks, Bob was the master control operator at Channel 50 in Kansas City. He has previously worked as the play-by-play announcer for the Topeka Tarantulas (CHL), Topeka ScareCrows (CHL), Wichita Thunder (CHL), Kansas City Knights (ABA) and Kansas City Attack (NISL). Bob has been the voice of Avila University Athletics since 2002. He received his degree in communication studies from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Bob and his wife, Abbie, have one daughter, Pattie, and two sons, Michael and Luke.

Steve Garrett

Public Address Announcer

Steve Garrett is a Kansas City radio and hockey veteran.  He is the only Stadium Announcer for professional hockey in Kansas City since 1990!  He was the only Public Address/Stadium Announcer for both the Kansas City Blades (1990-2001) as well as the Kansas City Outlaws (2001-2002).  He is now in his third year with the Missouri Mavericks.

Steve is a Kansas City native that started his radio career in 1978 at Q104 (KBEQ) and was on the air there until 1981.  His radio career continued at KY 102 for 10 years (1981-1991).  And he is now on the air at 101 The Fox Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-3pm (1991-present).

When Steve is not announcing Mavericks games or on the radio, he is a goaltender in the Men's League at the Independence Events Center!  He is a self-taught ice skater and has been playing "between the pipes" for 20 years.

Darin Henderson

Music Director

Darin Henderson is the Mavericks Music Director, responsible for programming and playing the music at all Mavericks home games. He was born in Independence, graduated from William Chrisman and has lived in the Kansas City area all his life. Darin has been a DJ for over 20 years and has operated Kansas City DJ Wedding and Party Entertainment since 1999. He also owns Happy Dogs Pet Services, a pet sitting company based in Lee’s Summit. When not playing tunes at Mavericks games, Darin enjoys playing guitar, going to movies and walking his two dogs, Ellie and Rylie. He is now in his third year with the Missouri Mavericks.

Kari Gai

In-Arena Host

Kari Gai, resident of Kansas City, MO, has always been a loyal Mavericks fan. Kari began playing roller hockey at the age of 5, shortly after she lost her two front teeth to a puck. She played on an all-boys team for ten years before she retired her popular left-handed stick. Kari was Miss Kansas City 2010 and shortly after became Miss Missouri’s Sweetheart through the Miss America Organization.

Community service and involvement are very important to Kari and she enjoys being a positive role model. Kari was recently featured in Kansas City’s Fitness magazine and trains with One Up Training. Shortly after her reign as Miss Missouri’s Sweetheart, Kari signed a contract as the model and spokesperson for the National Celiac Disease Foundation based in Los Angeles California.  Kari received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Missouri located in her hometown of Warrensburg. She will graduate with her Master of Science degree in May. Currently, Miss Gai is an 8th grade science teacher in Excelsior Springs.

Kari is still very involved in the entertainment industry in modeling and acting. Keep an eye out for her at the next Mavericks game!