With an outstanding track record in leading, innovating and collaborating Katrina Adams is a woman of many firsts. The first African American to lead the United States Tennis Association (USTA), the first two term Chairman and President of said organization and the first former player to hold that honor.

As the youngest person to hold the responsibility of $300 million+ revenue while representing excellence in sport, Adams has showcased her ability to impact, influence and make sound business decisions while navigating a plethora of moving parts and 700,000+ members.

Under her tutelage the USTA achieved a number of major milestones, including the opening of the 100 court USTA National Campus in Orlando, the strategic transformation of the $600 million USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. and an unprecedented outreach effort into underserved communities in an effort to share the sport of tennis with more people.

Having attended Northwestern University and led her team to a Big Ten Championship in 1986 and partnered with Diane Donnelly to win the 1987 NCAA Doubles Championship, Adams learned early on, the importance of teamwork. A familiar face in sports commentary, as a professional player Adams competed for 12 years on the WTA Tour, winning 20 career doubles titles and reaching the quarterfinals or better in doubles at all four Grand Slam events. By operating at the highest level in sport and business she has been able to lead successive boards in setting clearly defined strategies to further the organizations’ missions and ensure that management are afforded the tools needed to execute and excel.

Adams sheer determination and hard work in Tennis, leadership and philanthropy has earned her many accolades including: being named on Adweek magazine’s “Most Powerful Women in Sports” list twice (2016 and 2017), Forbes magazine’s “Most Powerful Women in Sports” list in 2017 and Ebony magazine’s “Power 100” list.

As vice president of the prestigious International Tennis Federation, Chairman of the Fed Cup Committee, Chairman of the Gender Equality in Tennis Committee and the Executive Director of the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education program, Adams believes this is just the beginning. She has branched into the private sector as a Board Member of Pivotal Acquisition Corp II and as an Advisory Board Member of Athletes Unlimited. Having served an unprecedented two consecutive terms as USTA Chairman and President she will serve the as Immediate Past President until 2021.

*A native of Chicago, Adams lives in Yonkers, New York. Her maiden novel “Own the Arena” will be published by Harper Collins, Amistad Books, July 7th, 2020.

Kevin Durant is a 12-year NBA veteran and forward for the Brooklyn Nets. He is a two-time NBA Champion and Finals MVP; having also won an NBA MVP Award, four NBA scoring titles, two Olympic gold medals, two NBA All-Star Game MVP Awards, and an NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He is also a ten-time NBA All-Star.

Off the court, Durant is co-founder and president of Thirty Five Ventures. Founded in 2017, Thirty Five Ventures incorporates the duo’s existing business entities, including Durant’s personal brand/marketing portfolio and on-court contracts; their diverse investment portfolio; the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation; and the multi-channel sports business network The Boardroom, distributed in partnership with ESPN.

Other projects under the Thirty Five Ventures umbrella include the award-winning Fox Sports documentary “Q Ball,” the forthcoming original basketball-themed scripted series “SWAGGER,” in partnership with Imagine Entertainment and Apple, and the forthcoming documentary “In The Water” with Showtime. The company’s investment portfolio includes businesses such as Overtime, Postmates, Acorns, Rubrik, and an equity partnership with premium audio company Master & Dynamic.

The Kevin Durant Charity Foundation’s signature programs include Build It and They Will Ball, a global basketball court renovation project with 22 courts completed to date, and The Durant Center, a 10-year, 10-million dollar program in partnership with College Track that helps low-income and underserved students enroll and graduate from college. Durant received the season long NBA Cares Community Assist and ESPN Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian awards in 2018.

Karch Kiraly, who has served as head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team since taking over the squad in September 2012, has agreed to a contract renewal to lead the program through to the 2020 Olympic Games as announced on May 5, 2016.

