As the Managing Director of TJ Event Services, DJ Mackovets brings more than 40 years of event marketing and operational planning experience to the table for his clients.

He currently serves as CEO for both the 2024 Transplant Games of America and 2025 World Police & Fire Games, being hosted in Birmingham, Alabama.

For the past nine years he has served in the role of Chief of Operations for Comicpalooza, the largest pop culture festival in Texas, held annually in Houston’s massive George R. Brown Convention Center.

He has been involved with a variety of major events across the country throughout his career including the World University Games, the Goodwill Games, two US Olympic Festivals, the 2015 World Police & Fire Games – an international Olympic style event staged in northern Virginia, DC, and Maryland for 10,000 public safety personnel from 68 different countries.

Mackovets was also CEO of the Local Organizing Committee for The World Games 2022 for almost three years. From 2009 until early 2012 he served as the President ofthe Local Organizing Committee in Houston for the 2011 Senior Games and in addition to his Transplant Games role he serves as the CEO of the Birmingham Host Committee for the 2025 World Police & Fire Games.

Mackovets was the General Manager of the largest venue built for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta – the 1400-acre Georgia International Horse Park - home of the equestrian and mountain biking competition.

Other relevant mega event experience includes Executive Director of two NCAA Final Four Organizing Committees, Senior Vice President of Operations for two Super Bowls, and Director of the Local Organizing Committees for the US Figure Skating Championships and the Bassmaster Classic.

His early career was focused on media relations, sponsorship sales and promotions for two pro football teams, college athletics and the Peach Bowl.

DJ is now serving his fourth stint as a member of the National Senior Games Association Board having previously served from 2012 – 2018.

The Iowa native relocated to Birmingham in early 2017 after living in Atlanta for 30 years. He and his wifeChristy Thomas, who is the Chief Financial Officer for BLOX reside in Vestavia with their two rescue dogs Ellie and Luke.