espnW Announces Agenda and Speakers for the 15th Annual espnW: Women + Sports Summit, presented by Toyota

October 22, 2024

/SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ The Summit returns to the Ojai Valley Inn and will take place in-person and virtually October 28-30. This year’s lineup includes 7-time Olympic Gold medalist, advocate and entrepreneur, Allyson Felix, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism Dean and Owner of the Angel City Football Club, Willow Bay, WNBA Champion, 2-time WNBA MVP and 7-time WNBA All-Star, Elena Delle Donne, BMX Racing Olympic Medalist and 3x World Champion, Alise Willoughby, 4-time WNBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist, Kahleah Copper and five-time Grammy award-winning musician, songwriter and producer, Brittany Howard.

espnW has announced the agenda for the 2024 espnW: Women + Sports Summit, presented by Toyota, taking place October 28-30 at Ojai Valley Inn, Ojai, CA. The Summit, celebrating its 15th anniversary, will bring together speakers across sports, business and entertainment for a range of keynotes, breakout sessions, panels, and presentations, focusing on advancing women in sports. Programming from this year’s Summit will also be live streamed across select espnW and ESPN digital and social platforms – virtual registration is free at https://espnwsummit.com.

SportsCenter Anchor Elle Duncan will once again host the Summit with additional panels moderated by Anchor, Host, and Play-by-Play Commentator, Cristina Alexander, Women’s Sports Journalist and Commentator, Ari Chambers, espnW Podcast Host and World Cup Champion Julie Foudy, Basketball Host and Analyst, LaChina Robinson, Writer, Radio Host and TV Personality, Sarah Spain, and SportsCenter Anchor, Hannah Storm. Featured events and panels during the Summit will include:

●  espnW Opening Keynote Conversation: Broadcast journalist, media pioneer, and digital communication leader Willow Bay, Dean of USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and Owner of the Angel City Football Club, joins ESPN’s Elle Duncan to discuss her acquisition and controlling ownership of Angel City FC.

●  Expansion Excellence: Owners and executives at the forefront of expansion in women’s sports discuss the unprecedented growth across leagues and teams.

○ Featuring Raven Jemison, President, Kansas City Current, Kim Ng, Senior Advisor, Athletes Unlimited Softball League, Ohemaa Nyanin, General Manager, Golden State Valkyries & Amy Scheer, SVP of Business Operations, PWHL led by Sarah Spain

●  espnW Keynote Conversation with 11x Olympic medalist, advocate and entrepreneur Allyson Felix joins Julie Foudy to discuss the launch of her women’s sports focused management firm, Always Alpha.

●  World-Class Athlete Panel: A conversation with game-changing athletes, Kahleah Copper, Olympic Gold Medalist, 4x WNBA All-Star and Phoenix Mercury Guard and Masai Russell, Olympic Gold Medalist, 100m Hurdles and Nike Running Athlete and Claressa Shields, 2x Olympic Gold Medalist, 15x World Champion and 3x Undisputed Champ, led by Hannah Storm.

●  espnW Keynote Conversation with Elena Delle Donne, WNBA Champion, 2x WNBA MVP and 7x WNBA All-Star.

●  Women at the Helm: The Big Business of Serving Female Fans: A conversation with leading executives about the power of serving and growing female audiences to drive business impact and growth

○  Featuring Colie Edison, SVP and Chief Growth Officer, WNBA, Jessica Robertson, Co-Founder and CCO of Togethxr, Esther Wallace, Founder and Creative Director, Playa Society, Shelley Zalis, CEO, The Female Quotient, led by LaChina Robinson.

●  Women’s Sports Medicine: An expansive discussion about women’s sports medicine with leading physicians.

○  Featuring Dr. Brittany Ammerman, Orthopaedic Surgery Resident, HSS, Dr. A. Holly Johnson, Orthopaedic Surgeon and Team Physician, NY Liberty and NY Rangers, Dr. Marci Goolsby, Medical Director, HSS Women’s Sports Medicine Center and Director of Sports Medicine, WNBA, Dr. Gabriella Ode, Orthopaedic Surgeon, HSS and Orthopaedic Team Doctor, NY Liberty, led by Cristina Alexander.

●  Power Talk with industry leader Carrie Parent, Marketing & Media, Google on AI functionality and Google Pixel.

●  espnW Evening Keynote and Musical Performance with five-time Grammy award-winning musician, songwriter and producer, Brittany Howard following a conversation with Sarah Spain.

●  The Women of ESPN: WNBA: An expansive conversation about one of the WNBA’s most historic seasons.

○  Featuring Andraya Carter, Basketball Host, Analyst and Reporter, ESPN, Carolyn Peck, WNBA and College Basketball Analyst, ESPN, and Holly Rowe, Reporter and Play-by-Play Commentator, ESPN, led by LaChina Robinson, Basketball Host and Analyst, ESPN.

●  Toyota Everyday Heroes: Presented by Alise Willoughby, BMX Racing Olympic Medalist and 3x World Champion and Team Toyota Athlete. Toyota’s Everyday Heroes program honors individuals creating change and opportunity for women and girls in their local communities through sports.

○  Featuring Morgan Crawford, Founder, The Moxie League and Brett Donelson and Tam Donelson, Founders, The Cycle Effect, with Julie Foudy.

●   espnW & U.S. Department of State Global Sports Mentoring Program Showcase:

○  Featuring The 2024 GSMP Delegates Nicole Elkon, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Professional and Cultural Exchanges, U.S. Department of State, Maria Soares, Senior Vice President, Sports News and Coverage at ESPN and GSMP Mentor, led by Elle Duncan.

The espnW: Women + Sports Summit continues to be a leading event in the sports industry, bringing together voices from across multiple industries to engage and inspire women in creating more opportunities for advancement in sports. Previous speakers include: two-time WNBA champion, Candace Parker, F1 Academy driver Bianca Bustamante, pioneering sports agent and partner at WME, Jill Smoller, Head Coach of the Las Vegas Aces, Becky Hammon, President of U.S. Soccer, Cindy Parlow Cone, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks, Cynthia Marshall, Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry, NASA Astronaut Nicole Mann, WNBA All-Stars Sue Bird, Liz Cambage, Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, best-selling author Chelsea Clinton, and more.

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About espnW
espnW is a global multiplatform brand dedicated to engaging and inspiring women through sports. espnW.com, the brand’s content home, offers total access to female athletes and the sports they play, takes fans inside the biggest events, and captures the biggest trends in sports life/style. espnW also provides a unique point of view on the sports stories that matter most to women and highlights the crossroads of sports and culture. Founded in July 2010, espnW’s content and voices live across digital, television, radio, films, events, educational platforms and social media.

Media Contacts:
Jay Jay Nesheim: jayjay.nesheim@espn.com
Garrett Cowan: Garrett.Cowan@espn.com