2021 HOSTS & FEATURED SPEAKERS
Kate
Ackerman, MD
Harvard Associate Professor and Medical Director, Female Athlete Program, Division of Sports Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital
Malika
Andrews
NBA Reporter and Host of 'NBA Today', ESPN
Zaila
Avant-garde
2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion
Halle
Berry
Academy Award-winning actress and Director of the upcoming film, Bruised
Maya
Brady
Standout UCLA softball player
Heidi
Browning
Chief Marketing Officer, NHL
Angela
Courtin
Global Head of Brand Marketing, YouTube
Rachel
Epstein
Senior Director, ESPN and espnW Marketing
Julie
Foudy
espnW columnist and ESPN soccer commentator
Laura
Gentile
Executive Vice President, Commercial Marketing, Disney Networks & ESPN and Founder, espnW
Ginny
Gilder
Co-Cwner, Seattle Storm
Allison
Glock
Journalist, TV writer/producer, and filmmaker
Gwen
Goldman
Yankees Bat Girl
Raina
Kelley-Garfman
Vice President and Editor-in-Chief, The Undefeated
Nina
King
Athletic Director, Duke University
Kelly
Kleine
Executive Director of Football Operations, Denver Broncos
Alix
Klineman
Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist
Candice
Lee
Athletic Director, Vanderbilt University
Brian
Lockhart
Senior Vice President, ESPN+ Original Content and ESPN Films, ESPN
Nicole
Lynn
President of Football Operations, Klutch Sports Group
Sarah
McLachlan
Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter
Abby
McLoughlin
Marketing Director, Curran Theater & Gwen Goldman's daughter
Jessica
Mendoza
MLB Analyst, ESPN
Alana
Nichols
Six-time Paralympic medalist, wheelchair basketball and alpine skiing
Debra
OConnell
President, Networks - Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, The Walt Disney Company
Lynn
Olszowy
Producer, ESPN and Co-Host of espnW's Laughter Permitted podcast
Jon
Patricof
CEO and Co-Founder Athletes Unlimited
Dawn
Porter
Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Trilogy Films
Shelby
Rogers
Professional Tennis Player
April
Ross
Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist
Angela
Ruggiero
CEO and Co-Founder, Sports Innovation Lab
Mollie Marcoux
Samaan
Commissioner, LPGA
Saycon
Sengbloh
Award-winning actress and stars in ABC's 'The Wonder Years'
Ramona
Shelburne
ESPN NBA Insider and Senior Writer
Sarah
Spain
espnW Columnist and ESPN Reporter
Michele
Steele
Studio Anchor, Reporter, ESPN
Carol
Stiff
President Stiff Sports Media Consulting, LLC
Hannah
Storm
SportsCenter Anchor
Gabby
Thomas
Olympic medalist & New Balance Athlete
Tyler
Tumminia
Commissioner, Premier Hockey Federation
Julie
Uhrman
Founder and President, Angel City Football Club
Raina
Kelley-Garfman
ESPN's The Undefeated
Vice President and Editor-in-Chief, The Undefeated
Raina Kelley is Vice President and Editor-in-Chief of The Undefeated, ESPN’s multimedia content initiative exploring the intersections of sports, race and culture. She is responsible for the editorial direction, policies, oversight and strategy for projects undertaken by The Undefeated. Kelley assumed this role in May 2021, after serving as The Undefeated’s managing editor for five years. She succeeded Kevin Merida, who launched the project in May 2016.
As managing editor, Kelley was instrumental in The Undefeated’s growth and helped steer its content expansion across The Walt Disney Company units, including the “Music For The Movement” series, a collaboration with Disney Music Group’s Hollywood Records, The Undefeated Presents: Hamilton In-Depth with Kelley Carter on Disney+, and other partnerships. She leads ESPN’s Black History Always, a companywide content initiative powered by The Undefeated that highlights the contributions of African Americans through long- and short-form storytelling across media platforms beyond the traditional 28-day Black history month in February.
Kelley’s leadership helped The Undefeated earn awards and commendations for its work, including citations by the Associated Press Sports Editors and several NABJ Salute to Excellence Awards for exemplary coverage of African American people and issues.
Before joining The Undefeated, Kelley served as deputy editor at ESPN The Magazine. She was a leading driver of ESPN’s long-form journalism across different platforms (print, digital and audio-visual) and worked closely with some of the company’s leading storytellers.
Kelley joined ESPN in May 2011 as a senior editor at ESPN The Magazine, responsible for the publication’s coverage of the National Football League, tennis, action sports, the Olympics and ESPN Enterprise Unit. She was a senior editorial leadership team member responsible for successfully merging ESPN’s print and digital content units under one umbrella.
Before ESPN, Kelley was a writer for Newsweek magazine. She penned a column on American culture, usually on race, gender, and politics for the magazine, Newsweek.com, and Newsweek/Daily Beast. Kelley joined Newsweek in 2003 as an associate editor and left as a staff writer in 2011. While at Newsweek, she appeared on numerous television programs to discuss her cultural criticism, including the Charlie Rose Show, Good Morning America, The Today Show and CNN’s American Morning.
The 2008 Presidential campaign and eventual election of America’s first African American President offered Kelley a unique opportunity to delve into thought-provoking commentary and experiential writing about race in America. At Newsweek, she won several NY NABJ awards for her work on race and culture and was a 2010 Newswomen’s Club of NY Front Page Award winner for her contribution to a Newsweek.com package entitled “The Beauty Advantage.”
A 1992 graduate of theater arts from Yale University, Kelley started her professional career as a staff member at the Aboutface Theater Company (AFTC).
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