News Releases - 2020
September 22, 2020 – WeCOACH Becomes Official Partner of Return On Inclusion
September 10, 2020 – WeCOACH Announces Partnership with Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport
June 10, 2020 – WeCOACH Announces Partnership with the United States Marine Corps
January 28, 2020 – WeCOACH Announces Megan Kahn Promoted to CEO
January 7, 2020 – WeCOACH Announces Northeast-10 Conference as League-Wide Member
January 3, 2020 – WeCOACH Announces Three New Board Members; Green Becomes Board President
WeCOACH Becomes Official Partner of Return On Inclusion
September 22, 2020
“Diversity and inclusion remain two of our strongest values. Especially in today’s climate, we have a responsibility to be at the forefront of education and change for a more diverse and inclusive culture. This partnership with Return On Inclusion will allow us to continue to take actionable steps in enhancing our educational content, programming, and best practices,” said WeCOACH CEO Megan Kahn.
Return On Inclusion (ROI), founded by Nevin Caple, is a sport-specific diversity and inclusion education platform dedicated to developing inclusive leaders and fostering a culture of belonging across social and cultural differences. Its self-paced modules standardize learning methods to help every coach and athletic administrator develop the skills and competencies necessary to support student-athletes and achieve inclusive excellence in programs, policies, and practices.
“I am thrilled to formalize our relationship with WeCOACH, as Megan and her team champion diversity and inclusion education as a core value. ROI provides coaches and administrators with access to critical learning opportunities and one of the ways we do this by partnering with institutions and organizations, like WeCOACH, who prioritize developing inclusive leadership,” said Caple.
About Return on Inclusion
Return On Inclusion™ (ROI) is a groundbreaking online learning platform for coaches, athletic administrators and athletic staff. The ROI Advisory Board includes national thought leaders in college athletics who have made significant contributions to fostering inclusive teams and programs. Board members include: Board Chair, Resa Lovelace (Maryland), DaWon Baker (Nebraska), Isa Berardo (Pomona-Pitzer), Cherish Burks (Alabama), Clyde Doughty (Bowie State), Kim Doran (Ohio State), Jessica Duff (Bates), Jaide-Hinds Clarke (Richmond), Katie Harbert (Oregon), Noah Knight (Kansas City Athletics), Yannick Kluch (Rowan), Jacqie McWilliams (CIAA), John Square (GW), Maria Sanchez (Northwestern), Whitney Johnson (NCAA).
About WeCOACH
Founded in 2011, WeCOACH has become the premier membership organization committed to recruiting, advancing, and retaining women coaches across all sports and levels. Previously known as the Alliance of Women Coaches, the organization reinvigorated its brand in August 2018. By providing a supportive and unified network, educational programs and resources, and access to in-person and digital resources, WeCOACH is changing the landscape for women coaches.
WeCOACH Announces Partnership with the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport
September 10, 2020
“We’ve had a longstanding working relationship with the Tucker Center. With the addition of more robust and comprehensive reports that provide benchmarks and data on women coaches, these will continue to be critical in driving national dialogue focused on retaining and advancing women in the coaching profession,” said WeCOACH CEO Megan Kahn.
The formal partnership provides collaborative branding, data collection, and promotion across several research initiatives, including the well-known Women in College Coaching Report Card™ that is co-produced annually. The Report Card, now in its ninth year, continues to document the percentage of women coaches of women’s teams in college athletics while holding decision markers accountable for hiring decisions. This year’s Report Card, marks the second time in nine years data has been collected for all coaching positions of women’s teams. The data illuminates numerous gendered occupational trends and helps identify where the coaching pipeline is leaky. In turn, data will help WeCOACH develop targeted data-driven programming to meet the needs of women coaches at all stages of their career trajectory.
The premier educational program of WeCOACH is the Women Coaches Academy (WCA), hosted in partnership with the NCAA. The Tucker Center research team will continue to document the career trajectories and retention rates of WCA graduates. To date, of the 686 women who attended the WCA between 2014-19, 88% are still coaching. Based on existing data, it demonstrates that WCA graduates “stay in the game” at very high numbers, giving women opportunities for advancement and assisting in increasing retention rates.
Additionally, WeCOACH and the Tucker Center will conduct cutting-edge research focused on women coaches of color. WeAMPLIFY, the WeCOACH women coaches of color initiative, will provide guidance in identifying the focus of this collaborative research effort.
“The Tucker Center is committed to collaborating with change makers, to conduct research and produce evidence-based tools that makes a difference in the lives of women sport coaches, their families and workplaces. This formal partnership is a mission central, initiative to help us continue to do just that,” said Dr. Nicole M. LaVoi, director of the Tucker Center and founding Board member of WeCOACH.
About the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport
The vision and pioneering spirit of Dorothy McNeill Tucker led to the establishment of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota in 1993. The creation of an interdisciplinary research center—devoted solely to girls and women in sport—established standards of excellence with respect to scholarly inquiry, advocacy, graduate education, community outreach and public service. Housed in the College of Education and Human Development’s School of Kinesiology, the Tucker Center is devoted to sponsoring, promoting, and disseminating scholarly activity on how sport impacts the lives of girls and women.
