Supporting Sponsor

Chantilly, VA - Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT), espnW and the Women's Sports Foundation (WSF) today announced confirmed participants in the upcoming 40 FOR 40 event, a celebration of women who made a significant impact on society after playing sports in high school or college during the forty years since the enactment of Title IX in 1972.
 
The 40 FOR 40 event will be held on Thursday, June 21, at the JW Marriott in Washington, DC, from 5 - 7:30 pm. The event will feature keynote remarks and a Power Panel moderated by ESPN SportsCenter anchor Lindsay Czarniak. The participants will explore the impact of Title IX as well as the role sports has played to help them overcome obstacles and forge opportunities. The overarching goal of the event is to shine a spotlight on the import and impact of the legislation and ensure it continues to serve as a beacon of the educational system in the United States. The supporting sponsor of the 40 FOR 40 celebration is Scripps Networks Interactive.
 
The 40 FOR 40 honorees represent a wide range of fields of endeavor and achievement including Science - Technology - Engineering - Math (STEM), Sports, Business, Medicine, Law, Media and Entertainment. Also included are Plus Four, representatives from each sponsoring organization who have also made a significant impact on society as beneficiaries of Title IX.
 
Confirmed participants include:

Honorees -

• Val Ackerman - Sports; Collegiate Basketball; First president of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
• Dr. Cynthia Breazeal - STEM and Academia; High School Track, Swimming, Soccer and Tennis; Founder and Director of the Personal Robots Group at MIT Media Laboratory.
• Christine Brennan - Journalism/Media; High School Basketball, Tennis and Field Hockey; Award-winning print and broadcast journalist who is the most widely read female sports columnist in the nation.
• Beth Brooke - Business; Collegiate Basketball; Global Vice Chair of Public Policy at Ernst & Young and named one of Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women (2007). Corporate gender diversity advocate.
• Ann Cody - Nonprofit; Paralympic and Collegiate Wheelchair Track & Field; Director of Policy and Global Outreach for BlazeSports America. Member of the International Paralympic Committee's governing board.
• Julie Foudy - Sports; Collegiate and Olympic Soccer; Advocate for women's and children's rights, including Title IX. Received the FIFA Fair Play Award for her trip abroad to examine the working conditions of Reebok's factories.
• Irma Garcia - Sports and Academia; Collegiate Basketball; First and only Hispanic female to head a NCAA Division I athletic program.
• Dr. Sandra Magnus - STEM; Collegiate Soccer; Played all four years on first women's soccer team at college. Astronaut on crew of final Space Shuttle mission.
• Dr. Dot Richardson - Medicine; Collegiate Softball; Executive Director and Medical Director of the National Training Center. Former Vice Chair of President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
• Robin Roberts - Journalism/Media; Collegiate Basketball; Renowned broadcast journalist and anchor of ABC's Good Morning America.
• Jill Vialet - Nonprofit; Collegiate Rugby; Social entrepreneur recognized as part of Forbes Impact 30 list for Playworks, an organization devoted to improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

Plus Four -

• Sue Enquist - Sports; Collegiate Softball; Former UCLA Women's Head Coach and espnW Advisory Panel member. Greatly expanded recognition and opportunities for the sport of softball.
• Nancy Hogshead-Makar - Law; Collegiate and Olympic Swimmer; Senior Director of Advocacy for the Women's Sports Foundation. Leading Title IX expert and advocate.
• Cindy McConkey - Media; All State High School Basketball and Track & Field; Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications at Scripps Networks Interactive. First female reporter to cover Southeastern Conference football.
• Kathy Payne - Media; High School Tennis champion and team captain; 2012 Chair of the WICT Board and Vice President, Content Acquisition with Cox Communications. Currently negotiates complex carriage deals with all professional sports leagues, regional sports networks and college conferences for cable television and mobile platform distribution.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 requires institutions receiving federal money to provide equal educational opportunities to both females and males throughout their programming and activities. According to WSF, Title IX has resulted in growth of girls participating in high school sports from 1 in 27 in 1972 to about 2 in 5 today. Title IX has not only made its impact felt in terms of athletic participation, but in educational opportunities for girls and women. According to several studies, the combination of the two has produced significant long-term educational, health and economic benefits for women. 

About WICT:

For over thirty years, Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) has partnered with cable and telecommunications leaders to provide professional development programs, research and services that help advance women in cable media. With over 9,000 members, WICT is the oldest and largest professional association serving women in the cable and telecommunications industry. Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., AMC Networks/WE tv and Suddenlink Communications are WICT's Strategic Touchstone Partners. Please visit www.wict.org or follow @WICT on Twitter for more information.

About espnW:

espnW's mission is to connect female fans with the sports they love and follow. espnW.com provides an engaging environment where women are an integral part of the sports conversation, share their perspective on men's and women's sports and find the motivation and support for their athletic goals and interests. Founded in July 2010, espnW is an emerging business that consists primarily of a digital product suite including pc web, mobile web and social media. Founding partners include Nike, Gatorade and P&G. espnW is also supported by a strong social media presence on Twitter and Facebook. The Women's Sports Foundation is the charity of choice of espnW.

About WSF:

The Women's Sports Foundation, founded in 1974, is the leader in promoting sports, health and education for girls and women. With Billie Jean King as its founder and ongoing visionary, the Women's Sports Foundation continues to have a profound impact on female athletics, from its vigorous advocacy of Title IX legislation to providing grants and scholarships, grassroots programs for underserved girls, and groundbreaking research. An agent for change, the foundation has relationships with more than 1,000 of the world's elite female athletes and is recognized globally for its leadership, vision, strength, expertise and influence. For more information, visit www.WomensSportsFoundation.org. The WSF is a proud partner of espnW.

About Scripps Networks Interactive:

Scripps Networks Interactive is a leading developer of high-profile, lifestyle-oriented content for many media platforms including television, digital, mobile and publishing. The company's media portfolio includes popular lifestyle brands HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Cooking Channel, Travel Channel and country music network Great American Country (GAC). On-air programming is complemented with online video, social media and e-commerce components on companion websites reaching millions of fans around the world.

Details about the event, including a table and ticket reservation form, may be found online at www.wict.org/40FOR40. For table/ticket information contact: Kristin Edwards at 703-234-9819 or kedwards@wict.org.

PR Contacts
 
WICT - Talton Gibson
tgibson@wict.org
(703) 234-9812

espnW - Diane Lamb
Diane.Lamb@espn.com
(860) 766-2245

Women's Sports Foundation - Kevin Pchola
Kevin.Pchola@zenogroup.com
(212) 299-8950

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