Our Mission

WiST is a nonprofit organization that empowers transformative growth opportunities for women and employers, from the classroom to the boardroom at the intersection of sports, technology and innovation.

Our Vision

A diverse industry that provides equitable access to opportunities and inclusive cultures across the sports tech landscape.

WHAT DIFFERENTIATES US

From inception, WiST defined three core principles that continue to drive us today.

Multigenerational Team

The core working team reflects the full range of career stages that WiST advocates for – from students to experienced professionals.

Male Champions

Support and participation from men in the industry are critical, as, without their commitment to embracing the WiST movement, nothing would change.

Action and Impact

WiST is not just a community that speaks up; it’s a tenacious, passionate movement of change agents who drive tangible results.

MEET OUR TEAM

We are product designers, sport scientists, data analysts, developers, start-up veterans, educators, and marketers with a common purpose: to #ChangeTheRatio for women in our industry by impacting the talent pipeline and company cultures.

WiST TEAM

  • Marilou McFarlane

    CEO + Founder + Chair emeritus

  • Laura Zavelson

    Chief of Finance and Operations

  • Casey Saussy

    Vice President of Programs + Partnerships

  • Emma Henzes

    Manager, Marketing + Content

  • Alison Skidmore

    Director of Operations

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  • Alysse Soll

    Board Chair

    CEO ADVISORY at underdog venture team

  • Vicki Dallas

    Shareholder, Dallas Innovation Law

  • Siobhan Dullea

    CEO, MassChallenge, Inc.

  • Stephanie Howard

    Cofounder + COO, Endstate

  • Zaileen Janmohamed

    Senior Vice President, Head of Commercial Development & Innovation

  • Sandy Khaund

    Sandy Khaund

    Founder + CEO, Credenza

  • Marilou McFarlane

    CEO + Founder + Chair emeritus

  • Alexander Miles

    Founder & CEO, Breakthru

  • Elizabeth O’Brien

    Program Director, WW Sports & Entertainment Partnership Marketing, IBM

  • Melanie Strong

    Vice Chair

    Advisor, Investor, Partner at NEXT VENTURES Sports and Wellness VC

  • Kendall Tyson

    VP Strategy and Analytics, Seattle Kraken

  • Wendy (Wood) Yang

    Former group President HOKA & Teva

  • Amir Zonozi

    President & Co-Founder, Zoomph

WiST ADVISORS

  • Nola Agha

    Professor of Sport Management at University of San Francisco and Sports Economics Consultant

  • Sameer Ahuja

    President of GameChanger

  • Mindi Bach

    Executive Communications Director, Rakuten

  • Stefy Bau

    Co-Founder & Director at Init Esports and Init Sports

  • Lisa Bodine

    STEM Sports Consultant; Sr. Database Engineer, Blue Sky Innovative Solutions

  • Cheri Bradish

    Loretta Rogers Research Chair in Sport Marketing

  • Meghan Chayka

    Meghan Chayka

    Co-Founder, Stathletes Inc.

  • Naomi Clarkson

    Senior Director Global Marketing, Wahoo Fitness

  • Kristen Dozier

    WiST Fellowship Volunteer

    Strategy and Operations, LOVB

  • Lisa Granatstein

    Content Strategist

  • Sophie Goldschmidt

    President and CEO, U.S. Ski & Snowboard

  • Nancy Hensley

    Chief Product and Marketing Officer, STATS PERFORM

  • Patty Hubbard

    Head of Marketing and Business Development, Urū Sports

  • Charles Johnson

    Design & Product Strategist

    Wearable Tech Expert

  • Kiki Mills Johnston

    Partner, Drive by DraftKings

  • Tiffany Kelly

    Founder & CEO, Curastory

  • Jamie Kent

    Software Engineer at Discord

  • Dr. Emily Kraus

    Assistant Clinical Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery, Stanford Children’s Health | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford

  • Jenna Kurath

    Vice President of Startup Partnerships, Head of Comcast NBCU SportsTech

  • Andrea’ Lattimore

    Talent Acquisition Diversity Program Manager, Titleist / Acushnet Company

  • Sandra Lopez

    VP/GM/CMO, Mircosoft

  • Will Lopes

    Chief Executive Officer at Catapult

  • Nina Luker

    Partner Development Lead at Smartly.io

  • Jaclyn Mahoney

    Director of Operations and Strategic Planning at Sports Reference

  • Johnny Marcon

    Vice President of Operations at Surfline\Wavetrak, Inc.

  • Dmitry Naumov

    CTO, CoachNow

  • Hélène Guillaume Pabis

    Founder + CEO Wild.AI

  • Louis Patler

    President, The B.I.T. Group

  • Glenna Patton

    Founding WiST Board Member Emeritus Founder + CEO, Gutc Brands

  • Susan Sigward

    Director, Human Performance Laboratory at University of Southern California

  • Marie Smith

    Chief Information Officer and Co-Founder, Data360

  • Lisa Nelson

    Independent Board Director, Advisor and Investor

  • Victoire H. Cogevina Reynal

    VP of Women's Football, OneFootball

  • Jarvis Sam

    Founding Board Member

    Founder/ CEO, The Rainbow Disruption

  • Oris Stuart

    Director at Ameritas

  • Neda Tabatabaie

    WiST Board Chair Emeritus

    Vice President, Business Analytics & Technology at San Jose Sharks

  • Cheresse Thornhill-Goldson

    Director, Design Education & Growth | Global Creative Direction | S.E.E.D. at adidas

  • Eric Toda

    Head of Meta Prosper & Global Head of Social Marketing at Meta

  • Krystal Williams

    Lawyer | Founder | Advisor | DEIB Practitioner