Today the U.S. Department of State and espnW announced the final line-up of mentor organizations and emerging leaders participating in the first-ever Global Sports Mentoring Program. The program will connect 17 emerging international women leaders with leading American women executives in sports-related fields for a three-week mentorship in the United States. The emerging leaders hail from Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Macedonia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, Tajikistan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
During this program, leading American women executives will share their expertise in sports, business and leadership with the international emerging women leaders. This year’s mentors were selected from the following entities: Burton; Colavita; ESPN; Gatorade; LPGA Foundation; 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 is 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.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and ESPN President John Skipper announced this program in June. The mentoring program is a cornerstone of the Department’s broader Empowering Women and Girls through Sports Initiative, which aims to increase the number of women and girls worldwide who are involved in sports. It builds on Secretary Clinton’s vision of “smart power,” which embraces the full range of diplomatic tools—in this case mentoring and sports—to empower women and girls and foster greater understanding. Click here to learn more.
Click here to read the fact sheet on the U.S. Department of State and espnW Global Sports Mentoring Program.
For more information please contact Talley Sergent U.S. Department of State at SergentRT@state.gov or Amanda DeCastro, ESPN at Amanda.DeCastro@espn.com.