In his seven years as head coach, Kiraly has guided the program to an overall 222-47 record (82.5 winning percent) including a bronze-medal finish at the 2016 Olympic Games. He coached the program to its first-ever FIVB World Championship gold medal in 2014, along with the 2015 FIVB World Grand Prix title as the U.S. hosted the Final Round for the first time in its 23-year history. The Americans won six of seven tournaments from the 2014 FIVB World Championship to the 2016 NORCECA Women’s Olympic Qualification Tournament, then followed with bronze medals at the 2016 Olympic Games and 2017 FIVB World Grand Champions Cup. In 2018 and 2019, Team USA won the inaugural FIVB Volleyball Nations League and defended its title the following year, which carries a $1 million top prize for the premier annual international tournament.

Kiraly started his U.S. Women’s head coaching career with an infusion of youth in 2013 that resulted in a 25-6 record and mixed results throughout the season. The squad captured the silver at the season-ending FIVB World Grand Champions Cup and gold at the NORCECA Continental Championship after a disappointing performance in the FIVB World Grand Prix Final Round.

Team USA began to put the pieces together in 2014. In the second year of the quad, the Americans started the season 17-1 including four consecutive wins over then-No. 1 Brazil in the USA Volleyball Cup. However, Team USA stumbled in the FIVB World Grand Prix and failed to make the Final Round. The U.S. used the added time to re-focus and change its jump serve to the float in preparation for the World Championship in Italy against the best teams in the world. What resulted was Team USA’s first-ever World Championship title in the 62-year history of the event to cap a 33-8 season.

The year 2015 may go down as one of the best seasons for Team USA, yet also filled with a little disappointment that will fuel them in 2016. The Americans secured an overall 41-6 record and claimed four gold medals in five tournaments, including the FIVB World Grand Prix, Pan American Games, NORCECA Championship and Pan American Cup. Yet, Team USA’s bronze finish at the FIVB World Cup, the first Olympic Qualifier that ticketed only the top two teams to Rio, shows they still have areas to work on heading into 2016.

Days into the 2016 new year, Team USA won the NORCECA Olympic Qualification Tournament to gain entry into the 2016 Olympic Games’ 12-team field. Following the returns of the American players from their international pro club seasons in Europe, Asia and South America, the U.S. Women returned to Anaheim for a month’s training before embarking on the prestigious FIVB World Grand Prix – the premier annual international women’s volleyball Tournament. Team USA finished 8-1 in the preliminary phase, including a sweep of then-No. 2 China in Hong Kong to enter the Final Round as the top seed. The Americans finished the tournament with the silver medal after a thrilling five-set loss to Brazil in Thailand.

At the 2016 Olympic Games, Team USA won all five of its pool matches, then defeated Japan in the quarterfinals. The Americans suffered a heart-breaking five-set loss to Serbia – a team that they beat in pool play – after star middle Foluke Akinradewo went down with an injury in the first set. The U.S. rallied to beat Netherlands in the bronze-medal match.

During the 2017 season, Kiraly put together a roster that brought in new faces and allowed second-year players to see more court time as the Olympic veterans took some time off. The U.S. reached the FIVB World Grand Prix Finals Round with its young roster that featured only two Olympians. Team USA finished third at the 2017 FIVB World Grand Champions Cup as four Olympians returned to the lineup to blend with the younger players.

The U.S. put together a 34-8 record in 2018, highlighted by winning the inaugural FIVB Volleyball Nations League and $1 million top prize. The Americans also claimed gold at the 2018 Pan American Cup.

In 2019, Kiraly guided the Americans to a 44-7 record with six podium finishes, including golds at the FIVB Volleyball Nations League, Olympic qualification tournament, Pan American Cup and the NORCECA Champions Cup. The U.S. also won silver at the FIVB World Cup and NORCECA Continental Championship.

Kiraly served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Women during the 2009-2012 quadrennial under head coach Hugh McCutcheon. The Americans earned the silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and finished the 2009-2012 quad with a 106-39 record.

