Who We Are

Kathleen Francis brings 25-plus years of experience leading the development and implementation of high-impact marketing programs. Throughout her career she has created and executed multifaceted sports marketing strategies for not-for-profits and major corporations, including Major League Baseball, Meadowlands Sports Complex and the United States Tennis Association. She is founder and president of Oasis Sports Ventures, a marketing and grassroots development agency. Herself a 2001 WISE Women of the Year honoree, Francis has been president and national board chair of WISE since 2011. Francis has driven major expansion of leadership development opportunities for women in the sports industry, launching the WISE Executive Leadership Institute, the WISE Emerging Leaders Certificate Program, the WISE/R Symposium, and the WISE Multiplier Summit. SportsBusiness Journal named her one of its Forty Under 40 sports executives and for two consecutive years honored her as one of its Top 25 Women Sports Executives.

Erica Petri is a dedicated legal professional with a strong foundation in both the arts and law. After earning a BA in Psychology and Art History from Georgetown University, she pursued a JD from Harvard Law School.

Petri began her legal career at Proskauer Rose, working in the Corporate Department and was a key member of the Sports Law Group. In that role, she handled a wide array of corporate and commercial matters, including governance, acquisitions, financings, team ownership transactions, media rights agreements, affiliation agreements, and various other transactions tailored to sports and media clients.

Petri has been an integral part of the NBA's legal team, currently serving as assistant general counsel – media. In this capacity, she supports the league’s content distribution business, ensuring that media initiatives align with legal and strategic priorities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Petri has been contributing to the community as a WISE Board member since 2015, where she serves as Secretary.

Sue Rodin is president of Stars and Strategies, Inc., a management and marketing consultancy specializing in women’s sports and fitness. Since 1995, Rodin has represented elite female athletes, Olympic gold medalists and on-air talent. In addition, she has worked on marketing initiatives with blue-chip companies including Avon Products, MassMutual Financial Group, ESPN, and The New York Times.

In 1993, Rodin founded WISE, serving as president during the organization's first 18 years. Today WISE includes 20+ chapters across North America, focusing on career development, mentorship and leadership strategies. In 2014, WISE partnered with The Coca-Cola Company to create the Rodin Scholarship for the WISE Executive Leadership Institute at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business.

Rodin was ranked #18 of the 25 Top Female Sports Executives by Sports BusinessJournal in 1999. In 2002, she received the National Association of Women’s Business Owners (NAWBO) NYC Signature Award, and in 2003 Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed her to the NYC Sports Commission’s Sports Development Corporation. Rodin was also a member of Sports Business Daily’s inaugural Game Changers Class in 2011. In March 2024, Sports Business Journal featured Rodin in a cover story highlighting her success in launching and growing WISE, calling her “The Great Connector.”

Erin Weinberg is an accomplished, passionate senior executive with 25+ years guiding, building and transforming brands. She brings expertise in consumer packaged goods, retail, travel, apparel, healthcare, food and beverage and spirits, creating fully integrated campaigns at the national and global levels. Weinberg is particularly passionate about building and transforming brands through sports and lifestyle marketing, and has helped brands create and maximize partnerships and sponsorships for high-profile platforms including the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, NASCAR and the NFL. Weinberg served in senior management roles at United Entertainment Group, Edelman, 360PR+ and Taylor Strategy, and her work for brands such as Staples, Johnson & Johnson, MasterCard, Warner Bros., General Mills and Kimberly-Clark has earned a long list of accolades.

A seasoned corporate communicator, Weinberg regularly advises C-suite executives, cultivating thought leadership and providing issues management counsel. Weinberg is currently an assistant teaching professor for communications and sports marketing at Montclair State University. A WISE national board director since 2010, Weinberg oversees communications strategy and media relations and co-chairs the annual WISE Women of the Year Awards Luncheon.

A WISE co-founder in 1993, Ernestine Miller has remained deeply engaged in the organization’s growth — serving on the Board of Directors, contributing in key administrative and committee roles, and mentoring women across the industry. She was first WISE Washington DC chapter president.C

A respected women’s sports historian, Miller focuses her research on uncovering and elevating the largely untold stories that shaped the pathway to today’s visibility and progress. Her book, Making Her Mark: Firsts and Milestones in Women’s Sports (Vol. 1), chronicles decades of groundbreaking achievements. She is also the author of The Sportswomen’s Daybook and The Art of Advertising.

