WISE Women of the Year Honorees

Honoree Timeline

2003-2010 2011-present

WWOY Honorees: 1995-2002

On June 20, 1995, then NFL Properties president Sara Levinson accepted WISE’s inaugural Woman of the Year Award, becoming the first honoree on a growing list of “women of achievement who have worked through the struggles and are extraordinarily successful at what they do” as WISE founder Sue Rodin put it in her opening remarks that day. From 1995 to 2002, 17 women received the honor, including a VP of one of the biggest brands in sports, an Olympic Gold medalist and a New York Yankees assistant general manager. In 1998, after three years of recognizing one Woman of the Year at each luncheon, the honoree classes were expanded to three and are voted on by WISE members.

 

1995

Sara Levinson

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 1995 Program Graphic

Sara Levinson
President | NFL Properties

1996

Lydia Murphy-Stephans

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 1996 Program Graphic

Lydia Murphy-Stephans
Vice President, Programming | ABC Sports

1997

Liz Dolan

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 1997 Program Graphic

Liz Dolan
Vice President, Marketing | Nike

1998

Val Ackerman, Elizabeth (Eli) Primrose-Smith, Robin Roberts

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 1998 Program Graphic

Val Ackerman
President | Women's National Basketball Association

Elizabeth (Eli) Primrose-Smith
Director, Worldwide Olympic and Sports Sponsorships | IBM

Robin Roberts
Host and Commentator | ESPN/ABC Sports

1999

Nancy Brinker, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Pat Summitt

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 1999 Graphic

Nancy Brinker
Founder Susan G. Komen | Race for the Cure

Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Olympic Gold Medalist
Founder | Jackie Joyner-Kersee Youth Center Foundation


Pat Summitt
Head Coach, Women's Basketball | University of Tennessee

2000

Marla Messing, Kim Ng, Sue Wellington

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 2000 Program Graphic

Marla Messing
CEO and President, Organizing Committee | 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup

Kim Ng
Assistant General Manager | The New York Yankees


Sue Wellington
President | The Gatorade Company

2001

Lee Ann Daly, Kathleen Francis, Stephanie Tolleson

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 2001 Program Graphic

Lee Ann Daly
Senior Vice President, Marketing | ESPN

Kathleen Francis
Vice President, Marketing | Major League Baseball

Stephanie Tolleson
Senior Corporate Vice President | IMG

2002

Billie Jean King, Lesley Visser

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 2002 Program Graphic

Billie Jean King
Sports Pioneer

Lesley Visser
Broadcaster | CBS Sports

WWOY Honorees: 2003-10

Visible leaders. A voice for women in the industry. Role models for others. From 2003 to 2010, WISE continued to recognize women blazing trails in the business of sports, presenting the award to 21 honorees. In 2004, we celebrated an honor of our own — our 10th Annual WISE Women of the Year Awards Luncheon. For the milestone, we celebrated all our past honorees, and at the luncheon, eight returned to discuss their professional journeys and the changing sports landscape during a moderated panel discussion.

 

2003

Dockery Clark, LeslieAnne Wade, Deborah Yow

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 2003 Program Graphic

Dockery Clark
Senior Vice President, Olympic, Sports and Event Marketing | Bank of America

LeslieAnne Wade
Vice President, Communications | CBS Sports


Deborah Yow
Director of Athletics | University of Maryland

2004

10th Annual Commemorative Luncheon

10th Anniversary WISE Women of the Year Awards Luncheon

10th Annual Commemorative Luncheon
(No honorees named.)

2005

Christine Brennan, Christine Driessen, Jo Ann Ross

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 2005 Program Graphic

Christine Brennan
Sports Columnist | USA Today

Christine Driessen
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer ESPN

Jo Ann Ross
President, Network Sales | CBS

2006

Sheila Johnson, Beatriz Perez, Mary Wittenberg

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 2006 Program Graphic

Sheila C. Johnson
Owner | Washington Mystics
Co-Founder | BET

Beatriz Perez
Vice President, Media, Sports and Entertainment Marketing | The Coca-Cola Company


Mary Wittenberg
President and Chief Executive Officer | New York Road Runners
Race Director | ING New York City Marathon

2007

Cindy Alston, Mary Carillo, Donna Orender

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 2007 Graphic

Cindy Alston
Chief Marketing Officer | The Gatorade Company

Mary Carillo
Broadcaster and Journalist | HBO Sports

Donna Orender
President | Women's National Basketball Association

2008

Rita Benson LeBlanc, Pam Oliver, Molly Solomon

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 2008 Program Graphic

Rita Benson LeBlanc
Owner and Executive Vice President | New Orleans Saints

Pam Oliver
Reporter | FOX Sports

Molly Solomon
Coordinating Producer | NBC Sports

2009

Kathy Carter, Jamie McCourt, Jacqueline Parkes

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 2009 Program Graphic

Kathy Carter
Executive Vice President | Soccer United Marketing/Major League Soccer

Jamie McCourt
Chief Executive Officer | Los Angeles Dodgers


Jacqueline Parkes
Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer | Major League Baseball

2010

Billie Jean King, Lesley Visser

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 2010 Program Graphic

Jean Afterman
Vice President and Assistant General Manager | The New York Yankees

Roxanne Jones
Vice President and Senior Deputy Editor | ESPN Publishing


Jennifer Storms
Senior Vice President, Sports and Event Marketing | The Gatorade Company

WWOY Honorees: 2011-present

2014 saw the introduction of the WISE Women of Distinction Award, an elevation of the WISE Women of the Year honor in celebration of the 20th luncheon. The Women of Distinction have reached the highest levels of success while supporting other women in the field. The recipients — selected by the national board instead of through the traditional WISE member vote — were Barbara Paddock, Judy Sweet and Women of the Year honorees Val Ackerman and Christine Driessen. The special honor returns in 2019 for the 25th luncheon. Anita DeFrantz, Janet Fletcher, Lisa Murray, Michele A. Roberts and Suzanne Smith join this impressive group of women who have truly made a difference in the industry.

