2019 Alumni Medalist Leslie Gittess Brodsky '88CC
Channel: Columbia Alumni
Date: 2019-10-16

Leslie Gittess Brodsky ’88CC graduated from Columbia College with a degree in Economics in 1988, a member of the second class of women to graduate from the College.  Her father, Ronald Gittess ’59CC, ’62DM, and mother, Carol Mae Block Gittess ’62NRS, provided a lifetime of Columbia stories. While at Columbia, she played singles and doubles for the Women’s Tennis Team and was captain of the team her junior and senior years. She also wrote a column for the Columbia Spectator called "Inside Women's Athletics." Brodsky received a JD from Georgetown University Law Center in 1991. She began her professional career at Hughes Hubbard and Reed law firm. She began working in the sports industry in 1994 at the National Hockey League (NHL) as an in-house attorney, then moved into a senior business position where she focused on negotiating and managing all of the NHL's digital media deals. In 2006, she started at Major League Baseball (MLB) as vice president for business development in the MLB’s digital arm. She focused on sourcing and negotiating partnerships, specializing in technology and emerging media deals and securing venture funding for MLB initiatives.

Brodsky founded Blue Sky Media NYC in 2010, where she helps media and technology companies with all aspects of their digital strategy. Throughout her professional career, Brodsky has remained devoted to Columbia and focused on many areas of involvement with the College, Athletics, and the University. She has served on the board of the Columbia College Alumni Association, Dean’s Alumni Task Force, Alumni Legacy Council, and the Women’s Tennis Executive Committee. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Visitors, and is an advisor at the Columbia Startup Lab. Brodsky continues to be active with the Women’s Tennis Executive Board, hosting dinners annually for current and alumni tennis team members and organizing alumni events. She lives in New York City, with her husband, Peter Brodsky, and their two children, Teddy (’23CC) and Carolyn.