On Thursday, October 4, ESPN’s Sage Steele will emcee a celebration honoring the 17 emerging leaders and their American mentors of the first-ever U.S. Department of State and espnW Global Sports Mentoring Program at the U.S. Department of State. Steele serves on the Department’s Council to Empower Women and Girls Through Sports, where she works to elevate the global conversation on using sports as a means to empower women and girls. She is the co-host of ESPN’s flagship program SportsCenter.
The luncheon celebration, hosted by Assistant Secretary of Educational and Cultural Affairs Ann Stock, will highlight the month-long mentoring program. Christine Driessen, Chief Financial Officer of ESPN, will deliver keynote remarks.
The U.S. Department of State and espnW Global Sports Mentoring Program brought women from Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Macedonia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, Tajikistan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to work alongside leading American women executives in all aspects of sports, including marketing, administration, journalism, and non-governmental organizations.
During this program, leading American women executives shared their expertise in sports, business, and leadership and opened their networks to the international emerging women leaders. This year’s mentors were selected from the following entities: Burton, Colavita, ESPN, Gatorade, LPGA, NCAA, Procter & Gamble, Saatchi & Saatchi, Stanton & Company, Under Armour, University of Oregon, USA Gymnastics, U.S. Olympic Committee, Women in Cable Telecommunications, and the Women’s Sports Foundation.
This collaboration between the U.S. State Department and espnW, which was conducted in coordination with the University of Tennessee’s Center for Sport, Peace, and Society, aims to use sports as a vehicle to expand opportunities for women and girls worldwide.
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Media interested in covering this event should contact Katie Leasor at LeasorK@state.gov by noon on Wednesday, October 3.
