2020 HOSTS & FEATURED SPEAKERS
Malika
Andrews
NBA Reporter
Kelley
Carter
Senior Culture Writer, The Undefeated
Chelsea
Clinton
Author, “She Persisted in Sports”
Antonietta
Collins
SportsCenter anchor
Ayo
Davis
Executive Vice President, Talent & Casting, ABC Entertainment & Disney+
DeMar
DeRozan
NBA All-Star & Olympic gold medalist
Glennon
Doyle
Founder, Together Rising, best-selling author, and activist
Elle
Duncan
SportsCenter anchor
Cathy
Engelbert
WNBA Commissioner
Julie
Foudy
espnW Writer & ESPN Commentator, World Cup champion
Dany
Garcia
Chairwoman and CEO, The Garcia Companies; Co-Founder, Seven Bucks Companies and Co-Owner, XFL
Laura
Gentile
Senior Vice President, ESPN Marketing & Founder, espnW
Gracie
Gold
Professional figure skater & Olympic medalist
Kate
Johnson
Head of Global Sports & Entertainment Marketing, Google
Flora
Kelly
Senior Director, Strategic & Brand Insights, ESPN
Suzy
Kolber
Monday Night Countdown Host
Jewell
Loyd
Professional basketball player, WNBA Champion
Simone
Manuel
Professional swimmer & Olympic gold medalist
Alison
Overholt
Senior Vice President, Multiplatform Storytelling & Journalism, ESPN
Gunnar
Peterson
Professional Trainer & Director of Strength and Endurance, LA Lakers
Shelley
Pisarra
Executive Vice President, Global Insights & Strategy, Wasserman
Jimmy
Pitaro
Chairman, ESPN and Sports Content
Natalie
Portman
Actress, filmmaker, and Angel City FC Co-Owner
LaChina
Robinson
Women's College Basketball and WNBA, Analyst and Sideline Reporter
Monica
Rustgi-Mody
Vice President, Marketing, Budweiser
Molly
Seidel
Professional distance runner, NCAA Champion
Sarah
Spain
espnW Columnist, ESPN Reporter and Radio Host, and Summit Co-Host
Sage
Steele
SportsCenter anchor and espnW Summit Host
Carol
Stiff
Vice President, Women's Sports Programming, ESPN
Shiz
Suzuki
Assistant Vice President, Sponsorships and Experiential Marketing, AT&T
Maria
Taylor
College Sports Host & reporter, NBA Countdown Host
Abby
Wambach
Soccer legend, best-selling author, and activist
Laura
Gentile
Senior Vice President, ESPN Marketing & Founder, espnW
Laura Gentile was named ESPN’s Senior Vice President of Marketing in September of 2018. With this move, Gentile returned to her roots at ESPN, having started her career in Marketing in January, 2003. She and her team are responsible for developing and managing all aspects of the ESPN brand across all media and building upon a catalog of award-winning creative. Additionally, she is focused on expanding the brand’s reach to new audiences and sports fans.
Gentile has held a variety of strategic roles at ESPN, giving her a unique purview. Prior to becoming the SVP of Marketing, she served as SVP, Business Operations and Content Strategy, a role that included oversight of the business operations of the Content group and strategy development. Simultaneously, she continued to lead espnW and Women’s Initiatives at ESPN. She was promoted to senior vice president, espnW and Women’s Initiatives in November 2015.
Gentile was instrumental in launching espnW, ESPN’s first dedicated business built to serve women, which debuted in December 2010. espnW is now a multimedia business encompassing digital, social, television, films, mentorship programs and events such as The espnW: Women + Sports Summit.
Prior to researching and launching espnW, Gentile served as Vice President, Chief of Staff at ESPN. In that role, she worked directly with George Bodenheimer, President, ESPN, Inc. and ABC Sports, on all aspects of the division’s business. She started at ESPN in the consumer marketing department, where she was responsible for driving the marketing direction for properties including the NFL, SportsCenter, the NHL as well as ESPN25, ESPN’s year-long 25th anniversary campaign.
Gentile was named to the Forbes “Most Powerful Women in U.S. Sports” list in 2018, ranked No. 22. In 2017, Gentile was named one of the 2017 Multichannel News Wonder Women, and in 2016 was named a Women in Cable Television (WICT) “Woman to Watch.” In November 2014, she was one of 17 participants in the inaugural Women in Sports and Events (WISE) and Tuck Executive Education at Dartmouth’s Executive Leadership Institute, a program created specifically for the advancement and retention of female executives in the sports industry. In April 2013, Gentile received the Advertising Women of NY Changing the Game Paradigm Shift Award and WICT’s Signature Accolade for espnW’s Global Sports Mentoring Program. Gentile was named to the Women’s Sports Foundation Advisory Panel. Gentile was a fellow of WICT’s Betsy Magness Leadership Institute Class XVII, and was named to Street and Smith’s Sports Business Journal Forty Under 40 Class of 2012 and an SBJ Game-Changer.Also in 2012, she was appointed to the U.S. Department of State’s Council to Empower Women and Girls Through Sports, developed by former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
She honed her marketing and advertising skills as a senior partner, management supervisor at Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide. Her team led the development of IBM’s e-business infrastructure campaign that earned the 2002 GRAND EFFIE for advertising effectiveness, a first in Ogilvy & Mather’s history.
A graduate of Duke University in 1994 with a double major in English and political science, she earned an MBA in Marketing and Organizational Behavior from Boston College’s Carroll Graduate School of Management in 1996. While an undergraduate, Gentile garnered All-America and All-ACC honors in field hockey and was a two-time team captain. She led Duke to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament and was named to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary field hockey team.
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