BOSTON – Lisa (Antonanageli) Stokes donned the blue-and-gold on the hardwood of the basement of the Ridgeway Building from 2002-06, but it was her journalism degree that would land her at ESPN today. Now is Ram Nation's chance to visit with the Rams' 2006 captain, who caught up with GoSuffolkRams.com for a Q&A.  

Since Suffolk, you’ve moved into the work field. Could you describe your current occupation, what company you work for and the role you have?
I work for ESPN, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company. My title is Director of Talent Booking and Athlete Casting & Marketing. I currently secure athletes and celebrities for our branded content campaigns (think TV commercials). 

How did you land your job?
After Suffolk, I worked in public relations for the Women’s Sports Foundation (Billie Jean King’s Foundation) for two years. Then I joined ESPN as talent producer. I worked my way up the ranks and became the head of the talent booking department. I ran the department for six years. In the last year, I took on my new currently role to allow me to move back to the Boston area. I have been at ESPN for nearly 12 years now. 

Is this your dream job?
Pretty close to it. I am a big people person, so I love my role that allows be to engage with people directly on a regular basis.

Describe your typical work day.
The best thing about my role is there isn’t a typical day. Sometimes I am in six-plus meetings a day and constantly answering emails, and then another day I am on location at a commercial TV set trying to record and execute a TV commercial/campaign. 

What’s the most surprising part of your job?
I think people would find it surprising how much I interact with professional athletes, celebrities and executives, but it is all a part of my current role. I also think they would be surprised at my email volume, once someone in IT told me I average about 96 emails an hour. 

What’s the biggest perk of your job?
The biggest benefit is that I get to meet a lot of great people. Not only athletes, but a lot of really smart creative people. 

What are you most proud of?
Taking a couple of people and building it into a large, well-respected department at ESPN is something I was very proud of. I was blessed to hire and work with such amazing people. I am also very proud that a lot of the campaigns I am apart of air on national television on the biggest networks and programs. Lastly, I am proud to have won two Emmy awards.

What is your favorite memory at work?
I spent a day with Steve Carell. That was so funny, he was so kind and really naturally funny. Spending some days with Mark Wahlburg and Will Farrell was also fun, but Steve was my favorite. 

  How did Suffolk prepare you for your role?

I was a journalism major at Suffolk, so since I work in TV, it was really important to have knowledge of all things related to broadcast journalism.                                                                                                                                          

What’s your favorite Suffolk memory?
Definitely my teammates. I spent more time with them over my four years at Suffolk than anyone else. A few of them are still my best friends today. I should also mention I met my husband, Kris, at Suffolk (also a fellow student athlete) so that’s very special to me as well. 

What advice do you have for current students?
Take advantage of every opportunity; try a lot of different things and do as many internships as you can. I did internships for a TV station, a minor league sports team, a professional sports team and a non-profit sports association. Internships help you figure out what you like and what you definitely do not want to do. 

What made you choose Suffolk?
I loved Boston and loved what Suffolk had to offer. I wanted to be in the city, play basketball and study communications and Suffolk had all of that to offer. 

Outside of work, what is your life like? I.E. family, kids, what do you do for fun, etc?
I am a mother of three! My children are six years old, three years old and three months old. They take up a lot of my time. My husband and I work hard to keep them active, so we are constantly going to playgrounds, gymnastics, bike or scooter riding. I am also in my last semester in earning my graduate degree from Georgetown University in Sports Business, so between work, school and my children, that’s all my time. 

Ram Nation has the chance to stay in touch with Lisa Stokes by following her on Instagram and Twitter @lisaastokes

Are you a Suffolk Athletics alum who would like to revisit with Ram Nation? Contact Sports Information Director Amy Barry at abarry7@suffolk.edu.