Huntington High School Class of 1997 valedictorian Susan Fiore was not only a sensational student academically, she was a three sport star for the Blue Devils. She is still in a starring role today as an attorney with Relevent Sports in Manhattan.
Ms. Fiore resides in Hell’s Kitchen in New York City, but her heart will always be in Huntington. She attended Flower Hill Primary School for kindergarten and never left the friendly confines of Huntington UFSD, culminating with the valedictory address to her classmates in June 1997.
Huntington Class of 1997 valedictorian Susie Fiore is an attorney in Manhattan.
The Huntington alum obtained an undergraduate degree at Harvard in environmental science and public policy. Ms. Fiore played on Harvard’s lacrosse team before going on to earn a law degree at Northwestern University.
Ms. Fiore’s connection to Huntington is still strong. “My parents are still in my childhood home, which they moved to when my mom was pregnant with me,” she said. “I come back to Huntington often, particularly in the summer and during the holidays. Huntington will always be home for me.”
Ms. Fiore was a splendid player on the Blue Devil soccer, basketball and lacrosse teams. Although she played lacrosse for Harvard, soccer has always been her favorite sport and she is heavily involved in it today as a corporate attorney.
“Many of my fondest memories are from my high school years” Ms. Fiore said. “High school was a wonderful time for me academically, athletically and socially. I had great teachers, played on excellent sports teams (especially the soccer team my sophomore year and the lacrosse team my sophomore and junior years) and made lifelong friends, many of whom I’m still in close contact with today.”
A two-time All-County player for the Huntington girls’ lacrosse team, Ms. Fiore helped lead the Blue Devils to county runner-up finishes during her junior and senior seasons. She was Academic All-County for the Huntington girls’ basketball team.
On the soccer field, Ms. Fiore really shined for the Blue Devils, winning All-County honors twice. As a junior she played midfield and scored nine goals and assisted on five others. “She was the team leader in goals and assists and was always the most elusive dribbler on the field,” said head coach Paul Amato following the season.
As a senior she played defense and still scored four goals and had an assist. “She’s always trying to improve,” said Coach Amato at the time. “She’s totally committed to soccer.”
While she played lacrosse at Harvard, Ms. Fiore always preferred soccer, “which is why I still play soccer and work in soccer today,” she said.
Ms. Fiore recalls a grueling schedule during her Huntington years. “My daily routine was intense; class until around 3 p.m., then high school soccer/basketball/lacrosse practice (depending on the season), often followed by a second practice for either my club soccer team or the New York State Olympic development program soccer team, followed by homework late into the night and then repeat,” she said. “It sounds very exhausting to me now, but at the time I thrived on that schedule, due in large part to having very supportive parents.”
The Huntington alum has been Relevent Sports’ general counsel for several years. She began working at the company in May 2015. In December she was named executive vice president.
As Relevent’s general counsel, Ms. Fiore manages all legal aspects of the company, including those related to organizing, hosting, and promoting the men’s, women’s, and youth versions of the International Champions Cup, an international pre-season soccer tournament for the world’s top professional clubs, which is held in both the US and Asia.
“We’ll announce next summer's ICC schedule in late March,” Ms. Fiore said. “As of last year, we now also have a Women’s ICC, which features National Women’s Soccer League teams and European teams and a Futures ICC (youth division), which last year featured U-14 boys’ clubs from the US and Europe and this year will be expanded to also include a girls U-16 tournament.”
Prior to joining Relevent, Ms. Fiore was legal counsel at Major League Soccer, where she drafted and negotiated sponsorship agreements, broadcast agreements and venue agreements. Prior to MLS, she was an associate in the private funds group at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, where she represented private equity fund sponsors in connection with the organization and operation of their investment funds. During her tenure at Weil, she also completed a 16-month “secondment” (temporary assignment) with Panasonic in Osaka, Japan.
Since last September, Ms. Fiore has also been holding down a second position as interim general counsel of Relevent’s parent company, RSE Ventures.
All of her Huntington classmates, teachers and coaches always knew Ms. Fiore was a star. They were right then and she still is today.
