About Us

Derek Ponamsky is the founder and president of Winning Edge Strategy, with years of experience on multiple sides of the sports world. 

Ponamsky brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the world of sports and the practical skills to navigate the challenges that the intersection of sports and business represents. 

Derek has been at Alliance Sports since September of 2025 as Vice President of the Coaches & Executives Division. Prior to Alliance Ponamsky was an agent in the coaches and executives division of Excel Sports Management working with some of the top coaches in college and professional football and college baseball prior to the opportunity at Alliance. 

Ponamsky entered the representation world after a 6 season run at LSU football as Special Assistant to Head Coach Ed Orgeron, where he was a vital cog in the 2019 National Championship LSU Football team. Ponamsky’s primary responsibility was assisting Coach Orgeron in the day to day organization and operation of his schedule, as well as being involved in special projects, fundraising and leading the team responsible for strategy and content creation for LSU Football’s social media providing him hands on, first hand experience on the topics and issues he advises his coaching and executives division clients on today. 

Prior to being hired by Orgeron at LSU, Ponamsky hosted a daily radio show on ESPN Radio in Baton Rouge and worked on the pre and post-game shows for LSU football on the LSU Sports Radio Network. That practical knowledge was incredibly valuable experience in working with the LSU Football Social Media Team on strategy and production of content. 

Ponamsky was part of the team that won the Sports Business Journal Best in Sports Social Media and two gold American Advertising Awards and two silver American Advertising Awards for his work as the producer on the 2019 LSU Football Hype Video series.

Ponamsky, a native of Chalmette, Louisiana, attended LSU and is certified in the Fundamentals of Global Sports Management by the NYU Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport.

He has been involved with Louisiana Special Olympics, Team Gleason, Autism Speaks, The Joe Burrow Foundation and was awarded the Sheena Dianne Ayers Breathe of Life Award by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Baton Rouge for his work in support of the fight against Cystic Fibrosis.

Derek is a board member for Coaches Connection and is the Louisiana department head for Coach Safely, a nonprofit committed to teaching youth league coaches techniques in injury prevention and proper fundamentals. 

In 2020 Ponamsky was honored by the St. Bernard Parish Sports Hall of Fame as their “Spotlight Award Winner”.

Ponamsky and his wife Leanne have a daughter, Alys and a son in law, Adam.