Women in Sports Business Symposium
"Get Your Head in the Game: Connect with Peers, Meet a Mentor, Leave a Legacy”

Women in Sports Business Woman of the Year Award

We are happy to announce that this year, Donna A. Lopiano, Ph.D., former Chief Executive Officer of the Women's Sports Foundation, will be honored as the WSBS Woman of the Year.

Dr. Lopiano joins a distinguished group of past award recipients, including Chief Executive Officer and Commissioner of World Team Tennis (WTT), Ilana Kloss, former President of the WNBA and current President of USA Basketball, Val Ackerman, and former VP of Marketing at ESPN, Lee Ann Daly.

Donna Lopiano, Ph.D.
2008 WSBS Woman of the Year Award Recipient
CEO, Women's Sports Foundation

Donna A. Lopiano, Ph.D. is the former Chief Executive Officer of the Women's Sports Foundation and was named one of “The 10 Most Powerful Women in Sports” by Fox Sports. The Sporting News has also listed her as one of “The 100 Most Influential People in Sports.” She received her bachelor's degree from Southern Connecticut State University and her master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Southern California. She has been a college coach of men's and women's volleyball, women's basketball and softball.

As an athlete, she participated in 26 national championships in four sports and was a nine-time All-American at four different positions in softball, a sport in which she played on six national championship teams. She is a member of the National Sports Hall of Fame, the National Softball Hall of Fame and the Texas Women's Hall of Fame, among others.

Dr. Lopiano served for 17 years as the University of Texas' Director of Women's Athletics and is a past-president of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.