WOMEN LEADERS IN SPORTS ANNOUNCES BLACK HISTORY MONTH PROGRAMMING AND HBCU SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
PRESS RELEASE
February 1, 2024
Contacts:
Mandy Marks
Women Leaders in Sports
[email protected]
925.899.1356
Kansas City, Mo.— Women Leaders in Sports (Women Leaders) announces its initiatives surrounding Black History Month, along with scholarship opportunities dedicated to women from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
During the month of February, Women Leaders will honor Black History Month by sharing resources, member stories, and hosting events aligning with their Women of Color Commitment.
The Women of Color (WOC) Commitment was born from the organization’s commitment to provide a platform for Women Leaders members to connect, address issues specific to women of color, and support one another. The programming and goals of the WOC Commitment are infused into everything that the organization does and are generously supported by our partner adidas.
Two Women Leaders scholarship opportunities dedicated to women from HBCUs open today, including the Pioli Family Endowed Scholarship and the HBCU Institutional Scholarship.
Through the Pioli Family Endowed Scholarship Fund, a membership scholarship will be awarded to 14 women either working in athletics at an HBCU, or who graduated from an HBCU. Each woman must demonstrate their commitment to sports and have a desire to advance in sports administration. The scholarship includes a one-year Women Leaders in Sports membership.
Women Leaders in Sports and NFL Executive Scott Pioli announced the Pioli Family Endowed HBCU Scholarship in 2019, which marked the organization's first endowment, and it came at a historical milestone for the organization as Women Leaders celebrated its 40th Anniversary.
Scott Pioli, a member of Women Leaders in Sports, has served as a lifelong mentor and champion of women working in sports. “My family and I remain grateful to Patti, Christina and the team at Women Leaders for helping us make this possible. We couldn’t it without their support," said Scott Pioli. "Every year, we add more incredible women to the list of recipients and new relationships are born and remain intact. From these relationships we see growth, opportunity and achievement. It’s humbling to be able to serve these amazing future women leaders in sport."
To date, 33 women have received a scholarship from the Pioli Family Endowed HBCU Scholarship Fund. "Scott has been a dear friend and male champion to this organization for many years. Thanks to his generous investment and commitment to women and women of color, we have been able to grow our support and engagement of women from HBCUs.” said CEO of Women Leaders in Sports, Patti Phillips. "We are beyond grateful to Scott, Dallas and Mia for their dedication to this organization and all women in sports.”
Women Leaders also offers an HBCU Institutional Scholarship for two HBCU’s to support women on their staff. This scholarship includes a one-year Women Leaders in Sports institutional membership inclusive of a six-member roster.
In addition to scholarships, this month the Women of Color Member Circle will host Angela Taylor, Partner at The DIGNITAS Agency, for Part 2 of the Women of Color Conversation from the 2023 Women Leaders National Convention. Angela is an equity and inclusion strategist and executive coach. The LIVE event takes place on February 29th at 12PM CT. Members can watch Part 1 here and everyone can listen to the podcast of Part 1 here.
Individuals can apply for both scholarships here. Applications are open through February 29th. To learn more about the Women of Color Commitment or our Black History Month initiatives, make sure to follow @_WomenLeaders on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn & TikTok.
Contribute to the Pioli Family Endowed HBCU Scholarship Fund and support the organization’s efforts to provide women working at HBCU's access to the Women Leaders membership by donating here.