Mira Shane wins 2023 Civic Leadership Award presented by EY

Mira Shane has been named the winner of the 2023 Athletes Unlimited Civic Leadership Award presented by EY. The award recognizes the breadth and depth of her 2023 civic leadership activities within and beyond Athletes Unlimited, her dedication and passion for civic leadership activities, and the degree to which she embraces the opportunity to be both a professional athlete and civic leader. Shane is the third recipient of the award, following Jazmyn Jackson and Cassidy Lichtman. 

Shane was selected by a voting committee including: EY Americas Financial Services Strategic Relationships Leader Sarah Francis; CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation Danette Leighton; Founder of The Sports Bra Jenny Nguyen; Co-Founder, Board Chairwoman and President of Morgan’s Message Dona Rodgers; and Founder of Girls Who Code and Moms First Reshma Saujani. 

Shane is a founding member of Athletes Unlimited’s Intersectional Equity Working Group, which seeks to promote intersectional equity and highlight diverse voices and perspectives within AU communities. Mira spoke at TEDx on themes related to intersectionality of race, gender and sport. She has also been a strong supporter of AU’s Power In My Voice campaign — an initiative to show that everyone can have an impact by using their voice. Mira also served as Co-Chairperson of the Lacrosse Player Executive Committee for the past three years. In addition, she volunteers with CityLax, a nonprofit changing the lives of students through lacrosse, and AU’s All-Access program, dedicated to bringing lacrosse to underserved communities. While she continues her professional lacrosse career, Shane also currently works at JustWorks in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging space and facilitates trainings to educate people around anti-discrimination and inclusion practices. 

“It’s been my mission to just show up and give 110% energy in so much of what I do,” said Shane. “I’ve learned that supporting folks wherever I am on the field is how I view my role as a civic leader. I take pride in doing small tasks and ensuring folks have what they need to perform at their best self.” 

The other finalists for the 2023 Civic Leadership Award presented by EY included Taj Cole (Basketball), Melissa Hawkins (Lacrosse), Madi Huskey (Softball) and Kaz Brown (Volleyball).

The Civic Leadership Award is presented by EY, which joined Athletes Unlimited as a sponsor in 2022. As part of the award, EY will be providing a contribution to Mira’s charity of choice. Additionally, EY will be providing resources to help athletes achieve success off the field of play through the Athletes+ program.

“Women’s sports are experiencing a breakthrough moment,” said Kristin Valente, EY Americas Chief Client Officer-elect. “Whether it’s record-breaking viewership of the NCAA Women’s basketball tournament or skyrocketing NWSL franchise valuations, the conversation about these remarkable women athletes has shifted. Fans around the world are tuning in and taking notice. That spotlight brings a bigger platform and greater opportunity for women to lead – not just within their sports but in their communities as well. Mira Shane is a shining example of the impact we can make when we lend our voices to solving complex problems and elevating everyone around us. We are proud to recognize Mira for her outstanding civic leadership contributions.” 

“For 50 years and counting, we at the Women’s Sports Foundation have known that equity could be achieved throughout society if athletes continued to use their platforms to challenge the status quo and advocate for change,” said Women’s Sports Foundation CEO, Danette Leighton. “Mira Shane’s civic leadership is awe-inspiring and I want to thank her for pushing the needle forward on the lacrosse field and her community because by helping girls and women play, they lead, and we all win.”