WISE Power Play events
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NYC METRO: Power Play: Up Close with Women from Major League Soccer on March 12 at Proskauer: (from left): MLSSoccer.com reporter/moderator Susannah Collins; JoAnn Neale, president/CAO; Jen Cramer, SVP, partnership marketing; Emily Unruh, VP, retail development; Jennifer Maurillo, SVP, events.
Photo: Stephan Hudson / 2nd Chance Photography 
2/15
ARIZONA: Power Play: Up Close with Arizona Sports Legal Eagles on March 15 at Brother John’s Beer, Bourbon & BBQ in Tucson. Marina Carpenter, general counsel, Arizona Coyotes; Maacah Scott, associate general counsel, Arizona Diamondbacks, and WISE Arizona Chapter president; Caitlin Schmidt, moderator and reporter, Arizona Daily Star.
Photo: WISE Arizona chapter 
3/15
ATLANTA: Power Play: Up Close with Women of Atlanta United on March 12 at the Georgia World Congress Center. Dana Harple, director of corporate partnerships; Catie Griggs VP, gusiness operations; Elena Cizmaric, senior director, corporate communications; Sarah Kate “Skate” Noftsinger director marketing and fan engagement; Valerie Moore, director of fan services.
Photo: wise chapter atlanta 
4/15
BOSTON Power Play: Up Close with the Women of the Boston Celtics on March 28 at Carrie Nation Cocktail Club. Amanda Pflugrad, moderator and Boston Celtics Sports reporter; Mackenzie Henderson, VP, ticket sales; Nicole Federico, VP, business development; Kara Walker,VP, Marketing; Carley Lenahan, manager of live events.
Photo: wise boston chapter 
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CHICAGO: Power Play: Up Close with Women in Basketball on March 7 at Chicago Sports Museum. Amy Potter, moderator and director, head of Sponsorships, BMO Financial; Tracy Ellis-Ward, associate commissioner, women’s basketball, Big East Conference; Erin Dickerson, assistant coach, Georgetown Hoyas women’s basketball; Watchen Nyanue, VP, marketing partnerships, Chicago Sky; Megan Donovan, director, partnership marketing, Chicago Bulls.
Photo: wise chicago chapter 
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CLEVELAND: Power Play: Up Close with Wednesday is FOUR Women, MAC Women’s Basketball Tournament on March 13 at Quicken Loans Arena. Photo L to R: Monica Gustin (moderator), Bid Coordinator 2024 Women’s Final Four, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission; Ashley Jackson, Programming Director, City of Cleveland Department of Recreation; Emily Drake, wealth management specialist, Fairport Asset Management; Amy Reis, director of women’s basketball, NCAA; Marcy Weston, first Women’s Final Four referee.
Photo: WISE cleveland chapter 
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HOUSTON: Power Play: Up Close with Women in Media on March 28 at Univision Television Network. Allie LeClair, corporate communications manager, Houston Texans; Leslie Enriquez, senior producer, Univision; Kate Klein, director, live events and experiences, Entercom; Patti Smith, moderator and director of PR for the Harris County Houston Sports Authority.
Photo: wise houston chapter 
8/15
LAS VEGAS: Power Play: Up Close with Women in Live Events on March 20 at UFC headquarters: (from left) Kris Lingle-Griffith, VP, marketing, AEG Presents; Monica Reeves, corporate director of entertainment, Station Casinos; Amanda Moore, VP, marketing, Live Nation Las Vegas; Erin Calhoun, executive director of booking, MGM Resorts Entertainment and Sports; MaryAnne Beaman, director of sales and special events, Fremont Street Experience.
Photo: WISE Las Vegas chapter 
9/15
LOS ANGELES: Power Play: Up Close with Women from the Los Angeles Lakers on March 13 at UCLA Health Training Center: (from left) Lakers host/moderator Allie Clifton; Allison Howard, VP, corporate partnerships; Christina Khosravi, director, business analytics and strategy; Kiesha Nix, executive director, Lakers Youth Foundation; Elaine Shen, chief of staff; Lisa Estrada, VP, facilities and building operations.
