By Dr. Kendra Greene
In 2024, women’s sports generated over $1 billion in global revenue for the first time ever. From Caitlin Clark and the WNBA setting records for viewership and attendance last year, to the whole country rallying behind Olympic stars like Ilona Maher and Simone Biles, the momentum for women’s sports has never been stronger.
But what about the women who work behind the scenes, behind the teams – those in the front offices, college athletics administrations and organizers of youth sports? While the momentum has also never been stronger for women to have a seat at the table, women still need so much more representation, access and inclusion with more professional development and networking opportunities for there to be more equal footing in the business of sports. This moment for women should spill over into every facet of sports.
My name is Dr. Kendra Greene and I currently serve as the Deputy Athletic Director for Internal Affairs and the Senior Woman Administrator at North Carolina Central University. In my role, I oversee the compliance, academics, financial aid, budget, community engagement and student-athlete development at NCCU, amongst other duties.
I have had the honor of working in intercollegiate athletics for over 20 years at a variety of different universities. I have worked extremely hard to get to where I am today, but back when I started, that was not always enough. As a woman in sports, I had to be comfortable being one of, if not the only, woman in a room. I had to be comfortable giving my opinion knowing it may not be treated the same as someone else’s. It was hard to know what the path could be for a woman in the sports industry, and it was rare to see women in the roles that I dreamed of being in one day.
That is why I am so thankful for events like the Emerging Women in Sports Leadership Summit. To walk into a room with hundreds of women in the sports industry is such a powerful experience that is truly hard to put into words. To see the number of young women who, year over year, dedicate themselves to their own professional development is truly inspiring to me and leaves me wanting to make sure they know they are not alone as they go forward in their career.
At the 2025 event, you will have the opportunity to connect with athletic directors, commissioners, CEOs, and so many more incredible women who have paved their way in our industry. You will hear about how you can elevate your communication, how to project manage, how to navigate your career and so much more. And beyond the impactful takeaways you will have from the amazing speakers, you will also have the chance to build relationships with other women in your shoes, who can be your biggest allies in the future. Because as women in sports, we are stronger together.
I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with the Durham Sports Commission for years, and the thing that stands out to me is how much they truly care about our community. For a sports commission to partner with an incredible organization like Women Leaders in Sports to put on an event like this is such an asset to our community.
The best thing you can do starting out in the sports industry is to take advantage of this opportunity and invest in yourself. And that starts on Wednesday, April 9 in Durham, North Carolina. I can’t wait to connect with you all there.