WISE/R Symposium Indy 2025 Speakers

Candace Parker
WNBA Legend, Broadcaster, Author

Candace Parker has already solidified herself as one of the most influential athletes of this generation. After being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks, following a champion career at Tennessee, Parker went on to become the first player to earn WNBA MVP and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season, win three WNBA championship titles, and take home two Olympic gold medals. Off the court, first and foremost, she is a wife, mother of three children and three dogs. Since retiring, she serves as a public speaker, activist, entrepreneur and studio broadcaster for men's and women's basketball.

Sarah Spain
Journalist

Sarah Spain is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning sports journalist. She's the host of the first-ever daily women's sports podcast, iHeart's "Good Game with Sarah Spain," and her first book, "Runs In The Family," is set for release via Simon and Schuster in June. Spain has been a jack of all trades in her more than two decades in the sports business and more than 14 years at ESPN, working as a radio and podcast host, television personality, producer and writer, currently focusing on espnW and the women's sports space. Spain is a member of the inaugural fellows class of ASU's Great Game Lab, was a founding member of the Gatorade Women's Advisory Board, was a Crain's Chicago Business "40 Under 40" honoree and was formerly a minority owner of the NWSL's Chicago Red Stars. Spain is a graduate of Cornell University, where she competed as a heptathlete and served as co-captain of the track & field team.

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.

Kelly Krauskopf
President, Indiana Fever, Pacers Sports & Entertainment

After dedicating six seasons to the Indiana Pacers, Kelly Krauskopf resumed her role as team president of the Indiana Fever in September 2024. Her career with Pacers Sports & Entertainment spans an impressive 26 years. In 2018, Krauskopf made history as the first woman in the NBA to be appointed to an executive basketball management position when she was hired as assistant general manager for the Indiana Pacers, following a remarkable 19-year tenure as the leader and architect of the Fever. Krauskopf arrived in Indianapolis in 2000 as the pioneering executive responsible for establishing the Indiana Fever from the ground up. She successfully recruited staff and assembled teams that set the current WNBA record for the longest consecutive playoff streak in league history. Under her leadership, the Fever reached the playoffs for 12 straight seasons, advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals five consecutive years, and made it to the WNBA Finals three times in seven years — winning the Championship in 2012.

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.

Nikki Fargas
President, Las Vegas Aces

Nikki Fargas has served as president of the two-time World Champions, the Las Vegas Aces, since May 2021. Prior to joining the Aces, Fargas led the LSU Women’s Basketball team to six NCAA tournament appearances, becoming the second winningest coach at LSU. Fargas actively serves on the boards of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, the Public Education Foundation, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, the Advancement of Blacks in Sports, the Women of Color Coaches Network, and she is a founding member of the Black Student Athlete Association at LSU.

Keia Clarke
CEO, New York Liberty

Keia Clarke is chief executive officer of the New York Liberty, where she leads all business aspects of the Liberty organization including oversight of the P&L, business operations, and strategic planning. Additionally, Clarke works with stakeholders on key elements of team business including growing the fan base, maximizing sales and fan engagement through innovation, and optimizing business performance. Clarke successfully guided the Liberty’s full-time transition to Barclays Center in Brooklyn ahead of the 2021 season. Prior to being promoted to CEO in 2020, Clarke was chief operating officer of the team for two seasons and has also served as the Liberty’s vice president for team business development, director of marketing and marketing manager. Prior to joining the Liberty, Clarke worked on all areas of WNBA business as a member of the team marketing and business operations (TMBO) group at the NBA/WNBA league office. She was recognized by Crain’s New York Business as a “Notable Woman in the Business of Sports” in 2019, was named to INvolve diversity and inclusion consultancy’s Top 100 Ethnic Minority Executives list and Sports Illustrated’s The Unrelenting list in 2020, and included among Adweek’s 2022 Most Powerful Women in Sports list. In 2023, Clarke was one of WISE NYC Metro’s Women of Inspiration, and was a member of Sports Business Journal’s Game Changers Class of 2023. Most recently, she joined CNBC’s inaugural Changemakers Class of 2024. Additionally, Clarke serves on the Sports Innovation Lab Women’s Leadership Board and The Ladies of Hope Ministries Board of Directors. Clarke graduated from Canisius College with a B.A. in marketing, and was a four-year member of the women’s basketball team. She also holds a Master’s in Sports Business from New York University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Rachel Epstein
VP Marketing, Live Sports & Audience Expansion, espnW

Rachel Epstein oversees marketing for a wide range of ESPN properties, including the WNBA, NWSL, tennis, NCAA Championships, MLB, F1, international soccer, Little League World Series, lacrosse, cricket, and the espnW brand and experiences. She also leads marketing strategy to expand ESPN’s female audience, using live sports, storytelling and content to drive engagement and growth. In addition, Epstein heads programming and development for espnW events, including the annual espnW: Women + Sport Summit — the premier event of its kind. Epstein joined ESPN in July 2012. Before that, she was part of the leadership team that launched Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS), where she led marketing, events and sponsorship efforts.

Shelley Pisarra
Chief Insights & Innovation Officer, 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.

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.