Kiraly, the first male or female player to win Olympic gold in both indoor and beach volleyball, has been recognized by many as the greatest volleyball player. He was selected the greatest volleyball player of the 20th century by the FIVB. He is the fourth volleyball player to win a World Championship title as both a head coach and player. Along with the 1996 Olympic Games beach volleyball gold medal, Kiraly won 148 beach volleyball tournaments. He won at least one tournament in 24 of his 27 seasons of playing beach volleyball, claiming titles with 13 different partners during his four-decade long career. Kiraly was named the AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) Most Valuable Player six times.

Kiraly has been bestowed many honors for his volleyball skills. He was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2001 and the United States Olympic Hall of Fame in 2008. Kiraly was inducted into the American Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2005, followed by the College Sports Information Directors of American (CoSIDA) Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 2009. In 1992, UCLA retired the All-American’s jersey and inducted him into the UCLA Hall of Fame. Kiraly led the Bruins to a 124-5 record from 1979-82, including three NCAA titles and a runner-up finish. In 2009, Kiraly was inducted into the California Sports Hall of Fame and the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America® Hall of Fame.

Kiraly’s introduction to the sport occurred at the age of six. He earned his A and AA rating on the beach at the age of 15 and his AAA rating at 17. After leading Santa Barbara (Calif.) High School to the Southern California Championship title in 1978, Kiraly participated on the U.S. Junior National Team in 1977, 1978 and 1979 leading into his collegiate career at UCLA.

Kiraly now lives in San Clemente, Calif., with his wife, Janna. The couple has two sons, Kristian and Kory.

Rich Kleiman is Kevin Durant’s manager and co-founder in Thirty Five Ventures. Founded in 2017, Thirty Five Ventures incorporates the duo’s existing business entities, including Durant’s personal brand/marketing portfolio and on-court contracts; their diverse investment portfolio; the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation; and the multi-channel sports business network The Boardroom, distributed in partnership with ESPN.

Other projects under the Thirty Five Ventures umbrella include the award-winning Fox Sports documentary “Q Ball,” the forthcoming original basketball-themed scripted series “SWAGGER,” in partnership with Imagine Entertainment and Apple, and the forthcoming documentary “In The Water” with Showtime. The company’s investment portfolio includes businesses such as Overtime, Postmates, Acorns, Rubrik, and an equity partnership with premium audio company Master & Dynamic.

Kleiman serves as the Executive Director of the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation, helping to complete new basketball court renovations across the globe and expanding the Durant Center in Maryland’s Prince George’s County, which helps low-income and underserved students enroll and graduate from college.

Kleiman also sits on the Board of Directors at New Heights Youth, Inc., a non-profit dedicated to sports-based youth development and education in New York City.

Previously, Kleiman helped launch Roc Nation Sports, where he served as Vice President of the agency founded by Jay-Z. Kleiman started with Roc Nation in 2008 as a music manager representing Mark Ronson, Solange, Wale, and many others.

Two-time Olympic medalist and trailblazer Jessica Mendoza joined ESPN in 2007 as a softball analyst and college football sideline reporter and has since become one of the leading voices in ESPN’s Major League Baseball coverage.

In 2020, Mendoza becomes the first woman to serve as a solo analyst for a national package of MLB game telecasts including weeknight games and holiday baseball. She appears regularly on ESPN MLB studio shows including Baseball Tonight, SportsCenter, Get Up, and First Take. Mendoza will in 2020 become the first woman to serve as a World Series game analyst on national radio as she joins the MLB on ESPN Radio team for the World Series.

She has continuously made history as a Major League Baseball analyst, becoming the first female ESPN MLB game analyst on television during the August 24, 2015 edition of Monday Night Baseball. A few months later, Mendoza became the first female analyst for a nationally televised MLB Postseason game, calling the American League Wild Card Game on ESPN. That year, she also became the first female analyst for a Men’s College World Series telecast.

Mendoza appeared on several Sunday Night Baseball telecasts during the stretch run of the 2015 season and in 2016, ESPN officially named her to the Sunday Night Baseball team. She is the second-longest tenured Sunday Night Baseball analyst in the history of ESPN’s marquee MLB telecast.

