Sarah Contardo, Vice President of Sales and Strategy, Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs, Recognized as 2024 SBJ Game Changer

Reposted from Sports Business Journal, 07.29.2024

Fifty women from across the sports industry will be recognized as part of Sport Business Journal’s Game Changers: Women in Sports Business during a special ceremony the evening of Sept. 25 in New York. Members of the Class of 2024 represent teams and leagues, media and marketing companies, agencies and sponsors, and more. SBJ will profile members of the 14th class of Game Changers in a special section on Sept. 16.

The annual Game Changers conference is slated for Sept. 26 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square and will feature speakers from across the industry, panel discussions and networking. For more information on the conference, please visit www.game-changers-conference.com.

Also as part of the conference, SBJ and Wasserman’s The Collective are launching the 2024 Futures Cohort, a group of 20 women at the director and vice president levels who are driving the industry forward through daring ideas, campaigns, strategies, deals and activations. Support for the Futures Cohort will include in-person meetups, virtual learning sessions, industry leader talks and networking. The deadline to apply for the program is July 31. Please visit wearethecollective.com/the-collective-futures-cohort for more information.

Shannon Hooper

Vice President, Corporate Partnerships, 23XI Racing

Kami Stoianov

Vice President, Partner Activation, Global Partnerships, AEG

Andrea Brimmer

Chief Marketing and Public Relations Officer, Ally Financial

Alicia Woznicki

Vice President, Design and Development, Aramark Sports + Entertainment

Hannah Basinger

Senior Vice President, Operations, Atlanta Braves

Beth Penfield

Senior Director, CAA Icon

Fran Weld

Chief Executive Officer, Canopy Team

Kristi Coleman

Team President, Carolina Panthers

Amy Salmanson

Director, Sports Production, and Senior Producer, CBS Sports

Sarah Contardo

Vice President of Sales and Strategy, Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs

Rebecca Gitlitz

Founder, DocCity Productions (Formerly Head of Sports and Executive Producer, Time Studios)

Andrea Hopelain

General Manager and Senior Vice President of Publishing, EA Sports

Susie Piotrkowski

Vice President, Women’s Sports Programming and espnW, ESPN

Jennifer Matthews

Vice President, Brand Strategy, FanDuel

Emily Prazer

Chief Commercial Officer, Formula 1

Jennifer Lastik

Executive Vice President, Greater Orlando Sports Commission

Lisa Lazarus

Chief Executive Officer, Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority

Jade-Li English

Head of Women’s Basketball, Klutch Sports Group

Qiava Martinez

Chief Sales Officer, Las Vegas Raiders

Kirta Carroll

President, Global Merchandise, Legends

Elizabeth Shakespeare

Chief Financial Officer, Levy

Nancy Henderson

Chief Teaching Officer and President, LPGA Foundation, LPGA

April Brown

Senior Vice President, Social Responsibility and Community Affairs, Major League Baseball

Sana Shuaib

Senior Vice President, Partnership Marketing and Partner Solutions and Insights, Major League Soccer

Emily Spiegel

Executive Vice President, Head of Hospitality and Events, MKTG Sports + Entertainment

Latasha Causey

President, Phoenix Raceway, NASCAR

Tammy Henault

Chief Marketing Officer, National Basketball Association

Ingrid Petri

Vice President, Sponsorship Strategy and New Business, National Football League

Patrice Distler

Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, National Hockey League

Jessica Ciccone

Vice President, Digital and Social Media, New York Jets

Becki Wronko Civello

Chief Operating Officer, Next League

Carolyn Tisch Blodgett

Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Next 3 Ventures

Kelly Pracht

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, nVenue

Kami Taylor

Executive Vice President and Head of Experiential U.S., Octagon

Katie Stocz Miller

Executive Vice President, Premium and Client Services, Fan Experience and Arena Operations, Orlando Magic

Erin Crowe

Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Ottawa Senators

Amy Rouse

Senior Vice President, Paragon Marketing Group

Leela Srinivasan

Chief Executive Officer, Parity

Betsy Riley

Senior Coordinating Producer, Live Events, Prime Video

Amy Scheer

Senior Vice President, Business Operations, Professional Women’s Hockey League

Sara Grauf

Senior Vice President, Experience Development, San Francisco Giants

Belinda Oakley

Chief Executive Officer, North America, Sodexo Live

Michaela Durinova

Senior Vice President, Sports Strategy and Content Distribution, TelevisaUnivision

Marla Ostroff

Managing Director of North America, Ticketmaster

Patti Kleinman-Fallick

Managing Director, Broadcast, United States Tennis Association

Amanda Weiner

Managing Director, Global Media and Ticketing, United States Golf Association

Li Li Leung

President and Chief Executive Officer, USA Gymnastics

Nicole Deal

Chief Security and Athlete Services Officer, U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee

Mali Friedman

Chief Legal Officer and Senior Vice President, Business Affairs, Washington Commanders

Stephanie Mejia

Executive and NBA Agent, WME Sports