Leadership Team
Our comprehensive suite of professionals caters to a diverse team, ranging from seasoned architects to renowned engineers.
President & CEO
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Marketing Officer
Senior VP of Affiliate Distribution
Senior VP of Strategic Partnerships
VP of Content
VP of Engineering
David Wisnia
President & CEO
As the new President & Chief Executive Officer for NESN and SportsNet Pittsburgh, David brings a wealth of global experience in the media industry to NESN, having built, scaled and turned around media assets for some of the world’s most prominent companies in the network business, including Fox Sports, CBS and MGM Studios.
He joins NESN from Alvarez & Marsal, a global management consulting firm, where he was a Managing Director, specializing in media and entertainment operations and strategy.
As Executive Vice President at MGM Studios, he led the Global Networks Group, overseeing the operational and growth strategy for MGM’s domestic and international direct-to-consumer and linear networks. His leadership spanned programming, affiliate and advertising sales, partnerships, marketing, traffic, engineering and operations.
Prior to his role at MGM, Wisnia served as President of Business Operations for TV Guide Network (currently known as Pop TV), where he managed the strategic growth of a network that reached over 80 million households. At CBS Corporation, he worked closely with the CEO as Executive Vice President of Business Development, leading strategic initiatives to expand CBS’s media portfolio.
Wisnia has served on the Board of Directors for numerous media and entertainment companies, including Telecine, Big Play Scoring, TV Guide Network and the Championship Gaming Series. With his diverse and extensive experience across traditional and digital media, he is well-equipped to drive NESN’s continued growth and leadership in sports broadcasting.
Wisnia earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Irvine, and a J.D. from Tulane University. He also holds a leadership and management certificate from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Fluent in both English and Spanish, Wisnia brings a global perspective to NESN and its future endeavors.
Matt Volk
Chief Operating Officer
As Chief Operating Officer for NESN and SportsNet Pittsburgh, Matt Volk leads business operations, network operations, content, acquisitions, communications, linear marketing and creative services for both networks.
Matt has over 23 years of leadership experience across ESPN, ABC Sports, NBC Sports, Audacy, BetQL, and the New England Patriots.
He was a key facilitator in brokering a partnership between SportsNet Pittsburgh and the Penguins and Pirates to keep the RSN as a two-team network. At NESN he has developed and led the operations and content teams in creating a new production model that greatly enhances NESN’s ability to produce high-end content at a fraction of the cost, which is fueling NESN’s alternative game telecasts and new FAST channel.
Additionally, Matt has built important bridges and relationships by establishing a centralized data and analytics team within NESN, unifying NESN’s content structure for the first time in company history, and creating critical partnerships and collaborative relationships.
He has a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Bowdoin College where he double majored in American Government and International Relations.
Chad Bern
Chief Financial Officer
Chad Bern is the current CFO at NESN. He has been in the role a little over 2 years. He came to NESN from NBC Universal where he oversaw Finance for their New England operations including NBC, Telemundo and NBC Sports Boston (Celtics).
He was at NBC for approximately 6 years. Prior to that, he was Finance lead for a variety of ESPN digital operations (ESPN.com, WatchESPN, ESPN360 and ESPN Mobile) spanning nearly 10 years in New York.
Chad has prior finance experience in private equity at Frontenac in Chicago and at Lazard, specializing in tech, media and telecom during a stint as an investment banker in New York.
He went to Wharton at UPenn undergrad for business and played football for one year before quitting.
He lives in Belmont, MA with his wife, a biotech executive, and their two kids.
Ahmed Darwish
Chief Marketing Officer
Ahmed Darwish joined NESN as Chief Marketing Officer in January 2022. Beyond marketing, he oversees NESN and SportsNet Pittsburgh’s digital and streaming businesses.
In June 2022, Darwish led the launch of NESN 360, the first direct-to-consumer (DTC) regional sports network offering and followed on with the launch of SNP 360 in Pittsburgh in April 2024.
Prior to joining NESN, Darwish was Head of Product and VP of Marketing and Product at STARZ, a Lionsgate company. There, he led DTC growth efforts including scaling the business 4x domestically and launching STARZ DTC in 12 markets internationally.
