3rd Annual "Women and ..." Luncheon
Women and Sports: Get in the Game

October 27, 2010
The New York Athletic Club
New York, New York

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ATTENDED!

How does sports participation prepare young women athletes to become leaders in business and society? What causes or thwarts a thriving sports career for professional women athletes? Why do professional women in sports succeed or fail? Why does any of this matter?

Featuring:

Alina Cho is a national correspondent for CNN and a contributor to American Morning on CNN/U.S. Most recently, Ms. Cho covered the historic election of President Barack Obama and in 2008, Cho provided rare, live coverage from inside North Korea for CNN. She was part of the official press delegation traveling with the New York Philharmonic for the orchestra’s groundbreaking concert in Pyongyang. She also provided a personal look at the division of North and South Korea through the eyes of her parents, who are survivors of the Korean War. Ms. Cho will serve as Moderator for "Women and Sports: Get in the Game."

Susan Choi is a professional golfer who started playing competitively during her senior year in high school; as a Wellesley College student, she won 13 NCAA Collegiate golf events. She has been the LPGA Duramed Futures Tour Captain for the LPGA-USGA Girls of Greater Boston and cracked Top 30 GolfWeek/Titleist Women’s Amateur Golf Rankings in 2007 after only three full years of competitive golf. Ms. Choi will serve as a panelist.

Gail Marquis, currently Vice President of Element Financial Group, is a 1976 US Olympic Champion and Silver Medalist in basketball. She has been inducted into four Halls of Fame, including the NYC Hall of Fame. She continues to advocate for women's causes and sports, and is involved in the Women's Sports Foundation, the New York City Sports Commission, and NYC2012, the movement to bring the Olympic Games to New York City in 2012. Ms. Marquis will serve as a panelist.

Donna Orender is President of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the most successful women's sports league in the world. Ms. Orender has led significant growth during her tenure, including three consecutive years of increased attendance and ratings while enhancing marketing partnerships and leading the WNBA into new markets. Ms. Orender started her career in production at ABC Sports and then served 17 years with the PGA Tour, including her role as Senior Vice President of Strategic Development in the Office of the Commissioner. Ms. Orender played both collegiate and professional basketball, and serves on the boards of several organizations supporting sports, women, and health. Ms. Orender will serve as a panelist.

Laura Pappano is a writer-in-residence at the Wellesley Centers for Women and author of Playing With the Boys: Why Separate is not Equal in Sports. She writes on issues of education and gender equity in sports, and has been published in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and The Washington Post, among others. She is currently working on the Women's Sports Leadership Project at WCW and directs the blog, FairGameNews.com. Ms. Pappano will frame the topic and provide background research.  Read more about Ms. Pappano.

Jill Smoller is the Head the Sports/Entertainment Division at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (WME). She joined the William Morris Agency in April 2001 to head a new division, spearheading sports marketing efforts on behalf of William Morris clients throughout the world. She is responsible for on-and off-field representation including motion picture, television, commercial, licensing, broadcast and sponsorship opportunities for athletes and other sports figures as they expand and diversify their careers--her clients include Serena Williams and Kevin Garnett. She is the Agency’s inter-departmental link from which a wide range of sports marketing activities originate. Ms. Smoller will serve as a panelist.