WISE/R Symposium Indy 2025 Speakers

Candace Parker
WNBA Legend, Broadcaster, Author

Lisa Dicker
Consultant, Triad Consulting Group

Recognized negotiation expert Lisa Dicker provides workshops, training, coaching and consulting services to a diverse range of clients and participants, including the WISE Executive Leadership Institute. A Harvard Law School law lecturer and a clinical instructor in the Harvard Negotiation & Mediation Clinical Program, she has taught at the Harvard Negotiation Institute and advised on conflict prevention, peace negotiations, transitional justice, and post-conflict democratic transitions in Libya, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania and Yemen. Dicker's consulting clients include INSEAD, the New Hampshire Superior Court, Olympus, and the United States Institute of Peace. Her work on the subject of negotiation and dispute resolution has been published in the Harvard Negotiation Law Review, University of Memphis Law Review and ILSA Journal of International and Comparative Law.

Dr. Quendrida Whitmore
Senior Consultant, Leading NOW

Quendrida Whitmore gained her extensive career experience leading teams in the retail industry for more than 25 years. Her career journey started with Target Corporation, where she served in various areas of the organization. She subsequently moved to Ross Stores, where she was promoted to regional vice president of operations, and then became a senior vice president in hospitality and operations with WeWork as head of community, in the U.S., Canada, Peru and Costa Rica. A 2023 Executive-in-Residence at Boston University School of Hospitality, Whitmore is also a certified coach having earned her CPCC (Certified Professional Career Coach certification) from Co-Active Training Institute. A member of Women Leading Travel & Hospitality and Women in Retail Leadership Circle, she coaches and speaks frequently at their respective conferences, and is also a WISE Emerging Leaders Certificate Program facilitator.

Alycen McAuley
Chief Business Officer & Team President, Washington Mystics, Monumental Sports & Entertainment

A purpose-driven leader, Alycen McAuley leads the business operations for the WNBA Washington Mystics with a keen eye towards expansive growth and transformation. She leverages her deep experience — having led corporate sponsorships for the Fortune 100 firm Charles Schwab & Co.; founding and serving as managing partner for one of the leading Olympic marketing agencies in the U.S.; guiding global marketing efforts for an emerging sporting goods company; and being one of the early pioneers in the digital sports marketing space. Under her leadership, the Mystics have experienced exponential growth in revenue. Off the court, the Mystics' District of Change platform captures the organization's commitment to "doing well and doing good," leveraging the power of sports to create change in our communities, empower women and girls and celebrate female leadership.

A former Fulbright Scholar and published author in sports marketing, McAuley earned a B.A. from Fairfield University and a master's in sport management from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Carley Knox
President of Business Operations, Minnesota Lynx

Entering her 16th season with the Minnesota Lynx and 21st in the WNBA, Carley Knox's purview includes ticket sales, logistics, business development, budget management, DEI efforts, season scheduling and acting as the liaison with the WNBA. Her commitment to women's sports is fueled by her desire to use sport as a vehicle of change, to support gender equality and social justice, and to celebrate diversity. Knox created one of the most innovative programs in sports, the Minnesota Lynx President's Circle, which offers members access to the team and a unique opportunity to give back to the community.

Prior to coming to Minnesota, she spent five years with the WNBA's Detroit Shock where she was the director of sales and marketing. She was recently named the Grand Marshal for Twin Cities PRIDE 2024, an honor bestowed upon an individual who has shown a tireless commitment to amplifying the voices and elevating the lives of members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Knox attended Ohio University and obtained her master's in sports administration and women's studies from Bowling Green State University.

Jess Smith
President, Golden State Valkyries

Nikki Fargas
President, Las Vegas Aces

Shelley Pisarra
EVP Global Insights, Wasserman

Drawing from more than 25 years' experience, Shelley Pisarra shapes the future of how Wasserman delivers unmatched value to partners across sports, media and entertainment through data and technology. She leads a team of data scientists, marketing planners, creative thinkers and others, guiding the development of best-in-class tools and methodologies that reveal untapped revenue opportunities for some of the world's most iconic brands and properties. Since joining Wasserman in 2016, Pisarra has revolutionized the company's audience intelligence and performance analytics capabilities, which include strategy-informing services such as consumer profile development, fan segmentation, partner and talent identification, social tracking and analysis, partnership valuation, brand health studies, comprehensive cross-channel measurement and more.