Before joining STARZ, Darwish was a consultant with McKinsey & Company in Stamford, CT, where he was a member of the Marketing & Sales and Tech-Media-Telecom practices.
Prior to McKinsey & Company, Darwish was a Consortium Fellow at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth where he received a general management MBA. Before attending business school, Darwish worked in advanced analytics at DIRECTV in Los Angeles. Darwish received his Bachelor of Science in Industrial & Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California.
Peter Plaehn
Senior VP of Affiliate Distribution
Peter Plaehn serves as the Senior Vice President of Affiliate Distribution for NESN and SportsNet Pittsburgh. Since 2007, Peter has overseen service distribution and affiliate revenue of NESN for the six-state New England market through contract administration, negotiation, and budget forecasting.
In 2023, he assumed the same responsibilities for SportsNet Pittsburgh and its five-state territory.
He manages all of NESN’s cable and DBS affiliate relationships, system launches, and affiliate promotions.
Plaehn was hired as Advertising/Promotions Coordinator in 1986 and joined the affiliate marketing group in 1994. He is a graduate of Penn State University.
Cosmina Schulman
Senior VP of Strategic Partnerships
Cosmina Schulman is the Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for NESN and Sports Net Pittsburgh. She is responsible for advertising sales revenues and building out sales strategies. In addition, she is part of the executive management team and plays an active role in determining vision and business approach for NESN and SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Previously, she held the title of National Sales Manager and Local Sales Manager at NESN. She started her career working for Home Team Sports: A Division of Fox Sports and sold for every NBA, NHL and NBA Regional Sports Network in the county.
She has a passion for mentoring women in sports and media and is committed to helping women navigate the sports world. Most recently, Cosmina led the launch of the new external branding, Women of NESN (WON).
She is Executive Chair of NESN’s ERG group and held the title of VP for Women in Sports and Events (WISE) in Boston. Cosmina was named “40 under 40” in 2023 by Broadcast and Cable Multichannel News.
Cosmina grew up in Utica, NY and graduated from Manhattanville College in Westchester with a B.A. in Communications. She is currently enrolled in Suffolk’s Executive MBA program and graduating in December of 2024.
Josh Jun
VP of Content
Josh is the Vice President of Content for NESN and SportsNet Pittsburgh. He is responsible for all the content production and programming for the company. This is inclusive of live game production, original linear and multiplatform long and short form video programming, social media and editorial on nesn.com and snp.com. He also manages two central function teams within content; content planning and strategy and talent production.
He is a passionate and experienced storyteller with a love for sport, cinema, sneakers and the culture that connects them. He has over 20 years of traditional and digital content experience with an equal love for developing, producing and selling the story and growing audience.
Josh has an extensive experience in leading teams in content development, production, channel strategy and programming (for various formats and channels) with a fair dose of leadership, partner management, analytics and strategy mixed in.
His main drive is to create an environment for creative people to feel empowered to create meaningful and impactful content.
Past roles include leading content, production and marketing teams at Buzzfeed, Spotify, Nike and Conde Nast Entertainment (GQ/GQ Sports).
Kenny Elcock
VP of Engineering
Kenny Elcock is the Vice President of Engineering at New England Sports Network (NESN), a premier regional sports network in the country. In this dynamic role, he expertly designs and integrates cutting-edge network systems, delivers top-quality programming, and elevates the game-day experience for passionate fans of the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins.
Kenny Elcock is the Vice President of Engineering at New England Sports Network (NESN), a premier regional sports network in the country. In this dynamic role, he expertly designs and integrates cutting-edge network systems, delivers top-quality programming, and elevates the game-day experience for passionate fans of the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins.
A proud native of Trinidad and Tobago who grew up in the Virgin Islands, Elcock brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. He holds a degree in electrical engineering technology from Purdue University and has over two decades of experience as the Director of Engineering and Operations at prestigious broadcast affiliates across major markets, including Atlanta, Indianapolis, Honolulu, and Boston.
With an array of advanced certifications in broadcast, television, and motion picture engineering, Elcock is a leader in pioneering next-generation production workflows and systems.
Beyond his impressive career, Elcock is deeply committed to inspiring and mentoring the next generation of engineers of color, ensuring that they are equipped to thrive in the technology field and beyond.