Founder & Sponsor, Michael Lienert Leadership Scholarship
Leadership Journey
Michael Lienert is a revenue and partnerships leader with a career spanning professional sports, live entertainment, hospitality, and business development. He began his career in Los Angeles, where he was among the first hires at Los Angeles Football Club, joining the organization during its formation — before the club had played a single match and before Banc of California Stadium had opened its doors.
In that role, Lienert and his team were tasked with selling premium seating, corporate partnerships, and hospitality experiences years in advance of opening day. The challenge required building trust with corporate partners and high-net-worth clients around a vision that had not yet taken physical form. The result: the club sold through its entire premium inventory ahead of opening and secured a roster of marquee founding partners, helping establish LAFC as one of the most successful expansion clubs in professional sports.
From Los Angeles, Lienert transitioned to the Los Angeles Chargers and the SoFi Stadium project, where he led suite sales efforts during another high-stakes build phase. With the Chargers relocating from San Diego and a landmark venue under construction, the assignment again required building a premium client base from a limited foundation. He led a team responsible for securing long-term suite leases and building a multi-year revenue pipeline through strategic relationship development — helping deliver one of the most successful early-phase premium sales launches for a new stadium in the industry.
Those experiences in Los Angeles shaped the approach to leadership and revenue strategy that Lienert carried into his next roles. His career continued with senior leadership positions connected to the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Fire FC, and Legends, where he served as General Manager of Vue Orleans in New Orleans. Across each role, his focus remained consistent: build high-performing teams, expand revenue, and create experiences that deliver long-term value.
Beyond the sports and entertainment space, Lienert has expanded his professional platform into real estate and business development. He holds a Michigan Real Estate License and a Michigan Life and Health Insurance License, and is actively working with Brandt Real Estate across commercial, land, and residential opportunities — applying the same partnership-driven approach that defined his earlier career to a new set of markets and clients.
Based in Michigan, with professional ties to Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Reno, and Lake Tahoe, Michael Lienert brings a record of building from the ground up, leading across complex organizations, and finding the opportunities that others have not yet seen.
Why He Created This Scholarship
Michael Lienert did not have a straight-line path to success. He earned a valedictorian distinction at Barstow Community College and, as a pitcher, was part of a High School Baseball State Championship team — early experiences that reinforced the connection between preparation, discipline, and results.
The Michael Lienert Scholarship was established because access to opportunity matters. Not every student with the drive to succeed has a clear runway. This scholarship exists to support students who are committed to building something — a career, a business, a community — and who understand that the work begins long before the results are visible.
Michael's hope is simple: that the students who receive this award carry the same willingness to build from scratch, to lead with integrity, and to invest in the people and communities around them — wherever their careers take them.