One of the most notable softball players of the 2000’s, Mendoza’s on-field experience seamlessly translated to television. In addition to her MLB contributions, Mendoza also provides analysis on ESPN and ABC Little League World Series coverage since 2016. She has served as an analyst and reporter for the Men’s College World Series and since 2007 has been the lead analyst for ESPN’s coverage of the Women’s College World Series. Mendoza also contributes content to espnW. She was scheduled to serve as an on-site reporter at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo providing softball and baseball coverage.

Prior to her work with ESPN, Mendoza was a field reporter for Yahoo! Sports at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and also served as the lead college softball analyst on FOX Sports.

Mendoza is a two-time Olympian and was a member of the U.S. Women’s National team from 2001-10. Her team took home the Gold Medal in Athens, Greece (2004) and the Silver Medal in Beijing, China (2008). She is both a three-time World Champion (2002, 2006, 2010) and World Cup Champion (2006, 2007, 2010), in addition to being a two-time Pan American Gold Medalist (2003, 2007). In 2006, she was named the USA Softball Athlete of the Year and was also recognized in 2008 as the Women’s Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year. In 2019, Mendoza was inducted into the National Softball Hall of Fame.

Mendoza was a four-time first team All-American while playing outfield at Stanford University. She led the team to their first ever Women’s College World Series appearance and finished her college career with school records that are still held today in: batting average (.416), hits (327), runs scored (230) and career home runs (50). She was a three-time Stanford Female Athlete of the Year and a First Team Academic All-American in 2002.

Mendoza graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies in 2002 and a Masters in Social Sciences in Education in 2003. She is originally from Camarillo, Calif.

Cat Osterman is a three-time Olympian and four-time All-American. She pitched for the USA National Team from 2001 to 2010 and competed in the 2004, 2008 and 2020 Olympics, earning a gold medal in 2004. She has earned four National Pro Fastpitch titles and was named Championship MVP three times. A native of Houston, Texas and a University of Texas standout, Osterman led the Longhorns to three Women’s College World Series appearances in 2003, 2005 and 2006. She also became the only softball individual to win USA Softball’s National Player of the Year honors three times after earning the honor each of those seasons.

Osterman was the champion of Athletes Unlimited’s inaugural softball season in 2020, and finished her professional career with Athletes Unlimited in 2021.

She is also a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

Taylor Rooks recently joined Bleacher Report & Turner Sports, where she hosts her own interview-driven show, Take It There with Taylor Rooks. The show, which debuted in April 2019 on Bleacher Report, captures the news and conversations from the world of sports culture. The new program is Bleacher Report’s first ever show built around an individual talent and showcases Rooks’ unique ability to connect with athletes, musicians, and other celebrity influencers on a deeper level. Rooks has interviewed an all-star lineup of athletes in her inaugural season, including Jimmy Butler, Saquon Barkley, and DeMar DeRozan. Rooks also appears regularly on other Turner Sports properties, such as TNT and NBA TV.

Prior to Bleacher Report, Rooks served as the reporter and anchor for SportsNet New York (SNY), and hosted her own podcast, TimeOut with Taylor Rooks, where she interviewed guests from Kevin Durant to Snoop Dogg. Before that, Rooks worked as a host, reporter, and correspondent for the Big Ten Network and worked as a sideline reporter for CBS Sports Network.

A native of Georgia, Rooks attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she majored in broadcast journalism and reported on football and basketball recruiting for scout.com. She made national news with her stories and knowledge of basketball—specifically in recruiting. Rooks broke multiple stories regarding Cliff Alexander, Jalen Brunson, Quentin Snider, Aaron Jordan, Charles Matthews and Jayson Tatum.

In a past article from the New York Post, Rooks spoke about her drive to differentiate herself from her peers in college, often skipping class to report on basketball games. Throughout school, she interned with the PGA Tour, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, and Fox Sports. At just 19 years old, Rooks appeared on CBS Sports Network, reporting on the WBB Pre-NIT Championship.

