Women’s Sports Foundation

           (516) 542-4700, ext. 112

      JMcBeth@WomensSportsFoundation.org

 

 

East Meadow, N.Y. (September 22, 2006) – Ilana Kloss, C.E.O. of World TeamTennis, has been elected Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Women’s Sports Foundation.  The Chair is a valued resource for senior staff and Board members alike.  In her new role as Chair, Kloss will preside over and provide guidance to the Trustees and Executive Committee. 

 

“It’s an honor to be named Chair of the Board of an organization so important to the lives of physically active girls and women,” said Kloss.  “I started my career as a professional tennis player around the same time that the Women’s Sports Foundation was founded.  During my career on and off the court, I have experienced firsthand the impact the Foundation has had on the lives of millions of athletic and active women over the past 30 years.”  

 

“The Women's Sports Foundation’s continuing mission is to advance the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity.  It is a privilege to continue that work and follow in the footsteps of Dr. Dorothy Blaney (former Women’s Sports Foundation Chair).  Dorothy’s passion for women’s sports will be one of her many legacies and the most fitting way we can honor her memory is with continued dedication to the mission of the Foundation.”

 

”The success of any nonprofit organization rests on the shoulders of a passionate and committed Board of Trustees and the willingness of talented and busy professionals to serve in leadership positions.   Ilana Kloss will be an extraordinary Chair, just as she has been an outstanding Vice President and Chair of our Development and Strategic Planning Committees during her six years as a trustee.  Her election coupled with an exceptional new class of Trustees signals a new and exciting era for the Women’s Sports Foundation,” stated Donna Lopiano, C.E.O. of the Foundation.

 

Additional changes to the Board of Trustees include the election of four new members:

 

Michael Coles - Chief Executive Officer, Caribou Coffee, the second largest non-franchised coffee house chain in the United States. He currently serves on the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. He is the chairman of the Georgia Film, Video and Music Advisory Commission, chairman of the board of Charter Bank & Trust and vice chairman of ADL-Southeast Region. Coles has also run for congressional office in 1996 and 1998 and served as an advisor to the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism.

 

Dr. Kenneth Shropshire - David W. Hauck Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Faculty Director of its newly launched Wharton Sports Business Initiative.   Shropshire joined the Wharton faculty in 1986 and specializes in the subject areas of sports business, negotiations, diversity and general business law.  He is also president of the largest organization of attorneys in the sports business, the Sports Lawyers Association.  Shropshire has written extensively about the sports industry, including several award-winning books.

 

Stephanie Tolleson - former Senior Corporate Vice President of the International Management Group, who in 2006 was ranked fourth among the top 20 women in the sports industry by Sports Business Journal.   At IMG, she was in charge of its big-name tennis business, which owns events like the Nasdaq-100 Open and consults with Wimbledon on licensing and TV matters.   She is a former professional tennis player.

 

Stephen Whisnant - Director, Capital and Business Development, Venture Philanthropy Partners which invests in high-performing nonprofit organizations.  Aside from his vast career in the nonprofit world, Whisnant also spent 15 years in higher education as a senior development officer, program officer and advisor, including 10 years with Harvard University. He gained political fundraising experience during his tenure with the Democratic National Committee, for which he served as the Executive Director of the Presidential and Democratic Party Victory Fund in support of the 1988 presidential race.  Whisnant also has general management and start up experience, gained during his tenure at World T.E.A.M. Sports, an organization he co-founded.

 

Kloss and the other Trustees-elect will join incumbent members of the Board, which consists of champion female athletes, prominent businesspersons, major benefactors and leaders of women's sports organizations.  Current Board members are:

 

OFFICERS/EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Billie Jean King, Founder and Honorary Chair
Named by Life Magazine as one of the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20^th Century”

Donna A. Lopiano, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer, Women’s Sports Foundation 

Dominique Dawes, President

Three-time Olympic medalist, gymnastics

 

Aimee Mullins, President - Elect

World record holder, Paralympian, Track and Field

 

Sandra Vivas, Treasurer

President and CEO, Beyond Boundaries, Inc. /Athletic Link.com

 

Nona M. Lee, Trustee - At-large

President, Phoenix Women’s Sports Association

Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Arizona Diamondbacks

 

Robert Hope, Chair – Marketing/Communications

President, Hope-Beckham, Inc.

 

Susan D. Wellington, Chair – Strategic Planning

Former President, U.S. Beverages

 

Madeline Weinstein, Chair - Governance

Management Consultant, Senior Advisor, Katzenbach Partners

 

TRUSTEES

Philip Beekman

President, Owl Hollow Enterprises, Inc.

 

Cyndi Blaschak

Community Consultant; Owner, Blaschak Coal Corporation

 

Kelley A. Cornish

Partner, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

 

Geena Davis

Academy Award-winning actor

 

Donna de Varona, Chair of Stewards

Two-time Olympic gold medalist, swimming

 

Christine Driessen

EVP and Chief Financial Officer, ESPN, Inc.

 

Lisa Fernandez

Three-time Olympic gold medalist, softball

 

Holly Hunter

Academy Award winning actress

 

John P. Keyser

Keyser Family Foundation

 

Jeanette Lee

“The Black Widow”

World Games gold medalist, billiards

 

Sharon Love

CEO, The Promotion Network, Inc. (T.P.N.)

 

Jessica Mendoza

Olympic gold medalist, Pan American Games gold medalist, softball

 

Susan Morrison

Former Advertising Executive

 

Benita Fitzgerald Mosley

President and CEO, Women in Cable & Telecommunications

 

Lissa Muscatine

Writer/Political Consultant

 

Kathryn Olson

Chief Marketing Officer, Leap Frog Enterprises, Inc.

 

Curtis Symonds                                                                               

COO, Washington Mystics

 

Pamela Wheeler

Director of Operations, Women’s National Basketball Players Association

Board members contribute their knowledge and expertise toward the exemplary operation of the organization.  The Board directs the Foundation’s fiscal planning, policy directives and resource acquisition

About the Women’s Sports Foundation
Founded in 1974 by Billie Jean King, the Women’s Sports Foundation is a national charitable educational organization seeking to advance the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity. The Foundation’s Participation, Education, Advocacy, Research and Leadership Programs are made possible by gifts from individuals, foundations and corporations. For more information, please call 800-227-3988 or visit our Web site at www.WomensSportsFoundation.org.