America’s Next Great Intern? Meet America’s premier executive for media licensing and partnerships.

On Tuesday, April 29, Rakshana Damodaran, a 9th grader from Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, held a one-on-one conversation with Scott Kaufman-Ross, executive vice president of Media Distribution & Partnerships at the National Basketball Association (NBA).

As the overall national winner of our 3rd annual America’s Next Great Intern contest, Damodaran chatted live with Kaufman-Ross and learned about his fascinating career in professional sports.

Kaufman-Ross discussed his career journey, how high school students can intern with sports organizations and how he became a subject matter expert on sports betting and fantasy sports.

In short, the NBA needed someone on the business team to become proficient in the world of sports betting, and Kaufman-Ross raised his hand as if to say, “I’ll do it.”

A decade later, Kaufman-Ross’s willingness to step out of his comfort zone and learn a new industry has put him at the forefront of media licensing deals for the entire basketball league.

We appreciate Kaufman-Ross and the time he spent with Damodaran. Bookmark our contest page and stay tuned for the 2026 edition — a new top prize forthcoming!