Hudson Taylor (he/him) is the founder and Executive Director of Athlete Ally, a nonprofit organization working to dismantle the systems of oppression that isolate, exclude and endanger LGBTQI+ people.

Under Taylor’s leadership, Athlete Ally educates athletic communities at all levels — sport governing bodies, teams, and individual athletes — to understand obstacles to inclusion for LGBTQI+ people in sports and how they can build inclusive communities on their teams or within their organizations. This includes launching Champions of Inclusion, an online curriculum providing coaches and athletic departments with education and resources around critical issues facing LGBTQI+ athletes and tools for creating an inclusive environment for all.

In addition, Athlete Ally works to ensure athletic communities’ policies are as LGBTQI+ inclusive as they should be. Under Taylor’s stewardship, Athlete Ally works closely with teams and institutions to develop clear and accessible policies around LGBTQI+ inclusion. In 2013, Taylor co-authored the NCAA’s first-ever handbook for college athletes, coaches and administrators providing recommendations, instructions and guidelines around best practices and policies for creating LGBTQIA+ inclusive athletic cultures. More recently, the organization launched the Athletic Equality Index (AEI) to measure LGBTQI+ inclusion policies and practices in college athletics. Taylor is also a powerful public speaker, sharing his story of allyship and advocacy both in and through sports.

Anna Baeth (she/her) is a critical feminist scholar and a cultural studies practitioner of sport. Her research centers on the gendering of sport spaces, the eternally moving body, and social movements and sport. A native of Frederick, MD, Baeth has a PhD from the University of Minnesota in Kinesiology, with a concentration in Sport Sociology. Baeth was a research assistant in the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport and a teaching assistant in the UMN Department of Kinesiology. Beyond her scholarly pursuits, Baeth is a perennial coach and advocate for cultural awareness in sport spaces. Holding an M.S. in Exercise and Sport Studies from Smith College (MA), Baeth has been an assistant lacrosse coach at Hamline University (MN), Head Field Hockey Coach at Oberlin College and Conservatory (OH), and assistant field hockey / lacrosse coach at Mt. Holyoke College (MA). In 2009, she rode her bicycle cross country with the non-profit Bike and Build to raise awareness of affordable housing issues. Baeth graduated from Swarthmore College (PA) with a degree in Sociology / Anthropology, Peace Studies, and Educational Studies, where she also founded the not-for-profit, Chester Neighborhood Bike Works.

Taylor Carr oversees communications at Athlete Ally. Prior to this, he served as a Vice President in the Corporate Affairs and Polycultural Consulting Practices at BCW Global. In this role, he partnered with clients as they navigated complex business challenges and an evolving communications and media landscape. He counseld clients on issues related to business transformation, business + social purpose campaigns, diversity, equity & inclusion, risk preparedness and crisis communications, and executive visibility strategies.

Carr co-led BCW PRide, the agency’s LGBTQ+ and ally ERG. In this role, he published thought leadership pieces and resources focused on what companies should consider to authentically engage with the LGBTQ+ community.

Previously, Carr served as the Chief of Staff at Athlete Ally. In this role, Carr was responsible for overseeing the entirety of Athlete Ally's operations portfolio -- including financial management, human resources and technology. In addition, Carr oversaw strategic initiatives as designated by their CEO and Board of Directors. Over his tenure, Carr helped spearhead the largest growth in the organization's history, helping double the organization's annual budget, deepening the financial health of the organization, and securing partnerships with marquee brands like adidas, P&G, Nike and more.

Prior to joining Athlete Ally, Carr worked in Edelman’s New York Public Affairs practice, helping support companies as they sought to address some of society’s most pressing issues, ranging from women’s empowerment and human rights, to climate change and LGBTQ equality.

Carr was responsible for helping grow Edelman New York’s LGBTQ communications marketing work, including counseling clients across the world on their LGBTQ diversity and inclusion initiatives. He’s worked with numerous global private sector clients to take a firm stance against anti-LGBTQ legislation in the United States, helping pave the way for future private sector activism in the space.

