Sports ETA to Induct Three Members into Hall of Fame

Janis Burke, chief executive officer of the Harris County – Houston Sports Authority; John Gibbons, former executive director of the Rhode Island Sports Commission and Bill Hanson, co-founder of San Antonio Sports, will be inducted into the Sports ETA Hall of Fame as the Class of 2024 at the organization’s annual Symposium in Portland in April.

“Sports ETA is honored to welcome three new members into the association’s prestigious Hall of Fame,” said John David, president and chief executive officer of Sports ETA. “Janis Burke, John Gibbons and Bill Hanson have all made major impacts in our industries and their respective communities that are celebrated and recognized by their induction into the Sports ETA Hall of Fame.”

Burke has been the chief executive officer of the Harris County – Houston Sports Authority since 2006. She became the third chief executive and first woman to hold the position since the inception of the organization in 1997. In addition to overseeing the billion dollars of bond debt service for Houston’s professional sports stadiums, under her leadership Houston has been awarded major sporting events including the 2026 FIFA World Cup, U.S. Olympic Trials, collegiate tournaments, numerous national and world championships, AAU Junior Olympics and the Transplant Games of America. She is a past Chair of Sports ETA. Burke has also been recognized locally as one of “Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women.”

Gibbons, the former executive director of the Rhode Island Sports Commission, passed away last year at the age of 63. He spent over three decades in the travel and hospitality industry. Gibbons joined the Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau in 2006. In 2010, he was appointed executive director of the Rhode Island Sports Commission, where he transformed the sports landscape. Gibbons traveled extensively to represent Rhode Island to bring business to the state, including the NCAA men’s basketball, ice hockey and the Division III wrestling and lacrosse tournaments in 2024 and 2025. He was a former board member for Sports ETA.

Hanson is a co-founder of San Antonio Sports, which he retired from after a 42-year career in amateur and professional sport organizations, primarily in event management and operations. While serving in the U.S. Army, Hanson was stationed in San Antonio and assigned to the U.S. Modern Pentathlon Training Center at Fort Sam Houston. In subsequent years, he was executive director of the USMP Association, sport manager at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, assistant competition director at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta and technical director at Pan American and Goodwill Games and four U.S. Olympic Sports Festivals. Hanson spent eight years in the original North American Soccer League during his time in San Antonio, he directed numerous NCAA, Big 12 and other events hosted and created by SAS. Hanson was Sports ETA chairman from 2007-08.

The Sports ETA Hall of Fame was launched in 2017 and there have been five induction classes with 18 honorees. The Sports ETA Hall of Fame is a lifetime achievement award recognizing long-standing and significant accomplishments within the industry. Hill Carrow, John Bisignano, Linda Logan and Tara Green serve as the Association’s Hall of Fame Committee.