Scouting Report

S.M.A.R.T. (Sports Management, Academics, and Recreational Training) was founded in 2000 to address the academic and recreational challenges confronting children of all ages who live in our Nation’s Capitol.  We believe that sports and recreational activities can be used to reinforce the same skills and habits that are essential to academic success and an enthusiasm for education.  A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, S.M.A.R.T. has helped hundreds of elementary, middle school, and high school students both in the classroom and on the playing field through our after-school programs and summer camps.

The Approach

S.M.A.R.T. develops and operates several Out-of-School Time (OST) programs and events that not only engage youth, but also show them the importance of education and the significant role good academic skills can have on their participation in sports, recreation and their future. While implementing this strategy, we also show youth that they can apply the same passion and love they have for sports to their academic skills development.

Our curriculum is designed to synthesize sports with academic subjects, physical fitness with health awareness and community involvement, and to reinforce the importance of citizenship, leadership, workforce preparation, peer interaction, and decision making.

Front Office

Antonio Scott, Executive Director:

Antonio spent the bulk of his youth years growing up in Chesapeake, VA. His childhood and adolescent years were spent playing and competing in various sports before choosing to focus on baseball mid-way through high school.  At the completion of high school, Antonio enrolled at Howard University where he vowed to hang up the cleats and just become a regular student for the first time in his life until he was urged by his family to continue to play.  He did just that as he garnered a spot on the Howard University Baseball team as a walk-on athlete.  Antonio found that he loved sports and competing as an athlete was the ultimate feeling in the world to him.  After graduating from Howard in 2001 with a B.B.A. in Information Systems, Antonio embarked on a career as an assistant organizer and coordinator for PFAW Foundation for two years before discovering his talent at working with youth in 2003 as an instructor for the Fields of Dreams after-school program in Washington, D.C. In January of 2005, Mr. Scott was unanimously voted as the very first Executive Director of S.M.A.R.T. (then named DCBASEBAL.ORG) by its Board of Directors.  He brought an innovative initiative and vision to the organization which has lead to the creation of the new S.M.A.R.T. curriculum and the DC Grays Collegiate Baseball Club.  Antonio’s passion and expertise combined has advanced the organization to its current day status and provides the foundation for the future growth of S.M.A.R.T.

Darell Scott, Director of Operations:

Darell has over 13 years of experience in marketing, communications, public relations, and business analysis in the non-profit association, corporate environment, and volunteer fields.  He has been responsible for creating and managing programs, managing corporate partnership efforts, increasing revenue and brand awareness, developing new business, and managing public relations and communications initiatives.  Darell has his undergraduate degree in Marketing from Howard University where he was a three year captain of the baseball team and he has his M.B.A. in Marketing from Strayer University.

Joseph Hawthorne, Director of Marketing and Communications:

Joseph Hawthorne is a humble young man from the small, sleepy town of Fredericksburg, VA. As a youngster, he competed in several sports, eventually settling on basketball as his passion.  Following high school, Mr. Hawthorne relocated to Washington, DC, where he was educated at Howard University.  During his time on the Hilltop, he served as Mr. Howard University 2000-2001 and received his degree in communications with an emphasis on the areas of radio, television and film. He is natural leader and competitor who brings that spirit and energy into his professional life. He has built a career in the world of marketing from the ground up, having managed and designed street marketing campaigns for the likes of Sprint and FlexCar (now Zipcar).  In addition, he serves as VP of sales and marketing for an online consulting firm.  Mr. Hawthorne has an extensive business to business sales background with an established reputation for being a closer.

Board of Directors

• Matt Cary, Chairman
• Kevin McGuiness, Vice Chairman
• Robert Duff
• Jim Bubar
• Antonio Scott

Profile For Encore Sports Consulting LLC

Founder and CEO Bradley Burris has taken his love of sports and his passion for the Washington D.C. community to develop Encore Sports Consulting, LLC.  As a student athlete at Howard University, Burris excelled for three seasons on the field as a middle infielder for the Bison baseball team.  Even so, after Burris’ junior year, the university removed the baseball program from its athletics budget as a result of legal and financial setbacks.

This could have been a huge setback for many, but Burris used it as motivational tool to put a baseball presence back in the DC area.  He started the process by interning for two years with Winston Lord and the Washington Baseball Club, a franchise instrumental in bringing America’s National Pastime to Washington.  The internship changed Burris’ life, and it helped him develop his grassroots approach to combining community service and activism with the world of professional sports.

Upon graduating from Howard with a BS in Sociology of Sports, Burris began to develop an organization called Encore Sports Consulting, a perennial bridge for professional athletes to connect with their local communities to impart service, encourage leadership and build philanthropy.  Over the last eight years, Burris has been deeply involved in the Washington sports community.  He has worked for the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission, Washington Baseball Club LLC, NFL Players Association/Players, Inc., and the Washington Mystics.

In 2005, Burris became active in the non-profit sector through dcbaseball.org, an organization with a mission to raise the education, skill and active participation level of Washington D.C. youth in baseball and softball.  Through this avenue, in 2006, he co-founded the DC Grays, a team consisting of ballplayers from universities and colleges around the country.  The team plays in the Clark Griffith Collegiate League and hosts high school baseball clinics in the DC area during the summer.  Concurrently, Burris has worked for the Washington Redskins during the past three seasons in their public relations department. In this role, Burris has developed his skill set in player marketing and communications from a front-office perspective.

Brad has maximized all of his experiences to allow Encore Sports Consulting to be the premier consultant for players who desire to be active in the local communities of their various teams.  He encourages his clients to “give and ye shall receive,” as the Scriptures say, and then to receive abundantly through charity, leadership and activism.