GET IN THE BOX TEAM
JOHN ELIOT, PhD - Founder, Chairman and CEO
Relative of Nobel Laureate, T.S. Eliot, and an award winning professor of leadership and performance psychology, Dr. Eliot’s consulting work is sought after by professional athletes and coaches, Fortune 500 companies, medical centers, and universities worldwide. To date, 100% of his clients have won pennants or world and national titles: from the College World Series champion Rice Owls, to individual Olympic gold medalists, to dynasties such as the San Antonio Spurs, to organizational turnarounds such as the Tampa Bay Rays worst-to-first metamorphosis (outperforming teams with twice the payroll while competing in the pressure cooker the American League East).
On the business side of the equation, Dr. Eliot’s work focuses on the psychological variables impacting the health, culture, and bottom-line performance of organizations. He advises boards and C-level executives regarding both the evaluation and development of talent; he has consulted for NASA, the Shepherd School of Music (now ranked #1 in the United States), M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Precor, Accenture, Deutsche Bank, Shell, BP, Sony, Yahoo!, and Microsoft. Not surprisingly, his milestone efforts helping groups innovate in the pursuit of excellence has received considerable media attention, from being a featured guest on Donny Deutsch’s “The Big Idea” to ESPN, Fox Sports, MSNBC, Bloomberg Radio, NPR, the Harvard Business Review, and many others.
When not assisting high performing individuals or teams, Dr. Eliot devotes his time to inspiring the next generation—teaching classes about performance psychology and the human spirit that have garnered over a dozen university-wide and national teaching awards. Currently serving as a consultant for the Stanford University, Dr. Eliot’s past faculty appointments include professorships at the University of Virginia, Rice, and the SMU Edwin Cox School of Business. Dr. Eliot has given two commencement addresses and a state-of-the-field address before the NIH director’s council. He also serves on a number of boards, including the Methodist Hospital, the Texas Medical Center’s National Center for Human Performance, and the Center for Performing Arts Medicine; he has advised the two university presidents and multiple U.S. Senators.
Doc Eliot is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Dartmouth, a former decorated rugby and baseball player, and former Junior Nordic Combined ski champion. He lives in Northern California where he pursues his passions for rock climbing, writing, and charity fundraising.
MR. ANTHONY F APOLLARO, JR. - President
Mr. Apollaro, co-founder of Optimus Capital Advisors LLC, a world class opportunity investment fund with many professional athlete clients, is a Wall Street veteran with industry leading experience in private equity management, particularly companies of the size and scale of Get In The Box. His career is marked by high returns, growing assets and entities for high net worth individuals and private equity firms, such as Quad-C, Westbrook, and Hicks Muse. A former Vice President of Business and Strategic Development at EAGL, one of the largest golf course ownership and management firms in the industry, Mr. Apollaro has a proven track record in sourcing, partnering, and executing deals on behalf of a premier sports franchise owners. He was the brain behind the design, funding, and execution of the Dallas Cowboys Golf Club, now a $6 million per year revenue golf course. The Cowboys Golf Club was sold in 2006, yielding investment returns in excess of 60% IRR for its equity partners.
Mr. Apollaro's unique successes in the sports finance industry earned him an honorary visiting professor title at Rice University where he taught sports management, guided economic development for many of Rice's first round baseball draftees, and led students to management positions in every major sport, as well as national broadcasting and sports apparel.
A Columbia University All-Ivy baseball captain, Tony has been a corporate officer and board member of nine different private and public companies. He now serves on numerous international boards such as the Brent Woodall Foundation for Exceptional Children.
Mrs. Jessie Stansberry- Vice President of Business Development
Ms. Stansberry comes to the foundation with a background in sports management and marketing. Formerly, Jessie was the Dallas retail director and buyer for Exhale Enterprises, Inc. Ms. Stansberry also held the position of sales and marketing director at Turf Technologies, Inc., based out of San Diego, CA. Ms. Stansberry brings crucial operational experience from her role as spa and fitness director at Horseshoe Bay Resort in Austin, TX.
Ms. Stansberry graduated with a bachelor's degree in Sports Medicine from Rice University and was a member of the women's soccer team. Jessie is also an active volunteer for the Dress For Success and Dwell With Dignity charities. Jessie resides in Dallas with her husband, Craig, who plays baseball professionally in the San Diego Padres organization.