 

2011

Stacey Allaster, Lisa Baird, Wendy Lewis

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 2011 Program Graphic

Stacey Allaster
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | Women's Tennis Association

Lisa Baird
Chief Marketing Officer | United States Olympic Committee


Wendy Lewis
Senior Vice President, Diversity and Strategic Alliances | Major League Baseball

2012

Gail D. Hunter, Kim Williams, Marla Miller

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 2012 Program Graphic

Gail D. Hunter
Senior Vice President of Events and Attractions | National Basketball Association

Marla Miller
Senior Vice President, Special Events Major League Baseball

Kim Williams
Chief Operating Officer | NFL Network

2013

Sharon Byers, Danielle Maged, Carol Stiff

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 2013 Program Graphic

Sharon Byers
Senior Vice President, Sports and Entertainment Marketing | Coca-Cola North America

Danielle Maged
Global Head of Business Development and Partnerships | StubHub

Carol Stiff
Vice President, Content Program and Integration | espnW

2014

20th Annual Luncheon Honoring WISE Women of Distinction

Val Ackerman, Chris Driessen, Barbara Paddock, Judy Sweet

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 2014 Program Graphic

WISE Women of Distinction

Val Ackerman
Commissioner | Big East Conference

Chris Driessen
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ESPN

Barbara Paddock
Senior Vice President, Sports and Entertainment | JPMorgan Chase

Judy Sweet
Co-Founder and Board of Directors President | Alliance of Women's Coaches

2015

Amy Latimer, Lara Price, Mary Scott

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 2015 Graphic

Amy Latimer
President | TD Garden

Lara Price
Executive Vice President of Business Operations | Philadelphia 76ers

Mary Scott
President | United Entertainment Group

2016

Renie Anderson, Kathy Behrens, Karen Brodkin

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 2016 Program Graphic

Renie Anderson
Senior Vice President, Sponsorship and Partnership Management | National Football League

Kathy Behrens
President, Social Responsibility and Player Programs | National Basketball Association

Karen Brodkin
President, Business Affairs | WME | IMG

2017

Doris Burke, Buffy Filippell, Amy Trask

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 2017 Program Graphic

Doris Burke
Basketball Analyst and Reporter | ESPN

Buffy Filippell
Founder | TeamWork Online

Amy Trask
NFL Analyst | CBS Sports Network
Chief Executive Officer | BIG3

2018

Lindsay Amstutz, Sarah Robb O'Hagan, Kim Stone

WISE Women of the Year Luncheon 2018 Program Graphic

Lindsay Amstutz
SVP and General Manager | FOX Sports West/FOX Sports San Diego/Prime Ticket

Sarah Robb O'Hagan
Chief Executive Officer | Flywheel Sports


Kim Stone
Executive Vice President | Miami HEAT
General Manager | AmericanAirlines Arena

2019

25th Annual Luncheon Honoring WISE Women of Distinction

Anita DeFrantz, Janet Fletcher, Lisa Murray, Michele A. Roberts, Suzanne Smith

2019 WISE Women of the Year Honoring Women of Distinction

Anita DeFrantz
Vice President | International Olympic Committee

Janet Fletcher
Director, Olympics and Sports Marketing | The Procter & Gamble Company

Lisa Murray
Executive Vice President and Global Chief Marketing Officer | Octagon Worldwide

Michele A. Roberts
Executive Director | National Basketball Players Association

Suzanne Smith
Director and Producer | CBS Sports

2020*

Susan Cohig, Rosalyn Durant, Elizabeth Lindsey and JoAnn Neale

Susan Cohig
Executive Vice President, Club Business Affairs | National Hockey League

Rosalyn Durant
Senior Vice President of Operations | Walt Disney World Resort

Elizabeth Lindsey
President, Brands and Properties | Wasserman

JoAnn Neale
President and Chief Administrative Officer | Major League Soccer


*Celebrated in 2022 due to COVID-19 pandemic. No honorees named in 2021 or 2022.

2023

Andrea Brimmer, Jill Gregory, Hillary Mandel and Carla Williams

Andrea Brimmer
Chief Marketing and Public Relations Officer | Ally Financial

Jill Gregory
Executive Vice President, General Manager | Sonoma Raceway

Hillary Mandel
Executive Vice President, Head of Americas | IMG Media

Carla Williams
Director of Athletics | University of Virginia

2024

Ayala Deutsch, Kate Johnson, Michele Kajiwara and Renee Chube Washington

Ayala Deutsch
Executive Vice President and Deputy General Counsel | National Basketball Association

Kate Johnson
SDirector and Head of Global Sports & Entertainment Marketing | Google

Michele Kajiwara
enior Vice President, Premium and Events Business | Crypto.com Arena & Peacock Theater

Renee Chube Washington
Chief Operating Officer | USA Track & Field