SAN DIEGO, Calif. --- Former Women’s Sports Foundation executive director Donna Lopiano will headline the opening session of the 19th Annual NCAA Gender Equity and Issues Forum.
Set for April 27-29 in San Diego, the forum is free of charge to NCAA institutional staff members and conference administrators. The event will feature expert panelists and presenters on topics ranging from entry-level Title IX concepts and gender-equity planning to strategies for dealing with the most complex issues affecting women in intercollegiate sports.
This year, workshop topics will include marketing women’s sports, fund-raising, pay equity, female student-athlete well-being and how to conduct a Title IX review. Lopiano, now the president of Sports Management Resources, a consulting firm, will focus her remarks on managing gender equity in difficult economic times.
For the second consecutive year, both the keynote and closing addresses will emphasize participants’ personal well-being. Humorist and author Loretta LaRoche will serve as the keynote speaker and will talk about work/life balance issues, stress management and using humor in the workplace.
“This is an important time for staff members around the country to recognize when they need a little relief from the stress they are all under,” said Karen Morrison, NCAA director of gender initiatives.
Kathleen Kunkler, a vice president at Morgan Stanley, will offer closing remarks related to managing personal finances, and women investing in themselves.
“We know schools and conferences are under a lot of strain right now trying to figure out how they are going to manage their budgets and priorities,” said Morrison. “Gender equity is always a piece of that puzzle, so having the most up-to-date information is critical while they are making those decisions.”
Other topics to be covered at the forum include: evaluating the student-athlete experience, , Title IX overview and EADA requirements, consumer responses to representations of women's sports , incorporating gender equity into performance management, mentoring minorities, , nutrition for female student-athletes, sexual assault prevention, managing media messages, and harassment and retaliation.
Interested participants are strongly encouraged to register online in advance at https://www.planningpoint.net/V2/Registrations/index.cfm?Display=Attendees/dsp_attendeeForm.cfm . Forum materials will be distributed on flash drives this year in an effort to be more environmental friendly.
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