Susan A Marchiano

Sam Marchiano is an adjunct associate professor at NYU’s Tisch Institute of Global Sport, where for 11 years she has taught courses on governance, leadership, and ethical issues in sport. Her teaching focuses on developing the next generation of sports industry leaders who can navigate complex ethical challenges, institutional accountability, and crisis situations. She served as research chair of NYU’s 2016 Social Responsibility in Sports Conference, demonstrating her sustained commitment to fostering critical scholarship in the field.

Marchiano brings over 25 years of professional experience at the intersection of sports, media, and social impact to her academic work. As a founding board member and former Outreach Director of Athlete Ally (2012-2015), she was instrumental in transforming how major sports leagues approach inclusion. She helped MLB launch its first public commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion and worked with the NHL and NFL to develop comprehensive inclusion strategies. Her advocacy work included the groundbreaking Principle 6 campaign, which prompted significant changes to the IOC’s Olympic Charter.

As a filmmaker, Marchiano’s documentaries have garnered critical acclaim and industry recognition. Her MLB Network documentary Base Ball Discovered won at Cooperstown’s annual Baseball Film Festival, while Vintage Baseball earned one of her four Emmy nominations. Currently, she serves as associate producer on Bury Me Standing, a documentary about Confederate monuments from Academy Award winner Jordan Peele, scheduled for the 2026 film festival circuit.

Her journalism career includes work with MLB Advanced Media (where she served as anchor and senior director), Fox Sports Net, MSG Network, and ESPN, where she covered major sporting events and pioneered investigative stories at the intersection of sports and social issues, earning multiple Emmy nominations. She began her career as the New York Islanders beat reporter for the New York Daily News.

In 2025, Marchiano received the Barbara W. Hunter Trailblazer Award from the Public Relations Society of America’s New York chapter for breaking barriers in communications and championing LGBTQ+ inclusion throughout her career. She is the daughter of legendary New York sportscaster Sal Marchiano.