Leader Speaker Series: What It Takes to Host the World

Category: Event Calendar

Date and Time

• Tuesday, Jul 28, 2026  11:30am - 1pm

Location

Details

The FIFA World Cup brought the world's attention to North Texas and delivering an event of that scale required years of planning, regional collaboration and operational excellence.

Join the Fort Worth Chamber's Leaders Speaker Series, presented by Fidelity Investments, for a behind-the-scenes conversation with the leaders who helped prepare our region for one of the largest sporting events in the world. From securing the bid and coordinating across host cities to managing transportation, aviation operations, public safety and the visitor experience, this discussion will explore what it took to successfully host millions of fans on the global stage.

Featured Speakers Include:

Drew Hays, Executive Director of the Fort Worth Sports Commission
Jerome Woodard, Chief Operating Officer of DFW International Airport
Monica Paul, President of the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee and Executive Director of the Dallas Sports Commission

Together, they'll share firsthand insights into the partnerships, planning, and infrastructure that made the tournament possible, Fort Worth's role in supporting the region's success, and the lessons learned that will strengthen North Texas' ability to attract and host future world-class events.

Whether you're interested in economic development, regional collaboration, infrastructure or the business of major events, you'll gain an insider's perspective on how North Texas came together to deliver on the world's biggest stage and what that means for our region's future.

Meet the Speakers:

Drew Hays became the Executive Director of the Fort Worth Sports Commission in September 2025. The Fort Worth Sports Commission team is coming off a record year of events, including a run last spring of hosting 7 major events over 8 straight weekends - including but limited to, the NCAA Women's Basketball Sweet 16 & Elite 8 Rounds, NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships, FEI World Cup & the PBR World Finals. Before joining the Fort Worth Sports Commission Team, Drew was the Executive Director of the Austin Sports Commission and had been with their team since 2018. Prior to joining the Austin Sports Commission, Hays worked for Visit Wichita, the Wichita Wingnuts, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Corpus Christi Hooks. Hays is a graduate of Oklahoma State & Wichita State University, and enjoys spending his free time with his wife, two dogs, and daughter.

Jerome Woodard serves as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. As COO, he provides vision, strategy, and execution to advance DFW’s business objectives related to the airport’s physical operations, overseeing the Departments of Public Safety and Environmental Affairs, as well as the Integrated Operations Center and Operations. A former private pilot, Mr. Woodard brings more than two decades of aviation industry experience – having served in a wide range of operational, security, and executive leadership roles at major airports across the United States. His extensive background in airport management, operational excellence, and stakeholder engagement supports DFW’s continued focus on safety, efficiency and innovation.

As the Executive Director for the Dallas Sports Commission, Monica Paul plays an essential role in implementing bid strategies and marketing programs that enhance Dallas’ acquisition of sports competitions and events, including solicitation of Olympic, professional, collegiate and amateur sports. Paul also works closely with professional leagues, the NCAA, Olympic National Governing Bodies and amateur sports federations, promoting Dallas as a premier destination for events, conventions and meetings. Paul's efforts proved instrumental in Dallas being named a Host City for FIFA World Cup 26 and securing nine matches during the tournament, more than any other market in 2026. Paul earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education at the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Arts in Sports Administration from the University of Northern Colorado. She currently serves on the SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors, Cotton Bowl Classic Board of Directors, the Jason Witten’s SCORE Foundation Board of Directors, Women in Sports & Events (WISE) DFW Chapter Advisory Board, and the University of North Texas Sports Entertainment Management Industry Advisory Board. She was selected as the DCEO Non-profit and Corporate Citizenship Award Winner in Leadership Excellence in 2023, DCEO’s Dallas 500 in 2022-2024, Women in Business honoree by Dallas Business Journal in 2020, and in 2015 she was honored as one of Connect Sports’ Top IX Women in the Sport Tourism Industry.

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