Rooks comes from a family of athletes. Her father is former football player Thomas Rooks, while her uncle is legendary MLB Hall of Famer, Lou Brock. Taylor is also the niece of former Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints NFL player, Marv Woodson.

Angela Ruggiero is a leading figure in the global sports world, having served as an elite athlete, educator, administrator, innovator, advisor, and board member in the world of sport. In the past year, she was named to Sports Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 List, Forbes’ Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Sport, and a Member of the US Olympic Committee’s Hall of Fame.

She is the CEO and Co-Founder of the Sports Innovation Lab (https://www.sportsilab.com), a technology powered market research firm focused on the intersection of sports and innovation- with a focus on identifying trends and evaluating technology products and services that will drive the future of sport. The Sports Innovation Lab empowers brands to create breakthrough fan experiences through technology. Sports Innovation Lab currently services over 70 global clients through a combination of proprietary data and software and a team of analysts and strategists.

She currently serves on the International Olympic Committee’s Digital and Technology Commission, the IOC’s Ethics Commission and the IOC’s Nominations Commission, the NFL Players’ Association “One Team Collective,” the Board of Harvard Athletics, Titletown Tech, and is a Member of World Rugby’s Executive Committee.

Ruggiero has served the Olympic Movement on the administrative and board levels for over a decade. She was a Member of the International Olympic Committee (2010-2018), Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee and the Chairperson for the IOC Athletes’ Commission, the body representing all Olympic Athletes Worldwide. She has also served on the Board of the United States Olympic Committee, Foundation Board Member of the World Anti-Doping Agency, and was the Former President and board member of the Women’s Sports Foundation.

In prior professional roles, Ruggiero served as the Chief Strategy Officer for the successful Los Angeles 2028 Candidature Committee’s bid to host the 2028 Olympics, Senior Management Associate of the largest hedge fund in the world, Bridgewater Associates, New Business Consultant for NBS Sports, and a Director at the New York Islanders Hockey Club.

Ruggiero is a Member of the 2015 Hockey Hall of Fame (as just the 4th woman), a 4-time Olympian in ice hockey, winning a Gold Medal in 1998, Silver Medal in 2002 and 2010, and a Bronze Medal in 2006, as well as winning a National Title with Harvard in 1999. She was named as the best Player in the NCAA, and the World by The Hockey News.

Ruggiero is a graduate of the Harvard Business School (M.B.A.), Harvard College (B.A.) cum laude, and the University of Minnesota (M.Ed.) 4.0 GPA.

Sheryl Swoopes is a member of both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. She was the first player signed by the WNBA and won a championship at every level of competition, including three Olympic gold medals (1996, 2000 and 2004 with Team USA) and four WNBA titles (1997-2000 with the Houston Comets). She was a three-time WNBA MVP (2000, 2002 and 2005), a six-time WNBA All-Star, and was named one of the league’s Top 15 Players of All Time in 2011.

Swoopes first joined Athletes Unlimited as the broadcast analyst for Athletes Unlimited Basketball in 2021, a role she will once again play later this month. She is also a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

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Abby Wambach is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and FIFA World Cup Champion. She is second all-time in goals scored in International competition and her ability to lead her American teammates was a key to the USA’s success for over a decade. She was the United States’ leading scorer in the 2007 and 2011 Women’s World Cup tournaments and the 2004 and 2012 Olympics.

An activist for equality and inclusion, Abby is the author of the New York Times bestsellers; Forward: A Memoir and WOLFPACK, released in April 2019.

Pam Wasserstein is president of Vox Media. In this role she oversees all of Vox Media’s editorial and content creation, including the company’s podcasting business and dynamic multi-platform brands including Vox, New York Magazine, The Verge, Eater, The Dodo, The Cut and Vulture. Prior to its 2019 merger with Vox Media, Pam was the CEO of New York Media.

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