Carr is a certified USSF and a NISOA Collegiate soccer referee.

a.t. furuya (they, them, theirs) is a queer, trans, nonbinary, neurodivergent, Japanese American caregiver living on the traditional and unceded land of the Kumeyaay also known as Tipai-Ipai people in San Diego, CA. They are an organizer, educator, and advocate with over 20 years experience working in youth advocacy and education, disability, gender, racial, and economic justice movements. Ten of those years included coaching Track and Field. Previous non profit work experience includes the San Diego LGBT Center where they ran wrap around support services for trans youth. Following their passion for education, a.t. then worked at GLSEN national where they managed all youth programming including the national Day of Silence, revamping Changing the Game, a series of inclusive resource guides for K-12 physical education and sports, and professional development for educators and corporate partners. They hold a B.A. in History from SDSU and an M.A. in Education from HTHGSE. a.t. is a martial arts practitioner and has competed nationally in Shito Ryu Karate and recently joined Honu Sumo club in San Diego.

Jordyn (They/Them) has been a leader in the social impact sector for the last 12 years, including eight years as the Founder & Executive Director of Drive Change, an award-winning workforce development organization that builds pathways to meaningful employment for formerly incarcerated young adults. At Drive Change, Jordyn led a team that was motivated by the belief that any environment (ie. a workplace) can be designed to invest in talent and help people thrive.

After transitioning out of Drive Change, Jordyn was the Director of Partnerships at Bending Arc, a consulting firm for nonprofits. Prior to joining Athlete Ally as a staff member, they served on the Board of Directors for three years. Jordyn is a former athlete and a trans person. The confluence of these two identities motivate them to leverage sports as a tool for social change.

Jordyn is also a proud Echoing Green Fellow (Selected in 2015). Jordyn's six word bio is, Not cut out for the sidelines - they grew up in Manhattan and live in Brooklyn with their partner and toddler.

Sydney Taylor (she/her) is an Events Manager at Athlete Ally.

Prior to joining Athlete Ally, Sydney was the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Intern for the City of Stamford Government. In this role, Sydney updated the City’s Employee Handbook with more inclusive language and removed all gender-based references. She conducted research on youth mental health, affordable housing, and minority-owned businesses for the allocation of ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) Funds for the City. Sydney also assisted Athlete Ally in the development and execution of the organization’s Athlete Activism Summit in 2022 and 2023.

Sydney recently graduated from the College of William & Mary with a Bachelor’s in Sociology. She competed on the Women’s Volleyball team and served as the President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee during her senior year. In this position, Sydney curated the “You Belong” campaign and associated social media content as part of the department's DEI efforts. The campaign was aimed at addressing discrimination within the William and Mary Athletics department and played a pivotal role in promoting the value of diversity in recruiting student-athletes. The campaign received the College’s 2022 Values in Action Award.

As a woman of color and a former collegiate athlete, Sydney is excited about joining the Athlete Ally team and contributing to their ongoing efforts to level the playing field for underrepresented athletes and communities.

Perry Hughes Williams (he/him) leads strategy and operations for Under Armour’s Innovation team where he manages a portfolio of projects across apparel, footwear and connected fitness. He is also the co-chair of Under Armour’s LGBTq+ employee resource group, UNIFIED. He has 10 years of experience in engineering, project management, and corporate strategy in various industries and has a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech and an MBA from the University of Michigan. A native of Jackson, MS, Perry currently lives in Baltimore, MD with his husband, Tim, and their retriever Zoe.

Carin Levine Ehrenberg (she/her) is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Manhattan. Over the past 20 years, Carin has spent equal time working with her clients as she has devoted to community service and organizing in several organizations. She was most recently the president Greenwich Village Little League (GVLL) which annually serves over a thousand players ages 4 to 16. At GVLL Carin has helped build programs for the league and advocate in local politics on behalf of youth sports. Carin also serves on the board of P3 Baseball and Softball and is an advocate for youth as a representative of the organization Pier 40 Champions. In addition to her leadership in youth sports, Carin has focused on diversity and advocacy as a volunteer for the past decade at NYC independent schools LREI and Poly Prep Country Day. Carin has joined the Athlete Ally board in part to expand the organization’s work with youth athletes.

Carin received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from St. John’s University and her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Michigan. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and their two sons.

