July Educational Program & Networking
Moderator
Rob Higgins - CEO, USF Athletics
Panelists
Harold Craw - SVP, Social Responsibility & Community Engagement, Tampa Bay Rays
Steve Fidura - VP, Community Impact, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Join AFP Tampa Bay for a dynamic Sports Philanthropy Panel featuring representatives from the Tampa Bay Rays and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Learn how the teams of “Champa Bay” approach community engagement, select nonprofit partners, and design impactful philanthropic collaborations that go far beyond the scoreboard. Moderated by Rob Higgins, CEO of USF Athletics, this conversation will offer practical insights and takeaways on the unique philanthropic opportunities provided by our beloved sports teams.
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Tuesday, July 21, 2026
11:30 am Networking
12:00 pm Program & Lunch Service
Location:
Brio Italian Grille | International Plaza | 2223 N. Westshore Blvd. Tampa FL 33607
Meal Choices:
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Luncheon Sponsor
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Program Fee
AFP Member - $35.00
Guest - $45.00
The program will only be offered in-person. Please indicate when registering your meal choice for meal planning purposes.
AFP Tampa Bay aims to be accessible and inclusive to all of our members and guests. If you require special accommodations, please let us know via email so we can plan to make adjustments to the program
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Approved for 1 hour CFRE
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Speaker Bios
About Rob Higgins
The University of South Florida announced the selection of Rob Higgins as the university’s first-ever CEO of Athletics on Sept. 9, 2025, following a comprehensive national search.
Higgins previously served as executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission since 2004, successfully positioning the region as one of the nation’s premier destinations in sports and entertainment, including hosting two Super Bowls, a College Football Playoff National Championship and a long list of other high-profile events during his tenure. Higgins, a former USF Athletics staff member, becomes the first USF alum to lead the department.
Higgins served as the president and CEO of the Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Host Committee in 2021 and was on the bid and operations committee that hosted Super Bowl XLIII in 2009. In addition to the two Super Bowls, events the region has hosted and/or been awarded since he joined the Tampa Bay Sports Commission include the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship, the NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four on four occasions, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament three times, the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four in hockey three times, the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship twice, the NHL All-Star Weekend, NHL Stadium Series and WrestleMania 37.
Among his accolades, Higgins was named to the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Power 100 each of the last five years, selected for Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40,” the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s “30 Under 30” list, the Tampa Bay Times named him one of the top 10 difference makers in Tampa Bay and Huffington Post listed him as one of the top 30 sports marketers in the world.
Higgins’ connection to USF started at an early age. Shortly after attending his first men’s basketball game at age 8, he became a ball kid for the team. After graduating from USF, he worked as a staff member for USF Athletics, helping oversee facilities and event management. He was inducted into USF’s Zimmerman School of Advertising Hall of Fame in 2015 and in May 2025 he received the Distinguished Citizen Award at USF Commencement.
Higgins and his wife Casey have two children, Laney and Landon.
About Harold Craw
Tampa Bay Rays Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility and Community Engagement Harold Craw brings more than two decades of professional baseball leadership experience to his role overseeing the club’s community engagement and social impact initiatives, including leadership of the Rays Up Foundation.
Before joining the Tampa Bay Rays, Harold Craw spent 10 seasons with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp organization, including six years as Executive Vice President and General Manager, where he helped lead the franchise’s 2016 rebrand from the Jacksonville Suns to the Jumbo Shrimp following its acquisition by Fast Forward Sports Group, LLC. Prior to Jacksonville, he served as Assistant General Manager of the Chattanooga Lookouts and spent a decade with the Charleston RiverDogs in multiple leadership roles spanning sales, stadium operations, and ticketing. He began his professional baseball career in 2002 with the Johnson City Cardinals as Director of Stadium Operations.
Craw’s leadership in professional baseball has earned numerous honors, including becoming the first African American to receive Executive of the Year recognition in any Minor League Baseball league with the Southern League’s Jimmy Bragan Executive of the Year award in 2017. He also earned South Atlantic League honors as Sales Executive of the Year in 2008 and Community Relations Director of the Year in 2009
A native of Chattanooga Tennessee, Craw earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Emory and Henry University and a master’s degree in sport management from East Tennessee State University. Beyond the game, he also serves on the boards of Walk Off Charities and Operation New Hope.
About Steve Fidura
Steve Fidura is Vice President of Community Impact for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he leads the organization’s philanthropic strategy, community programs, and social impact initiatives across the Tampa Bay region. With more than 16 years of experience in professional sports, he has built a career at the intersection of community engagement, storytelling, and organizational strategy.
In his role, Fidura oversees the Buccaneers Foundation, driving programs focused on youth development, education, food security, gender equity, and small business support. He partners across the organization and with community stakeholders to ensure initiatives are not only impactful, but sustainable and aligned with the long-term vision of ownership.
Fidura’s work is anchored in several signature efforts, including She Is Football, the organization’s commitment to advancing opportunity and representation for women in the game; its industry-leading efforts to grow girls flag football and expand access and pathways for female athletes; the National Coaching Academy, a first-of-its-kind global leadership initiative that has attracted thousands of applicants from more than 20 countries; and the Glazer Family Small Business Fund, a grant program that has supported more than 300 small businesses across Tampa Bay and West Central Florida.
He is known for translating mission-driven work into meaningful stories that resonate with fans, partners, and the community—helping elevate both awareness and engagement around key issues. Throughout his tenure, Fidura has helped strengthen connections between the organization and the Tampa Bay community, including leading communications and activation strategies during disaster relief efforts and supporting partnerships that deliver critical resources to families, youth, and small businesses.
A graduate of the University of Tampa, Fidura remains committed to using the platform of sports to create opportunity, build connections, and drive lasting impact.
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Meeting Guidelines
AFP Tampa Bay recognizes the importance of personal connection, but your health is our priority. We continue to monitor the community level for our area and follow CDC recommendations.
We ask that you not attend if:
- You have recently tested positive for COVID-19. Use the self-evaluation tool HERE to determine when you may return to in-person meetings after testing positive.
- You have been recently exposed to someone with COVID-19.
- You are waiting on COVID-19 test results.
- You feel you may be becoming sick, running a fever, or experiencing any symptoms associated with COVID-19 such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath.
