VERMILLION, S.D. — General Manager of Coyote Sports Properties (CSP) Travis Hawks, the local LEARFIELD team and the exclusive multimedia rights holder of South Dakota Athletics, has announced changes to his staff Wednesday afternoon. Megan Hettenhausen has been promoted to Business Development Manager and Thomas Pinedo joins the team as the Coordinator for Partnership Services.
 
"Megan has played a major role in the growth of Coyote Sports Properties, and this promotion reflects the impact she has made with our partners and Coyote Athletics. She has earned this opportunity, and I am excited to see her continue to grow in this expanded role," Hawks said. "We are also excited to welcome Thomas to Vermillion. His experience at UNLV and background in partnership activation will be a great asset to our team as we continue to elevate how we serve our partners."
 
 
Hettenhausen earned a promotion after two full academic years on staff with CSP and one full year under the direction of Hawks. Her new role will see her continue to work to solidify current partners and bringing in of new partners for the property, while continuing to work closely with USD Athletics staff in the execution of partnership agreements.
 
The Illinois native joined the CSP team in August 2023 as the Coordinator for Partnership Services. In her nearly three years in that role, she helped generate new concepts for sponsorships and contributed to property growth.
 
She also overhauled the Junior Coyote Club and has generated additional sponsorship dollars and memberships with her work with the kid's club for Coyote Athletics.
 
Prior to her time in Vermillion, she worked as an event coordinator at BDGGlobal Sports for a year (2022-23) and served as an athletic administration graduate assistant at Valdosta State University (2021-22). Hettenhausen earned her bachelor's degree in communications and rhetorical studies from Illinois College in 2021. She earned her M.B.A from Valdosta State in 2022.
 
Pinedo has been hired to fill Hettenhausen's previous position as the Coordinator of Partnership Services. He will be responsible with working with a multitude of USD Athletics staff constituents to ensure partnership agreements are fulfilled for the property.
 
He comes to South Dakota after serving as a property assistant for UNLV Sports Properties in Las Vegas, Nevada. While at UNLV, he supported in corporate sponsorships across Running Rebel football, basketball, and baseball. He coordinated in-game promotions and activations of contracts, while capturing and organizing digital content for recap and reporting of partnership data to partners.
 
Pinedo earned his bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in December 2025.