Rose Bowl Institute Hosts 5th Annual Women’s Empowerment Symposium, Showcasing Female Leadership and Breaking Barriers

The Rose Bowl Institute is hosting its 5th Annual Women’s Empowerment Symposium, a three-day virtual event aimed at showcasing female leadership, confidence, and character from Tuesday. Oct. 10 to Thursday, Oct. 12, starting at 2:30 p.m. each day.

The symposium, tailored to young high school and college students, will focus on the Rose Bowl Institute’s themes: Sportsmanship, Leadership, and Citizenship. The event seeks to inspire participating youth to pursue higher education and professional career opportunities while breaking barriers and achieving their goals.

Day One, Tuesday, will feature ESPN reporter Kris Budden as moderator. The featured speaker is Gabby Reece, Co-founder of Laird Superfood and host of “The Gabby Reece Show” podcast.

Panelists include Jenny Cavnar, Host and Commentator for the Colorado Rockies; Batouly Camara, Founder of Women and Kids Empowerment; Odessa Jenkins, Founder of the Women’s National Football Conference; Renata Simril, President & CEO of the LA84 Foundation; Dr. Ahada McCummings, CEO of Premier Sports & Leadership Academy; Edniesha Curry, head Coach of the FIBA Men’s Virgin Islands National Team; Dr. Jen Welter, first female coach in the NFL and a Ph. D. holder in Psychology; and Tairia Flowers, Head Softball Coach at Loyola Marymount University.

Day Two will be moderated by Nikki Frechette, a Certified Health & Transformational Life Coach. The featured speaker of the day will be Ali Riley, the Defender & Team Captain of Angel City FC.

Panelists include Bonnie Bernstein, Founder & CEO of Walk Swiftly Productions; Angela LaChica, Founder & CEO of LaChica Sports & Entertainment; Lauren Renschler, Founder & CEO of William Raymond PR; Betsy Morgan, Co-Founder of Magnet Companies; Dr. Nicole LaVoi, Director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota; Dr. Nancy Lough, Chief Academic Officer of the Sport Innovation Institute at UNLV; Alysse Soll, CEO of Underdog Advisory and the Board Chair of Women in Sports Tech; and Marilou McFarlane, Founder & CEO of Women in Sports Tech.

On Day Three, Hayley Elwood, the Team Reporter for the Los Angeles Chargers and a Host & Reporter for the NFL, will be moderator. The featured speaker will be U.S. Marine Capt. Riley Tejcek, a Team USA Bobsled Pilot.

Making up the panel are T’Neisha Tate, VP of Social Responsibility and Impact for the Jacksonville Jaguars; Tiffany Aidoo, Program Officer for Laureus Sport for Good and a Sports Analyst for ESPN+; Jennifer Mercedes, Executive Producer/Host of La Chica Deportes; Kayla Johnson, Head of Original Content at TOGETHXR; Katie Brody, Executive Director and Market Team Lead at JP Morgan; Shanell Watson, Chief of Staff for the Woodward Hines Education Foundation; and Danielle Spence, Wealth Advisor at Wealth Strategies Partners.

The event will also include special featured guests who were previously recorded from the Rose Bowl Stadium: Julie Foudy, National Soccer Hall of Famer and a Broadcaster for ESPN Soccer and ESPNW; and Paige Nielsen and Simone Charley from Angel City FC.

Since its launch in August 2020, the Rose Bowl Institute has been dedicated to empowering at-risk youth and underserved communities in Southern California and across the nation. In 2021, the Institute took the annual Women’s Empowerment Symposium into the virtual realm resulting in almost 1,200 registrations from 33 states and eight countries, providing valuable programming funded by donors to enhance personal growth and foster positive contributions to society.

The three-day symposium will be held virtually on the Institute’s virtual platform and will be available on YouTube following the event. Interested individuals can register for the event via https://wes.splashthat.com/.

The Rose Bowl Institute, an arm of the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, aims to promote sportsmanship, leadership, and citizenship through educational programs, dialogues, and awards. Focusing on values such as ethics, teamwork, and equality, the Institute seeks to leverage the power of sports to unite people across the globe.

For more information, visit https://rosebowlinstitute.org/.