We’ll be adding confirmed speakers regularly in the weeks leading up to The Summit. Check back often!
Jill
Abbott
Head of Consumer and Athlete Engagement
Gatorade
Jocelyn
Benson
Secretary of State, Michigan
Jay
Bilas
College Basketball Analyst
ESPN
Susan
Braun
CEO
The V Foundation for Cancer Research
Liz
Cambage
WNBA All-Star and Single-Game Scoring Record Holder
Michelle
Carter
Olympic gold medalist, shot put
Cari
Champion
SportsCenter anchor
ESPN
Kendall
Coyne Schofield
Professional hockey player, Olympic gold medalist
Hailie
Deegan
Professional NASCAR driver
Elie
Donahue
Vice President, Marketing
Rothy's
Liza
Donnelly
The New Yorker
Julie
Eddleman
Global Client Partner
Google
Rachel
Epstein
Senior Director, Emerging Properties and Brands
ESPN
Julie
Foudy
espnW writer, ESPN commentator, World Cup soccer champion & Olympic gold medalist
Eileen
Fracchia
Managing Principal
El Camino Group
Shelly-Ann
Fraser-Pryce
Olympic Gold Medalist
Azzi
Fudd
St. John's College HS
Laura
Gentile
Senior Vice President, Marketing
ESPN
Christy
Hedgpeth
Chief Operating Officer
WNBA
Dr. Sarah
Hillyer
University of Tennessee
Valorie
Kondos Field
Former UCLA gymnastics coach, 7-time NCAA Champion
John
Langel
Attorney, Ballard Spahr
Representing U.S. Women's Hockey team
Richard
Lapchick
Eminent Scholar, Endowed Chair & Director
The DeVos Sport Business Management Program, UCF
Becky
Lynch
Women's Champion, WWE Raw
Ella
Mai
Singer-songwriter
Sharon
Matthews
ESPN's The Undefeated
Jessica
Mendoza
ESPN MLB analyst, NY Mets Baseball Operations Advisor & Olympic gold medalist
Ibtihaj
Muhammad
Olympic medalist, fencing, entrepreneur, and activist
Bubba
Nickles
UCLA Softball star, NCAA Champion
Katie
Nolan
Host, ESPN's "Always Late w/ Katie Nolan"
Nneka
Ogwumike
WNBA Champion and All-Star, President, WNBA Players Association
Katelyn
Ohashi
Former gymnast, NCAA Champion
Alison
Overholt
Vice President, Storytelling & Special Projects
ESPN
Jimmy
Pitaro
President, ESPN & Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks
Lauren
Reynolds Nelson
Executive Editor
ESPN
Robin
Roberts
Co-Anchor, "Good Morning America"
Connor
Schell
Executive Vice President, Content
ESPN
Andy
Schwarz
Chief Innovation Officer & Co-Founder
Historical Basketball League
Renata
Simril
President & CEO
The LA84 Foundation
Senator Nancy
Skinner
State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley
Sarah
Spain
espnW columnist, ESPN reporter and Radio host
Sage
Steele
SportsCenter anchor and espnW Summit host
Carol
Stiff
VP Women's Sports Programming
ESPN
Katrin
Tanja Davidsdottir
CrossFit Games Women's Champion 2015 & 2016
Maria
Taylor
College Sports Analyst & Reporter
ESPN & SEC Network
Laura
Tierney
Founder and CEO
The Social Institute
Shari
Van Cleave
Head of Wells Fargo Digital Labs
Wells Fargo
Julia
Vergueiro
GSMP
Pelado Real Futebol Clube
Casey
Wasserman
Chairman & CEO
Wasserman
Cindy
Whitehead
Founder
"Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word"
A'ja
Wilson
WNBA All-Star and Rookie of the Year, Las Vegas Aces
Brittney
Zamora
Professional NASCAR driver
Laura
Gentile
ESPN
Senior Vice President, Marketing
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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