PGA of America to host third annual Sports Diversity & Inclusion Symposium in October
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — The PGA of America, in partnership with Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, NASCAR, the National Basketball Association, National Collegiate Athletic Association, National Football League, National Hockey League and the United States Olympic Committee, is proud to host the third annual Sports Diversity & Inclusion Symposium at PGA National Resort & Spa, Oct. 21-22.
The symposium provides a forum to discuss, evaluate and create tangible solutions that drive greater diversity and inclusion in today’s sports culture. Designed to recognize, celebrate and encourage diversification in the world of sports, the forum will feature influential and prominent leaders from Olympic, Paralympic, professional and amateur organizations in expert panels, roundtable discussions and general sessions.
The keynote speaker is Max Siegel, CEO of USA Track & Field, who has built an impressive career across sports and entertainment that includes driving sponsorships as President of Global Operations for Dale Earnhardt Inc., and working on the executive team that handled the careers of Britney Spears, Usher and Justin Timberlake.
Other featured speakers include:
• ESPN Golf Commentator Dottie Pepper
• PGA of America CEO Pete Bevacqua
• WNBA Vice President of Marketing Hilary Shaev
• NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent
• Former Major League Baseball Player and the MLB’s first Ambassador for Inclusion Billy Bean
• USA TODAY Sports Managing Editor Mary Byrne
• U.S. Paralympic Athletes April Holmes and Paul Schulte
• Golf Channel Vice President of Human Resources Emily Ingram
• NBA Coaches Association Executive Director Michael Goldberg
• You Can Play Project Executive Director Wade Davis
• Nickelodeon Networks Vice President, Sports Marketing & Partnerships Anthony DiCosmo
• Mercedes-Benz USA Diversity & Inclusion Officer Tommy Shi
• Palm Beach County Sports Commission Executive Director George Linley
“The PGA of America is honored to host the 3rd Annual Sports Diversity and Inclusion Symposium, which is a uniquely special opportunity to learn from a talented pool of D&I experts from across the business of sports,” said PGA of America Senior Director of Diversity and Inclusion Sandy Cross.
“We’re excited that this platform will enable leaders at Olympic, Paralympic, professional and amateur athletic organizations of all sizes to share their knowledge and best practices, as well as collaborate on developing solutions that will fuel development of meaningful D&I initiatives and standards at the attendees’ respective organizations nationwide.”
Among the many programs and topics are:
• “Showcasing D&I Best Practices”
• “Advancing D&I within Small Organizations and Spotlight on National Governing Bodies”
• “Dis/Ability and Sports Organizations”
• “Sports Marketing/Tapping Into New Customer Groups”
• “D&I in Sports Media”
• “The Economics of D&I: Quantifying ROI and Supplier Relations”
• “Recruiting Coaches, Referees and Officials”
• “LGBT Organizational Policies and Practices”
• “Multi-Generational Diversity”
To learn more about the PGA of America, please visit PGAMediaCenter.com.