Photo: WISE Los Angeles chapter 
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GREATER RALEIGH: Power Play: Up Close with Women from Teamworks on March 13 at Teamworks. Mary Spencer, VP, people development, Wasserman and WISE Raleigh Chapter president; and Teamworks executives Marianne Schroer, manager, corporate marketing and PR; Rachael Classi, senior director, strategy; and Sarah Holsinger, manager, customer success.
Photo: WISE GREAter raleigh chapter 
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SAN DIEGO: Power Play: Up Close with Women in San Diego Gulls on March 13 at Pechanga Arena. Molly Shaus, fan development marking manager, Anaheim Ducks; Susanna Wiggins, corporate partnership, activation associate, San Diego Gulls; Gina Galasso, VP, human resources, Anaheim Ducks; Melissa Werman, community relations director, San Diego Gulls; Susan Sakamoto, director of human resources, Anaheim Ducks; Emily Harlan, entertainment coordinator, San Diego Gulls.
Photo: WISE San Diego chapter 
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TAMPA BAY: Power Play: Up Close with Sheila Johnson on March 20 at Innisbrook Resort at the Valspar Championship. Janelle Wells, assistant rofessor, University of South Florida; Shelia Johnson, founder/CEO of Salamander Hotels & Resorts, vice chairman or Monumental Sports & Entertainment and co-founder BET Networks; Michelle Harrolle, faculty member, University of South Florida and WISE Tampa Bay chapter president.
Photo: WISE tampa bay chapter 
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TORONTO: Power Play: Up Close with Executive Women in Sports on March 28 at the Toronto Marriott: (from left): NHL EVP Kim Davis, NFL COO Maryann Turcke, retired NBA CMO/EVP Pam El, and TSN Sportscaster/moderator Katie Bierness.
Photo: Scott Murdoch / Five by Five Photography 
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UTAH: Power Play: Up Close with Women of Utah Jazz on March 22 at Vivint Smart Home Arena in the Courtside Suite. Michelle Smith, SVP, people and culture, Utah Jazz and VP of WISE Utah; Kristen Kenney, Jazz sideline reporter; Melissa Majchrzak, Jazz team photographer and the NBA’s only female photographer assigned to a team; and Briana Barker Carr, director of Jazz Broadcast.
Photo: WISE Utah chapter 
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WASHINGTON, D.C.: Power Play: Up Close with Women Entrepreneurs in Sports and Events on March 20 at Beacon DC. Pam Chovtkin, broadcast television freelancer; Becky Lee, founder/executive director, Becky’s Fund; Leelannee Malin, principal/CEO, Malin PR, and WISE DC president and moderator; Raychl Speigner, founder, Speigner Grant Solutions; Chrys Sbily, owner/president, CSA Studio; Candi Waller, CEO, CWall Sports & Entertainment.
Photo: wise washington D.C. chapter PREVIOUS
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In 2010, the NYC Metro chapter of Women in Sports & Events posed a question: Where are the women in sports business, and what do they do?
The response was the “Power Play: Up Close With … ” initiative. An all-female panel discussion hosted annually in March in celebration of Women’s History Month, “Power Play” features senior- to executive-level women from the same organization, or section of sports business, who represent different disciplines.
“We believed by presenting this group of accomplished professionals who could speak confidently about their organization’s business, their work and their career journeys, we would be contributing to a larger conversation surrounding women in leadership roles,” said Van Adams, creator of the “Power Play” concept and president of the WISE NYC Metro Chapter. “Representation matters. Programs like ‘Power Play’ advance the dialogue on female leadership and encourage productive conversations on career advancement by bringing to the table those who inspire us to see the possibilities of progress.”
After nearly a decade-long run with the NYC Metro chapter, “Power Play” has become a national signature program of WISE, with events held in 15 chapter cities across the U.S. and Canada last month.