Bonnie Thurston is the WNBA’s Director of Player Programs and has been at the league for 17 years. In this role, Bonnie handles off-court matters for the WNBA’s players including such things as marketing appearances and professional development and everything in between. In addition to her work with the WNBA’s players, Bonnie co-founded and serves as co-chair for NBA Pride, the first LGBTQ+ employee resource team in professional sports. She is passionate about inclusion in sports. Bonnie lives in NYC with her wife, a professional dancer, and her two children, Ella and Jasper.

Coach Macky Bergman is the founder and program Director of Steady Buckets. He brings over 20-years of youth coaching experience and had trained thousands of boys and girls of all ages, including top high school prospects, NCAA student-athletes, International and NBA professionals. He played four years of varsity basketball at The University of Rochester under Coach Mike Neer, and received three all-conference academic team honors. In 2010 he started Steady Buckets in order to bring high quality skill development training to NYC youth basketball players. Under his leadership, Steady Buckets has thrived and now serves over 2,000 youth, providing over 100 hours per week of free skill development workouts, instructional leagues, leadership trainings and opportunities, girls only workouts and workouts for players on the autism spectrum. He has been honored by NY1 as New Yorker of the Week and by the Brooklyn Nets as Jr. Nets Coach of the Year.

Joy Bunson is an accomplished Human Resources executive with over 20 years of experience in financial services. She currently runs a consulting and coaching practice and specializes in areas related to organizational culture and effectiveness, including leadership development, change management, diversity and work-life. Her clients come from both the for profit and not for profit sectors and have included Moody’s, PwC, Royal Bank of Canada, Ford Models, Baker & Mckenzie, the Families and Work Institute, the Young Women’s Leadership Network and others.

Until mid-2006, she was the Senior Vice President and executive in charge of Global Human Resources Development at JPMorganChase. Her responsibilities included corporate leadership, diversity, talent and performance management, work-life, learning and education, and Human Resources branding and communications programs for JPMorganChase’s 160,000 employees worldwide.

Under Ms. Bunson’s tenure, her Development team oversaw the organizational aspects of three of the industry’s largest mergers: Chase-Chemical bank, Chase-J.R Morgan and the JPMorganChase – Bank One merger. She led the expansion of JPMorganChase’s back-up child care network across the U.S. into the largest onsite corporate network in the country; the implementation of a formal diversity planning process that yielded substantial changes to the company’s climate and demographics; and the development of several public-private partnerships, including Smart Start, a community based scholarship and career development program and Comfort for Kids, a program launched after 9/11 to help parents and caregivers recognize and deal with trauma in young children and later adapted for use worldwide. During this time, JPMorganChase received numerous awards for its work-life and diversity initiatives. These included the Catalyst award in 2001, recognition as one of the top 10 companies for working mothers in 2003 and 2006, and placement on numerous *best companies” lists.

In 2005, Ms. Bunson was honored as a leader in the work-life movement by the Families and Work Institute, which awarded her its Work-Life legacy award for her pioneering work on supporting the child care needs of JPMorganChase employees and integrating diversity and work-life into corporate culture.

Ms. Bunson holds an M.S. in Organizational Psychology from New York University and a B.A. in Ameri-can Studies from Cornell University. She resides in Manhattan with her husband and son.

Christine Castano joined Major League Soccer’s Engagement and Inclusion office in January of 2022. In this role, she works closely with MLS EVP & Chief Engagement and Advancement Officer Sola Winley and other stakeholders on the league’s efforts to champion inclusivity and belonging in the league office, and create policies, platforms and partnerships that drive access and opportunity in soccer. Castano also founded and co-chairs the MLS Pride ERG.

Christine previously spent four years as International Properties Manager at Major League Soccer / Soccer United Marketing working on Concacaf, US Soccer, and Mexican National Team properties.

Castano has a Master of Science in Sports Management from Columbia University and holds a dual degree with a BBA in Marketing and a BS in Radio, Television and Film from the University of Texas at Austin.

Laura Clise is a corporate sustainability leader and 2013 Aspen Institute First Mover Fellow. At AREVA Inc., Laura established led the Sustainable Development department, overseeing the company's first regional sustainability strategy and supplier diversity program. She subsequently served as the Director of External Communications & Corporate Citizenship. Before joining AREVA Inc., Laura’s sustainability experience included work for the U.N. Global Compact, Intel Corporation, and Business for Social Responsibility. Laura received an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and a BA in International Relations from Carleton College. She received an Exceptional Individual Achievement Award from the Human Rights Campaign for her work on marriage equality in Maryland and is a frequent speaker a host of issues, including sustainability initiatives, diversity and inclusion, and employee engagement.

