Meet Fellow Innovators & Influencers

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Carol Stiff

VICE PRESIDENT, PROGRAMMING & ACQUISITIONS

Dara Pettinelli

managing editor of Disney Interactive Media Group

Therese Steiner

President and Founder of Therese Steiner Consulting

Kristy Scrymgeour

Chief Executive Officer for Velocio Events

Mary O'Connor

Vice President of Olympic Marketing and Global Platforms for Omnicom’s The Marketing Arm (TMA)

Lori LeBas

SVP Bus Ops, Sales and Marketing at ESPN

Julie Foudy

Founder, Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy, Television Analyst and Reporter for ABC/ESPN

John Skipper

President, ESPN, Inc. Co-Chairman, Disney Media Networks

Liesl Holtz

Global Women's Sports Marketing Manager at Oakley

Summer Sanders

Olympic Swimmer and Television Personality

Ashley Koff, RD

Celebrity Dietitian, Author, Health and Lifestyle Contributor

Ashley Smeltzer

Athlete Marketing Coordinator at Red Bull North America

Sheryl Swoopes

Six time WNBA All Star and Three Time Defensive Player of the Year

Carmelita Jeter

THREE-TIME OLYMPIC MEDALIST TRACK & FIELD WORLD CHAMPION FASTEST WOMAN IN THE WORLD

John Walsh

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE EDITOR ESPN

Joanna Rice

Director of Finance & Strategy for ESPN Publishing, Licensing & espnW

Russell Wolff

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND MANAGING DIRECTOR ESPN INTERNATIONAL

Rob King

Senior Vice President, Editorial for ESPN Digital and Print Media

Christine Driessen

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, ESPN

Lee Satterfield

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Professional and Cultural Exchanges

Stacey Allaster

Chairman and CEO of the Women’s Tennis Association

Marie Donoghue

Sr VP Global Strategy, Business Development and Business Affairs, ESPN

Sarah Spain

Columnist, espnW SportsCenter Anchor, Chicago's ESPN 1000 Reporter, ESPNChicago.com

Andrea Berry

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT MEDIA SERVICES FOX NETWORKS ENGINEERING AND OPERATIONS

Dr. Henry Friedman

Co-Director, Collegiate Athlete Premedical Experience (CAPE) Deputy Director, The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke

Laura Suchoski

Associate Manager of Social Media, espnW

Shamila Kohestani

Former Captain of the Afghan women’s national soccer team

Dr. Richard E. Lapchick

Endowed Chair and Director, DeVos Sports Business Management Program

Kim McFadden

Vice President of Human Resources for the NFL

Natara Holloway

Vice President of Retail Development in the Consumer Products department of the NFL

Ann Meyers Drysdale

Vice President, Phoenix Mercury Vice President, Phoenix Suns

Holly Campbell

Vice President, Marketing Communications for Enterprise Holdings

Mary Wittenberg

NYRR President and CEO Race Director of the ING New York City Marathon

Alicia McConnell

Director of Training Sites and Community Partnerships for the United States Olympic Committee

Chris LaPlaca

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS

Kathleen Behrens

Executive Vice President, Social Responsibility & Player Programs National Basketball Association

Alana Nichols

Paralymic Athlete, Wheelchair Basketball

Julie McGlone

Coordinating Producer for the Creative Content Unit in ESPN's Production Department

Danielle Summers

Senior Business Operations Coordinator, ESPN

Ashley McCullough

Chief Communications Officer for Velocio Events

Judith Sweet

Co-Director, Alliance of Women Coaches NCAA Senior Vice President, Retired UC San Diego, Director of Athletics Emerita

