WASHINGTON, D.C. — The LEAD1 Association (“LEAD1”), which represents the athletics directors of the 131-member schools of the Football Bowl Subdivision (“FBS”), today announced that it will be hosting a Title IX at 50 Celebration on Thursday, June 23rd from 5-7 p.m. EST at the District Winery in Washington, DC .
The event will feature a panel discussion about the impact and future of Title IX followed by a reception for attendees. The panel, which will be moderated by USA Today Columnist Christine Brennan, includes Big East Conference Commissioner Val Ackerman, University of Pittsburgh Director of Athletics Heather Lyke, also LEAD1 Board Chair, Basketball Analyst Christy Winters-Scott, President of Playfly Sports Christy Hedgpath and Congress Representatives Cheri Bustos (Ill.), Lori Trahan (Mass.), Susie Lee (Nev.), and Sharice Davids (Kan.), all of whom are former student-athletes.
“It is an honor for LEAD1 to host an event of this importance to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX,” said LEAD1 President and CEO, Tom McMillen. “Title IX has had a dramatic impact in sports – in 1972 roughly 31,000 women played college sports, and today more than 200,000 women are playing. While our event will celebrate the significant advancements that have been made since the legislation was passed we also want to highlight the work that still needs to be done. We have put together a remarkable panel of women who have made a tremendous impact on college sports and we look forward to having them share their unique perspectives with our attendees.”
“The 50th anniversary of Title IX presents us with an important opportunity to not only reflect on the strides we’ve made, but also see where we still need to go,” said Lyke. “We have a responsibility to build on the inspiring efforts of those who came before us, celebrating their legacy while continually leading a course for future progress.”
For more information on the event, including partnership information, please contact Gianna Salzbrunn at gianna@lead1a.com.
About the LEAD1 Association:
LEAD1, founded in 1986 and formerly the Division 1A Athletic Directors Association, represents the athletics directors of the 131 member universities of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), that encompasses 42 states, 55,000 student athletes, and more than 25,000 athletic administrators. Key to LEAD1’s mission is advocating on policy facing NCAA Division I FBS athletic departments, promoting consensus among FBS athletic directors, and providing valuable services to member schools – all dedicated towards supporting the success of student-athletes and future of college sports. Since 2015, LEAD1 has been led by the Honorable Tom McMillen, a former Congressman, college basketball All-American, Rhodes Scholar, and 11-year NBA player. For more information, please visit www.LEAD1Association.com.
LEAD1 would like to thank its supporters for Title IX at 50 including Playfly Sports, Kiswe, the Women’s Sports Foundation, National Hockey League, Events DC, National Football League, NBC Sports Group, Steptoe & Johnson, ICON Source, Fanatics, OneTeam Partners, and the National Archives Foundation.
MEDIA CONTACTS
LEAD1: Mariama Barry, mariama@lead1a.com
FINN Partners: Zach Groen, zach.groen@finnpartners.com