Drew Martin became Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs at the University of Texas in June of 2018, bringing an extensive external services background ranging from trademark licensing and brand management to marketing, social media and communications. He joined the Longhorns staff after spending six years at TCU, where he was Associate AD for Marketing and Licensing.

Prior to TCU, Martin spent a year as a Regional Marketing Manager for Pepsi covering west Tennessee, Arkansas, north Mississippi and Louisiana.

Martin began his full-time career at Texas A&M where he gained valuable experience handling several different roles. He joined the staff as an Assistant Sports Information Director in 1997, and in 2000 was promoted to Director of Internet and Special Projects/Brand Manager. He then assumed the role of Assistant AD from 2006-11.

A Memphis, Tenn., native and 1996 graduate of Mississippi State University with a degree in communications and public relations, Martin was a student assistant and eventually a graduate intern for the Bulldogs' media relations department. He was a media relations assistant at the Big 12 Conference for a short period after Mississippi State.

Martin is a member of the NCAA Common Ground Leadership Team. The group's focus is to advance discussion around the intersection of LGBT student-athletes at faith-based institutions, as well as people of faith at private secular organizations.

Martin and his husband, Blake Macon, were married in Fort Worth in 2015.

Pat is the Chief Financial Officer at FloSports, a direct-to-consumer, subscription-based sports media company. He currently oversees Finance, Accounting and Business Intelligence after previously holding the position of SVP of Business Development at the company. Prior to FloSports, Pat was a venture capital investor at Austin Ventures and Commonwealth Capital Ventures. He is an alumnus of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Harvard College.

In college, Pat played rugby and soccer. Now he avoids running at all costs but remains an avid skier and weightlifter. Originally from Boston, Pat now calls Austin, Texas home. Pat and his husband, Stace Houk, were married in St. Petersburg, Florida in November 2022.

Based in London, Krishna practises as a corporate lawyer at King & Spalding with a wide practice acting for public and private companies in cross-border transactions, mergers & acquisitions, private equity, capital markets, as well as the corporate aspects of restructuring and insolvency. He regularly advises on corporate governance as well as shareholder activism and defence. Krishna advises clients across a range of sectors, including financial services, life sciences, infrastructure and energy, sports and entertainment, and private wealth. He has particular interest in emerging markets, especially India; and is named in Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2020 for India expertise. Krishna was named a Future Leader by the Financial Times in its Executive Diversity Report in 2018, received a 2019 Asian Achievers Award, and the inaugural Rising Star Award in the 2019 British Legal Awards. He has spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2019 and 2020.

Krishna is also the founder of Return on Equity, a new economic and philosophical agenda to rethink the meaning of capitalism in a model that harnesses the power of inclusion, empowerment, and social change as a strategy for sustainability. Through Return on Equity, Krishna is influencing a different and new kind of philosophy, where corporations rely on inclusive disruption to increase empowerment, activating investors, consumers, and employees as economic actors, putting in place a virtuous cycle of wealth creation within a sustainable circular economy.

Krishna worked on the initiative to decriminalise same-sex relations in India, which was successful in September 2018, and in 2019 was invited by the UN Assistant Secretary General to co-lead a consultation on the collaboration of the private sector and civil society in the advancement of LGBTQI+ rights.

Krishna is a lover of the arts and design, dogs and animals, food and drink, and travel. He received a BA in English Literature from St Stephen’s College, the University of Delhi; an MPhil in Sociology from the University of Oxford; and spent time as a visiting researcher at Sciences Po / Institut d'études politiques de Paris.