Kerry D. Chandler

Executive Vice President, Human Resources National Basketball Association

Eric Johnson

Executive Vice President, Multimedia Sales for ESPN Customer Marketing and Sales

Anna Isaacson

Director of Community Affairs, National Football League

Susan Cohig

Senior Vice President, Integrated Marketing National Hockey League

Lindsay Amstutz

Vice President of Marketing for FOX Sports Regional Sports Networks

Andrea Fairchild

Global Vice President of Sports Nutrition for Gatorade

Lisa Baird

Chief Marketing Officer of the United States Olympic Committee

John Kosner

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER, DIGITAL & PRINT MEDIA

Kathryn Olson

Chief Executive Officer of the Women's Sports Foundation

Sue Hovey

Former VP and Executive Editor, ESPN The Magazine

Ed Erhardt

President, ESPN Global Customer Marketing and Sales

Val Ackerman

Former President, WNBA U.S. Representative, International Basketball Federation

Adam Deutsch

Sr. Director of Product Development for Global X Games, ESPN

Christine Godleski

Chief Operating Officer of the Women's National Basketball Association

Sara Gotfredson

Sr. Director, ESPN Customer Marketing & Sales

Rosa Gatti

Senior Vice President, Communications Counsel and Corporate Outreach, ESPN

Talley Sergent

Director of Strategic Initiatives U.S. Department of State

Lauren Stevenson

Senior Director of National Accounts, Disney and ESPN Media Networks.

Tonya Cornileus Ph.D.

VICE PRESIDENT, LEARNING & ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Caroline Andrew

Vice President of Mfa Marketing and Communications

laurie orlando

Senior Vice President, Talent Development & Planning

John Lisko

Executive Communication Director Saatchi & Saatchi

Jemele Hill

Columnist and Television Personality for ESPN

Donald McPherson

Activist, Educator, Feminist, Entrepreneur College Football Hall of Famer

Kerin Hempel

Leads the Strategy & Planning department at New York Road Runners (NYRR)

James Parker

Director of Operations for the Amateur Athletic Union

Jill Kinney

Marketing/Branded Entertainment at Gatorade

Kathleen DeBoer

Executive Director of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)

Adam Silver

Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer National Basketball Association

Carolyn Feinstein

Senior Vice President, Global Acquisition Marketing Electronic Arts

PAST PARTICIPANTS

Stacey Allaster

Chairman and CEO of the Women’s Tennis Association

A consummate tennis professional named by Forbes magazine as one of the “Most Powerful Women in Sports,” Stacey Allaster has held virtually every position imaginable in the world of tennis: from a junior to a collegiate player; to Tournament Director in Toronto; to a VP of Tennis Canada; to President of the WTA and now she serves as Chairman and CEO of the world’s leading professional sport for women, the WTA. In 2011, WTA’s Board of Directors unanimously voted to extend Allaster’s contract, setting her up to become the second-longest serving Chairman and CEO of the WTA in history.

Allaster’s tenure as Chairman and CEO began in July 2009 and has been marked by her focus on maximizing the fan experience through a series of on-court and digital innovations; securing a record number of new sponsors; ensuring the financial success of the sport; and enhancing the health and well-being of the athletes.

With a focus on fan enjoyment and athlete health, Allaster played an integral role in the development and adoption of the Roadmap, the WTA’s long term strategic plan aimed at streamlining the calendar in order to enhance the overall health and well-being of the athletes and deliver top players on a more consistent basis to tournaments and fans. She also spearheaded such innovative programs as on-court coaching, electronic line calling, and a revised doubles scoring format, all aimed at enhancing the fan experience and taking women's tennis to new heights.

In her first two years as CEO, Allaster delivered a series of financial successes as she secured global sponsorships for the WTA, including the renewal of many existing partnerships, and the signing of five new sponsors around the globe. She also secured a landmark four-year deal with digital sports specialist PERFORM, an agreement expected to double the overall exposure for WTA tennis in the broadcast and digital space.
An advocate for women, Allaster was instrumental in securing equal prize money for women tennis players at all four Grand Slams, which was finally completed in 2007 when Wimbledon and Roland Garros committed to offering equal pay to male and female athletes.

Allaster holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Physical Education from the University of Western Ontario, and an MBA from the Ivey School of Business. The mother to children Jack and Alexandra, Allaster and husband John Milkovich reside in St. Petersburg, Florida.

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Meet Fellow Innovators & Influencers