Women's Sports Foundation Announces President-Elect and Four New Trustees

Online, February 16, 2012 (Newswire.com) - The Women's Sports Foundation (WSF) announced today the appointment of a new President-Elect and four new members to the Board of Trustees. Olympic gold medalist Angela Ruggiero, Ice Hockey, has assumed the role of president-elect and will continue serving on the Board of Trustees to provide leadership and visibility for the organization's mission. Ruggiero will succeed current WSF President Laila Ali in 2013.

WSF is also proud to announce that Jean Afterman, Senior Vice President and Assistant General Manager, New York Yankees, Terri D. Austin, Chief Diversity Officer, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Tamika Catchings, WNBA MVP and two-time Olympic gold medalist, Basketball, and Larry Scott, Commissioner, Pac-12 Conference, have been appointed to serve on the Foundation's Board of Trustees, effective immediately.

As president-elect, Ruggiero will serve a two-year term as an official spokesperson for the Foundation and will help shape strategic direction and development initiatives for the organization.

"The Women's Sports Foundation holds a unique position in developing opportunities for girls and women of all abilities to be active whether recreationally or competitively, and I'm excited to help lead the organization to impact even more lives," expressed Ruggiero, who joined the Women's Sports Foundation Board of Trustees in January 2010. "It is an honor to continue to build the legacy created by Billie Jean King and all of our leaders. As president-elect, I look forward to working with Laila Ali to fulfill her vision as president and to carrying the torch forward for all of our athletes who cross all abilities."

The foundation's Board of Trustees includes champion athletes, prominent business leaders, major benefactors and principals of women's sports organizations. The four newly inducted members will collaborate with the existing Board, bringing their collective experience and dynamic leadership to facilitate the exemplary operation of the organization, assist in the acquisition of financial and human resources and oversee the accomplishment of the Foundation goals and objectives.

"We are absolutely thrilled to welcome such inspirational athletes and business leaders to the Women's Sports Foundation Board of Trustees," said Kathryn Olson, Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation. "Their diverse expertise and leadership strengths will be a great complement to our Trustees who are among the best in their fields. And we couldn't be happier to rely on Angela's own leadership in sports and business as she assumes her new role as president-elect."

Jean Afterman, Senior Vice President, Assistant General Manager, New York Yankees
Jean Afterman enters her 11th season as the New York Yankees' Assistant General Manager in 2012, and was promoted to Senior Vice President in 2011. She became only the third female to hold such a position in Major League Baseball (MLB) history, and is currently the only female Assistant GM in the MLB. Afterman's diverse business and legal background made her instrumental in the Yankees' efforts to spearhead operations in Asia and the signing of three-time MVP Hideki Matsui. Her contributions and leadership were recognized in 2010, when she was named by WISE (Women in Sports and Events) as a "Women of the Year." Afterman maintains an active role in the Bronx community. She has organized Yankees-sponsored Read-A-Thons and mentoring programs, and volunteered through New York City's Explorers program for high school-aged students.

Terri D. Austin, Chief Diversity Officer, The McGraw-Hill Companies
Terri D. Austin is Chief Diversity Officer for The McGraw-Hill Companies. In this role, Ms. Austin is responsible for implementing an integrated diversity strategy across all of McGraw-Hill's businesses to expand markets and to further enhance the company's diversity and talent development programs. Austin is a successful attorney and accomplished leader in diversity with over 27 years of experience. She was recognized as one of the Top 25 Influential Black Women in Business by The Network Journal (2008) and as a Top Diversity Executive by Black Enterprise (2011). Austin is a member of the New York City Bar Association, serves on a number of non-profit boards, holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and has completed three New York City Marathons.

Tamika Catchings, two-time Olympic gold medalist, Basketball
Tamika Catchings is the reigning 2011 MVP of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and will enter her 11th season as a forward for the Indiana Fever in 2012. Catchings was drafted by Indiana in the 2001 WNBA Draft (3rd overall) and won the 2002 WNBA Rookie of the Year award. Catchings is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2004 and 2008), three-time FIBA World Championship medalist, seven-time WNBA All-Star, and four-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. Catchings is one of the country's most highly-regarded citizen-athletes and was named a finalist for the 2006 Wooden Citizenship Cup, presented annually to the nation's top professional athlete who exhibits outstanding community service. In 2004, Catchings created the Catch the Stars Foundation to empower youth through literacy, fitness and mentoring. Catchings is also the current president of the WNBA Players Association.

Angela Ruggiero, President-Elect, Olympic gold medalist, Ice Hockey
Ruggiero, a four-time Olympian and four-time world champion, is the most decorated player in the history of the USA Women's Ice Hockey Team, earning a gold (1998), two silver (2010, 2002), one bronze (2006) and receiving the Top Defenseman Award at the 2002 and 2006 Olympics. Ruggiero was elected in 2010 to the International Olympic Committee, where she serves on the 2018 Evaluation and Coordination, the Entourage, and Athlete's Commissions. She is a member of the WADA Foundation Board and the USOC Board of Directors. At Harvard University, Ruggiero was a four-time First Team All-American, Academic All-American, and a National Champion. Ruggiero is the first woman to play a non-goalie position during a men's professional hockey game in North America. In addition to her work with the Women's Sports Foundation, Ruggiero is the founder of a girls' hockey school dedicated to teaching young women about ice hockey.

Larry Scott, Commissioner, Pac-12 Conference
Larry Scott is the Commissioner of the Pac-12 Conference. During his first two years, Scott orchestrated a rebranding of the Conference with messages of innovation, excellence, and the advantages of West Coast location at its core, and led it through expansion for the first time since 1978. His leadership efforts helped deliver equal revenue sharing for the first time in Conference history, secure a landmark media rights agreement with FOX and ESPN and led to the creation of the Pac-12 Network and Pac-12 Digital Network. Most recently, Scott has developed a globalization initiative that will allow the Conference to pursue new frontiers for the member institutions. The initiative has started with the Pac-12 exploring athletic, academic and cultural exchanges in China. Prior to his appointment, Scott served six years as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour (Women's Tennis Association), where he helped generate unprecedented growth and popularity for women's professional tennis on a global scale. As a former collegiate and professional tennis player, Scott received all-American honors at Harvard University and a title on the ATP circuit. In 2008, Scott was named to Time Magazine's list of best global sports executives.

For a complete list of the Foundation's Board of Trustees, please visit: http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/home/about-us/people/board-of-trustees.

About Women's Sports Foundation
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.

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PR Contact: Kevin Pchola
Women's Sports Foundation
212-299-8950 [email protected]