Miller has also built a distinguished career in baseball research. She authored The Babe Book: Baseball’s Greatest Legend Remembered, featuring 90 rare photographs from the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum archives, where she previously served on the board and continues to support events and promotion. A 25-year member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), she co-chaired the 2017 national convention in New York City and serves as vice president of the SABR NYC chapter.

Lisa Murray recently retired as EVP, CMO & chief diversity officer, concluding a distinguished career of more than four decades. Over more than 30 years with Octagon, R&CPMK, OSEN, and IPG, she was a driving force in shaping the network’s growth, culture, and industry impact.

Murray joined Octagon in 1992 to lead the Mastercard account — a partnership that has now spanned more than three decades. She went on to become one of the network’s most senior executives and the first woman to serve as CMO of a major sports and entertainment agency. Throughout her tenure, she played a pivotal role in expanding Octagon’s global footprint, leading business development efforts and cultivating long-standing client relationships with brands such as AB InBev, Cisco, and LinkedIn.

Her leadership extended to some of the world’s most high-profile sporting moments. Murray oversaw brand activations for eight consecutive FIFA Men’s and Women’s World Cups and supported the launch of more than 50 Octagon offices worldwide.

Known for her deep commitment to people, Murray helped shape the agency’s culture, championed DE&I initiatives, and mentored talent at every stage of their careers. She also advanced women’s leadership across the industry during her time leading IPG’s Women’s Leadership Network.

Her influence and achievements have been recognized across the industry, including honors such as Adweek’s “Most Powerful Women in Sports,” Sports Business Journal’s “Most Influential” and “Game Changers,” and WISE’s “Women of Distinction.” Murray has been serving as a director on the WISE national board since 2019.

Pam El, CEO of Pam El Consulting LLC, is an experienced public and private equity board director, an operating partner for Corsair-Capital, and an expert branding, marketing and advertising executive. She currently serves as a director for Ranpak, a global provider of environmentally sustainable, paper-based protective packaging and for IdentityIQ, a private equity-owned intelligent identity protection company. As an operating partner for Corsair, she provides marketing expertise, branding guidance and CMO coaching to many of its portfolio companies.

El spent 30+ years in marketing, highlighted by her role as global chief marketing officer of the National Basketball Association and head of marketing at State Farm Insurance. She also held senior marketing roles at Nationwide Insurance, US WEST Communications and Terabeam. While serving as a senior executive at The Martin Agency, El also managed top-notch brands in various categories.

A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, she has served on the boards of directors for both the academic and medical colleges. Since 2019, El has been volunteering as a national board member of WISE.

As senior vice president, learning and talent solutions for The Walt Disney Company, Tonya Cornileus serves as an integral member of the enterprise Human Resources senior leadership team and is responsible for learning and leadership development, talent and succession management, performance management and career development. Prior to joining The Walt Disney Company in 2009, Dr. Cornileus served for nearly 13 years at ESPN where she led learning, talent management, organization development, diversity, equity and inclusion, and wellness. Her previous roles include director, executive development and organizational effectiveness for Turner Broadcasting System and vice president, training and organizational development for Aegis Communications Group.

Recognized by various industry and professional organizations, Dr. Cornileus was inducted into the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) Hall of Fame in 2022. She was selected to the distinguished list of Wonder Women by Multichannel News, awarded Mentor of the Year during Cablefax's Most Powerful Women Luncheon, and was named to Diversity Journal's Women Worth Watching in Leadership in 2021. An alumna of WELI's inaugural 2014 class, Dr. Cornileus serves on the Advisory Board for Advanced Leadership Laboratory, the WISE National Board of Directors (since 2020), and the boards for the T. Howard Foundation, the University of Florida Foundation, and Empower Her Network.

A lifelong learner, Dr. Cornelius earned her Ph.D. and M.Ed. in Human Resources and Organizational Development from the University of Georgia and her bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Florida. She received the Senior Certified Professional designation by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP) and the Professional Coaching certification by the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC CPC). She is passionate about helping individuals and teams realize their full potential and regularly spends her time speaking, writing and reading on topics of personal and professional development.