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The Assembly 2023 Recap

 
The Assembly Pro Sports Leadership Retreat and Workshop
June 21 - 23, 2023

The Assembly: Pro Sports Leadership Retreat and Workshop is where leaders gather who are influential in setting strategies for their organization and who are committed to creating a strong, healthy, and fair future across the industry. Building on the successes of the inaugural workshop and retreat in 2022 - new research, resources, recognitions, and relationships will be highlights of 2023. The Assembly is led by PRO members, for PRO members!

At The Assembly ‘23 Pro Sports Assembly members from professional teams, leagues, unions, and venues work together to:

  • identify the most critical issues facing the industry
  • workshop solutions and
  • agree on a path forward as inclusive pro sports leaders

The Assembly is perfect for senior leaders and rising stars, women and men who lead business and sport operations, those who influence decisions in their departments, organizations and communities - and, most importantly, those who are motivated to lead professional sports forward.

Attendees will leave The Assembly with tools to:

  • Engage → with a broader network of professional sports leaders
  • Empower → others to make an impact from their position and with their platform
  • Educate → their colleagues and partners with data and new perspectives
  • Equip → and guide important decisions being made in their organizations
  • Elevate → and advocate for leaders addressing the most pressing issues in professional sports

PRO+, PRO Premier and Pro Sports Assembly organization members can attend. Please note, days two and three are closed to media and attendees are asked to strictly follow Chatham House rules.

Medal of Leadership Awards Logo

Pro Sports Assembly is honored to present the inaugural Medal of Leadership Awards to celebrate Pro Sports Assembly members who are advancing the professional sports industry, both inside their organization and beyond to elevate standards of leadership excellence. Pro Sports Assembly strives to elevate leaders who are building strong, healthy and fair organizations and communities. The Medal of Leadership Awards were inspired by two leaders who lifted inclusive leadership to new heights: Jason Jenkins and Cynt Marshall. They have leveraged their positions of influence to benefit the greater good and epitomize what it means to be a PRO.  

Meet the inaugural PRO Medal of Leadership Award honorees:

  • Jason Jenkins “Victory for Humanity” Award - Xavier Gutierrez, President & CEO of the Arizona Coyotes
  • Marshall Award for Values in Sport - Michele Roberts, National Cycling League investor and former Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association
  • Visionary Leadership Award - Lester Jones, Senior Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis at the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena
  • Rising Leader Award - Mary Kate Meals, Senior Coordinator of Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement at Rock Entertainment Group

     Read more about the four Medal of Leadership Awards presented on June 21, 2023.

WORKSHOP + RETREAT AGENDA
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21
Elevating Excellence in Leadership
AFTERNOON
  • 3:00pm: Registration Opens
EVENING
  • 6:30pm: Medal of Leadership Awards and Celebration
  • 9:30pm: Hospitality Suite
THURSDAY, JUNE 22
Evolution of Pro Sports Leadership presented by Brand|Pride, Novus Global, and Navigate

The focus of the second PRO Leadership Retreat and Workshop will turn attention to exploring what it takes to evolve leadership of this industry. June 22rd is when the "work" in the workshop begins. Andre Chambers, Awenate Cobbina, Monica Dixon, Will Hurd, Alexis Mereulo, Jason Wright and more are confirmed to lead conversations about how leadership is transforming professional sports, where it's fallen short and what the future may look like. The Global Sport Institute team at Arizona State University will be back to support two workshops and provide tools you can use to lead sessions with your own team.

MORNING
  • 7:30am: Registration Opens
  • 8:00am: Breakfast & Workshop with Breakthru Brands
  • 9:00am: Welcome and Opening Remarks
  • Investor and Player Perspectives
  • State of Pro Sports: What does the data tell us?
  • Workshop: Vision - Voice - Values
AFTERNOON
  • 12:30pm: Lunch Break
  • Live Case Study: Leading Through Organization Evolution
  • Design Thinking Workshop: Inclusively Designed Industry Standards
  • Fireside Chat: Finding Common Ground for the Greater Good
EVENING
  • 7:00pm: NBA Draft Watch Party presented by Tito’s
  • 9:00pm: Hospitality Suite
FRIDAY, JUNE 23
Evolution of Business Operations presented by Dallas Sports Commission and Evolved Experience Solutions

On this day 51 years ago, the landmark gender equality legislation, Title IX, was implemented. We celebrate its everlasting impact on the sports world, reflect on how it has shaped the industry for so many who lacked representation, and share hope and expectations for the future. With key learnings from Title IX, Pro Sports Assembly aims to advance inclusive leadership across professional sports and, together, navigate challenges cultivating this mindset across teams, leagues, unions and venues.

MORNING
  • 7:30am: Registration Opens
  • 8:00am: Breakfast presented by Dallas Sports Commission
    • Workshops with Evolved Experience Solutions and Dallas Sports Commission
  • 9:00am: The Evolution of Business Operations
    • Live Case Study #1: Sustainability
    • Live Case Study #2: Purposeful Partnerships
    • Live Case Study #3: The Business Case for DEI, or not?
  • 12:30pm: Lunch and Membership Meeting

Thanks to The Assembly 2023 Sponsors


Interested in sponsoring The Assembly 2024? Let us know!

PLANNING COMMITTEE
  • Co-Chairs:
    • Antony Bonavita, Cleveland Cavaliers
    • Alexis Roe, Atlanta Hawks
    • Lexi Williams, HBSE
  • Casey Africano, LA Rams
  • Brittanie Boyd, HBSE
  • Kenny Bunch, Dallas Mavericks
  • Marina Carpenter, Arizona Coyotes
  • Iris Diaz, Dallas Mavericks
  • Kristin Frade, Novus Global
  • Oracio Galindo, LA Rams
  • Bridget Gannon, The Players Alliance
  • Dan Gladstone, NBPA
  • Chelsea Heyward
  • Kylie James, Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Lisa Jones, Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Jessie Lantz, Houston Dynamo and Dash
  • Christine Lawrence, WWE
  • Melanie Lee, MLB
  • Jacques McClendon, LA Rams
  • Kim Miller, Miami Dolphins
  • Erin Miller, NBRPA
  • Anthony Pardo, MLB
  • Victor Ribakare, Dallas Mavericks
  • Alison Roscoe, Austin FC
  • Ann Seeney, US Soccer
  • Gene Tinner, UFC
  • Vanessa Ward, Phoenix Suns
  • McKenzie Watts, Dallas Mavericks
  • Yvette Casares Willis, Playfly Partnerships
  • Eboni Wilson, Oak View Group