Lia Mandaglio Parifax is an attorney and social justice activist. She directs centralized Learning, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Knowledge Management at the Arcus Foundation and plays a legal and governance role. Prior to joining Arcus, Lia served as Managing Director, Global Initiatives at Out Leadership, an advisory firm specializing in LGBT business and talent development. In 2011, she co-founded Athlete Ally, a nonprofit advancing LGBTQI+ rights through sports. In this capacity and as a current trustee, Lia has strategized groundbreaking social justice initiatives in sports for which she was named to Vanity Fair's Hall of Fame by Congressman Barney Frank. Lia has been published in several leading peer-reviewed rhetoric and legal journals, including the American Bar Association’s Public Contracts Law Journal, the Italian American Bar Association’s Digest, the California International Law Journal, and the International Journal of Law in Context of Cambridge University Press. She has contributed to several opinion pieces in outlets like The Huffington Post and CNN, and she served as an editor of the book, Keys to College Studying: Becoming an Active Thinker, Prentice Hall (2nd ed.) Lia practiced structured finance law at Alston & Bird LLP in New York City, received her juris doctor from The George Washington University Law School, and graduated first in her class from Lafayette College.

Jeanne (She/Her) currently serves as Director, NCAA Sports Marketing and Licensing at adidas. After graduating from Western Michigan University, she started her career in Chicago in advertising where she spent 10 years honing her specialty in sport and entertainment sponsorships. During that time, she helped launch Verizon’s NFL partnership and acted as strategic lead in planning and execution for Anheuser-Busch’s sport vertical.

These opportunities went on to shape a career-long interest in harnessing the passion that people have for sport into driving brand initiatives. She took a stop on her path to earn an MBA from the University of Oregon, after which she landed a role with adidas.

With the privilege and responsibility of managing relationships and budgets with 12 Power Five conference universities, Jeanne continuously collaborates with partners to create space to discuss ways for each to build programming to uplift the diverse collegiate sport communities. The result is programs that bring equitable NIL opportunities, McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative fellows and Athlete Ally resources directly to athletic departments. Her mission is to approach partnership marketing holistically, considering how to drive business and social impact simultaneously.

Robert A. Sewall Jr. (he/him) is the president and CEO of Sewall Financial Group, an independent wealth management firm with offices in New York City, Long Island, NY and Palm Beach, FL.

A former professional athlete with the Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League, Robert was inspired to pursue a career in wealth management after hearing of the struggles his teammates faced on their road to financial independence. These experiences with teammates and coaches from extremely diverse backgrounds has led to Robert’s success as a financial advisor, as he passionately advocates for his clients across multiple industries and from all walks of life.

Prior to joining the financial industry in 2013, Robert graduated from Brown University with a double major in economics and American history. He was a 4-year varsity participant in football, where he was named an All-American and 3-time All-Ivy League performer at the wide receiver position. After a career in the NFL, Robert worked as Vice President for Merrill Lynch’s wealth management division in Manhattan for seven years before starting his independent firm in 2019. His advocacy for professional athletes continued in his role as president of the NFL Former Players’ Chapter of New York/New Jersey and Board Member of the NFLPA Former Players. Today, Robert focuses on holistic wealth management at Sewall Financial Group, helping clients develop comprehensive strategies that go beyond investing to include private banking, estate planning, and trust services.

Louis A. Vega serves as president of Dow North America and vice president, Government Affairs & Advocacy, North America.

Over his 20+ year career at Dow, Vega has gained wide-ranging expertise, honed his strong business acumen, and led significant growth projects and business development programs. All of this has been augmented through his extensive international experience, which includes roles in Horgen, Switzerland; Washington D.C.; Dubai, UAE; Midland, Michigan; New York, New York; and Melbourne, Australia.

Previously, from 2011 to 2017, Vega served as chief of staff of the Office of the Chairman and CEO. Later, he was named vice president of Dow’s Olympic & Sports Solutions business, where he served from 2014 to 2019. He most recently headed up Dow’s presence in Australia and New Zealand as president and managing director for the two countries from 2016 to 2019.

A passionate leader who advocates for inclusion and works towards full equality for all, Vega strives to demonstrate how diversity can ensure enterprise success and deliver bottom line results. He was named to Australia’s 50 outstanding LGBTI business executives in 2018 and 2019. A philanthropist and member of many nonprofit boards, Vega is also a proud multi-year member of the OUTstanding LGBT+ Role Models list.

Vega is a trustee of the Chemical Industry Labor-Management Committee and a member of the Trilateral Commission. And, in 2015, his alma mater, New Mexico State University, honored him with a Distinguished Alumni Award.

Prior to joining Dow, Vega had a series of roles in Washington, D.C. – from Capitol Hill to the Executive Branch – over the span of 12 years.