Alumni Profile: Troy Stiles

Troy Stiles, a native of Lewiston, Minn., spent several years as a part of Bowling Green State University athletics and has used those athletic and educational experiences to help forge a successful career in the greater athletics community.

Stiles attended BGSU from the fall of 1998 through his graduation in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in visual communication technology.

He competed on the fall 2002 men's cross country team for then and current head coach Cami Paulson, and he was also on the final men's track and field team during the spring 2002 season.

For the cross country team, Stiles was one of the Falcons' top two runners in three of the team's races in 2002 and posted a personal-best 8K time of 27:37 at the Notre Dame Invitational.

On the track, Stiles ran the mile for the Falcons. At the 2002 Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships in February, Stiles placed 16th after posting a time of 4:29.43.

After graduation, Stiles spent time working at a summer camp for blind and visually impaired children in Malibu, Calif. run by the Junior Blind of America. He was then hired to work for USA Triathlon, part of the United States Olympic Committee.

Initially, Stiles managed four world championship-level teams of various age groups for USA Triathlon. He handled operations and logistics for each team and travelled to world championship events as team manager. At the same time, he helped plan the national championship duathlon and triathlon events.

Eventually, Stiles created a new role and became the manager of creative services. In this role, he utilized many of the skills he learned while at Bowling Green. He managed the USA Triathlon brand, designed posters and brochures, and produced videos and photos of national championships events. \

Buoyed by this experience, he decided to continue his education at the University of Denver by pursuing an international MBA.

Thanks to his educational and work experiences, Stiles was invited to lead a goodwill tour to the Middle East for the benefit of American troops stationed there. 

Overall, he has led five tours to Iraq and Kuwait for Pro Sports MVP, and those tours have included Olympic gold medalists, X-Games athletes, the Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders, and the Sacramento Kings dance team.

Of course, Stiles has not let running leave his life after several years away from the Falcons. Since leaving school, Stiles has tested has mettle running triathlons, and he is now training for long-distance running, including marathons and a 50-mile trail run planned for next June.

About Stiles, Coach Paulson said, “Troy really stood out because of his positive attitude and work ethic, as well as his dedication to his teams. It was a very difficult time for the cross country and track and field programs, and individuals like Troy, who made the best of a difficult situation, really stood out.”

Paulson continued, “Troy has always kept in contact over the years, and he is an inspiration because of the way he lives his life … always looking to help others to better their situation.”