Managing Director - TrailRunner International

Zack Kozlak

Zack Kozlak is a Managing Director based in New York. He advises global companies on financial communications, corporate reputation, crisis and issues management, executive thought leadership, and landmark events like complex M&A transactions and other sensitive shareholder engagements. Throughout his time at TrailRunner, Zack has supported numerous clients through liquidity events and public offerings, including a direct listing.

Prior to joining TrailRunner, Zack worked in the New York office of Burson-Marsteller, serving a broad set of Fortune 50 clients on corporate and financial communications, crisis and issues management, public affairs, and brand protection. While at Burson his teams won several industry awards for their work in crisis response and issues management.

Prior to joining Burson, Zack worked for the Boston Red Sox on several key initiatives, and he earned special recognition by the Red Sox front office for his exceptional service. Before that, Zack worked in Washington, D.C. for U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and interned in Washington for the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA).

Zack graduated magna cum laude from the Boston College School of Arts & Sciences Honors Program (BA, International Studies). Zack is an outdoor sports enthusiast and an Accredited Interscholastic Coach. He enjoys cheering for his Minnesota teams, and he has a passion for volunteerism and serving others.

Pat Shortridge

Pat Shortridge is a Managing Director and Head of the Dallas/Fort Worth office for TrailRunner International. He draws on more than 25 years of communications experience to advise clients on matters of corporate reputation, crisis communications, media relations, litigation support, public affairs, financial communications, and corporate and executive positioning. In addition, Pat has extensive experience designing and implementing successful communications plans for corporate restructurings, regulatory actions, corporate branding efforts, and influencer, public policy, and issue campaigns.

Prior to joining TrailRunner, Pat spent 10 years as President of PCS Consulting, where he worked with a diverse range of clients on reputational strategy, media relations, and branding as well as overseeing multimillion dollar political and advocacy campaigns. Before PCS, Pat held a variety of senior leadership and communications roles during a long career on Capitol Hill. He has served as a senior advisor to US political leaders and as a Program Director at George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management.

Pat graduated from Macalester College (BA, History and Philosophy) and enjoys spending time with his wife, Christianna, and their three children.

Jamie Zaninovich

Jamie Zaninovich, a Managing Director in the San Francisco Bay Area, draws on nearly 30 years of global sports industry leadership experience to advise clients on matters related to operations and governance, marketing, sponsorships, media rights, crisis management, sustainability and social responsibility, and international business development.

Prior to TrailRunner, Jamie served as the Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer at the Pac-12 Conference. Before that, he was the Commissioner of the West Coast Conference and a senior athletic administrator at both Princeton University and Stanford University.

Jamie has negotiated and managed long-term media rights agreements with every major U.S. broadcast outlet and partnered with professional sports leagues, professional sports teams, and governmental agencies to organize and host large-scale sporting events including NCAA March Madness, the Rose Bowl, and the College Football Playoff. He also has led collegiate sports conference expansion and international business development in global markets and served on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee. A recognized leader in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in sports, he developed the Pac-12/Southwest Athletic Conference Legacy Series in partnership with the Equal Justice Initiative. He also designed and implemented the first collegiate conference sustainability program in the U.S. while at the Pac-12.

Jamie was named to Sports Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40” list. He regularly lectures on sports business at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, and he sits on multiple boards, including the Green Sports Alliance, the San Jose Sports Authority, and the Positive Coaching Alliance National Advisory Board.

A native of Eugene, Oregon, Jamie is a graduate of Stanford and the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and resides in Millbrae, California with his wife Karen and their two sons, Max and Lucas.