Mark your calendars! Women’s basketball and women in basketball are more powerful than ever after an explosive year in collegiate and WNBA basketball in 2024. Join us to hear from an incredible panel of trailblazers who are defining the business of basketball; shaping the future of some of the sport’s biggest teams; and creating space for girls and women as players, fans, analysts, and executives.

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Tickets

$25 Adults
$20 Seniors/Youth/College Students/Visitors with disabilities
$15 Museum members (join here)

Tickets include Museum Admission from 5:00 – 6:00PM and light refreshments in addition to the panel discussion.

For group rates, email [email protected].

Featured Speakers

Sheila Johnson, Partner, Monumental Sports and Entertainment
Sheila Johnson is Founder & CEO of the Salamander Collection. The company operates
luxury properties centered around unique destinations in the US and the Caribbean. As a Partner of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, Johnson is the only African American woman to have ownership in three professional sports teams: the Washington Wizards, Washington Capitals, and the Washington Mystics. She spearheaded the formation of WE Capital, a venture capital consortium to support and invest in female-led enterprises. A powerful influence in the entertainment industry, she was the co-founder of Black Entertainment Television, served as executive producer of documentary and feature films and is founder and chair of the Middleburg Film Festival. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences – focusing on the Education Committee. She serves on several boards including the Trust for the National Mall, College of Performing Arts at The New School, the Metropolitan Opera, Jackie Robinson Foundation, Simon & Schuster Publishing Advisory Board, Aspen Music Festival and School and the PBS Foundation.

Melissa Proctor, Chief Marketing Officer, Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena
Melissa McGhie Proctor joined the Atlanta Hawks in June of 2014 and is the Chief Marketing Officer for the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club and State Farm Arena. In this role, she oversees the day-to-day operations of marketing teams, including marketing integration and direct response, digital content and advertising and promotions. Additionally, Proctor plays an instrumental role within the organization spearheading internal corporate employee initiatives and executive communication. Proctor began her career with the Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., serving in senior brand development and strategy leadership positions for Turner Entertainment Networks. Additionally, Proctor helped to create the first Corporate Social Responsibility Division in Turner’s UK office. Proctor has also been a part of the NBA since high school, being the first ball girl (team attendant) for the Miami Heat organization and in later years returning to work for the Heat in basketball operations and the Atlanta Hawks as a ball girl.

Shana Stephenson, Chief Brand Officer, New York Liberty
As Chief Brand Officer for the New York Liberty, Shana Stephenson oversees strategies and day to day management of marketing, partnership initiatives, content and innovation for the New York Liberty brand. Additionally, she is responsible for maintaining strong relationships with core fans and building relationships with new fan bases. A former ESPN marketing professional with more than a decade of sports industry experience, Shana has a passion for storytelling – adding a unique perspective, relatable relevance and necessary voice to traditionally male-driven sports community has landed her opportunities with AspireTV, Black Enterprise, Bleacher Report, espnW, Essence, and Refinery29, to name a few. Her keen knowledge of sports inspired her All Sports Everything, a New York centric sports blog with a range of lifestyle, news and other sports-relevant content; UnManning the Game, a platform designed to highlight women in sports; and THE MAJORS, a movement celebrating young-ish influencers of color, sports business’ unsung architects of dope. In October 2020, Shana was named to the Sports Innovation Lab Women’s Sports Leadership Board, the first of its kind, specifically dedicated to accelerating the growth and commercialization of women’s sports.

Khristina Williams, Host of “In Case You Missed It with Khristina Williams,” an iHeartMedia podcast; WNBA reporter; founder of Girls Talk Sports TV
Khristina Williams is a New York City based multimedia journalist, host, and digital creator. As a rising and prominent voice in women’s basketball media, she utilizes her platform to bridge the gap between sports fans and athletes through delivering honest content and amplifying the voices of women through storytelling. In 2018, Williams founded social-digital media platform Girls Talk Sports TV with a mission to close the women’s sports coverage gap by creating  more visibility for women in sports, through social content creation and reporting. GTSTV has since served as the go-to destination for women’s basketball breaking news, daily updates, and exclusive interviews with WNBA and NCAA athletes. In 2022, Athletes Unlimited and Girls Talk Sports TV announced a digital creator partnership for their inaugural basketball season. Through her efforts and impact with Girls Talk Sports TV, Williams has been named to Forbes 30 Under 30 (Sports 2021), Forbes: Queens of Culture (2022),  Sports Illustrated’s 100 Influential Black Women in Sports (2022), Hashtag Sports Creators of Color (2021), PG Sports Women’s Basketball Media/Sports Influencer of the Year (2021), and Hunter College’s “40 Under 40” (2022). Currently, Williams contributes as a WNBA Expert for SportsNet New York (SNY) and is the host of the “In Case You Missed it with Khristina Williams” weekly women’s basketball podcast on iHeart Radio’s newly launched Women’s Sports Audio Network (WSAN). Williams earned a degree in journalism at Hunter College.

About the Series

This program is the third event in our Leveling the Playing Field series, which pays tribute to Jackie Robinson’s barrier-breaking legacy by highlighting how women of color are changing the landscape of sports today.

Sponsorship

Presenting Sponsor of Leveling the Playing Field: Sheila Johnson Foundation

Interested in becoming a sponsor for this event? Contact [email protected].