About WeCOACH
Founded in 2011, WeCOACH has become the premier membership organization committed to recruiting, advancing, and retaining women coaches across all sports and levels. Previously known as the Alliance of Women Coaches, the organization reinvigorated its brand in August 2018. By providing a supportive and unified network, educational programs and resources, and access to in-person and digital resources, WeCOACH is changing the landscape for women coaches.
WeCOACH Announces Partnership with the United States Marine Corps
June 10, 2020
“We are thrilled to welcome the Marine Corps to the WeCOACH family. Their national visibility and iconic leadership principles seamlessly align with our community of women coaches. Together, not only can we better the landscape for women in the profession, but also raise the bar in positively influencing tomorrow’s leaders,” said WeCOACH CEO Megan Kahn.
The Marine Corps’ national partnerships provide valuable opportunities to spread public awareness of the Marine Corps’ purpose by connecting the brand to those communities it serves. The relationships established between the Corps and athletic communities ensure its message of aspirational service resonates with coaches, athletes and their influencers.
This significant partnership provides an opportunity for the Marine Corps to engage with our key constituents which are integral to meeting their recruiting objectives, while also observing important social distancing guidelines. WeCOACH and the Marine Corps will leverage mixed media, custom content, virtual chats, and meet-ups to share their core values and exchange experiences with the WeCOACH female coaching community.
“The United States Marine Corps is proud to begin a partnership with WeCOACH as a sponsor of their member programming. We are honored to extend our support to coaches and look forward to forming invaluable relationships throughout our engagement with the WeCOACH community,” said LtCol Christian Devine, National Director of Marketing & Communications for the Marine Corp Recruiting Command.
About the United States Marine Corp
Our Marine Recruiters serve every corner of the country and our priority during this national health emergency is their safety as well as the safety of their families, and the communities where they live and work. Right now, it’s as important as ever that we band together as a nation, adjusting our approach while remaining focused on our mission.
The United States Marine Corps looks forward to forming enduring relationships with, and lending our support to, those coaches and athletic facilitators who help young Americans win battles every day.
About WeCOACH
Founded in 2011, WeCOACH has become the premier membership organization committed to recruiting, advancing, and retaining women coaches across all sports and levels. Previously known as the Alliance of Women Coaches, the organization reinvigorated its brand in August 2018. By providing a supportive and unified network, educational programs and resources, and access to in-person and digital resources, WeCOACH is changing the landscape for female coaches.
WeCOACH Announces Megan Kahn Promoted to CEO
January 28, 2020
Kahn, who has served the organization in a number of roles since 2012, was named executive director on August 1, 2016. She has elevated the organization through a complete rebrand (Alliance of Women Coaches to WeCOACH in 2018), a new strategic plan, as well as magnified the reach of WeCOACH on a national level with corporate sponsors, partners, and members.
“Megan has done an outstanding job as the Executive Director of WeCOACH. Her leadership, vision, and strategic decision-making have resulted in memberships, sponsorships, and program participation reaching an all-time high. She has evolved as a leader, and her impact on the organization has significantly enhanced the brand and visibility of WeCOACH,” said Charmelle Green, Penn State senior associate athletic director and president of the WeCOACH board of directors. “We look forward to seeing WeCOACH continue to thrive under her leadership.”
In three short years, Kahn has significantly increased the programmatic offerings and resources to support the heartbeat of WeCOACH – female coaches across all sports and levels. This past December, Kahn was instrumental in cultivating a partnership with Hudl to host BreakThrough Summit, the first-ever digital leadership summit for women in sports. She has overseen the launches of the WeCOACH Podcast, the NCAA Academy 2.0, the WeCOACH Mentor Program, and the Virtual Book Club. In May, WeCOACH will host its first-ever event for high school female coaches in partnership with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).
With a pulse on the coaching landscape, WeCOACH has hit unprecedented growth numbers in the past two years, annually achieving a 20% increase in overall membership. Last year was a banner year for the organization, highlighted by engaging in conference-wide memberships with the Big 12 Conference, Horizon League, Ivy League and Sunshine State Conference.
About WeCOACH
Founded in 2011, WeCOACH has become the premier membership organization committed to recruiting, advancing, and retaining women coaches across all sports and levels. Previously known as the Alliance of Women Coaches, the organization reinvigorated its brand in August 2018. By providing a supportive and unified network, educational programs and resources, and access to in-person and digital resources, WeCOACH is changing the landscape for female coaches.
WeCOACH Announces Northeast-10 Conference as League-Wide Member
January 7, 2020
“I applaud the Northeast-10 for understanding the significance and value of educational programming aimed at retaining and advancing women in the coaching profession. We look forward to welcoming them to our member community,” said WeCOACH Executive Director Megan Kahn.
The NE10 is the largest NCAA Division II conference in sponsorship of sports at 24. Female coaches within the conference will benefit from unique programs and a wide array of resources, including the NCAA Women Coaches Academy, NCAA Academy 2.0, the mentor program, virtual book club, and other exclusive online content.
“We are thrilled to partner with WeCOACH, a premier membership organization committed to recruiting, advancing, and retaining women coaches across all sports and levels. The NE10 places the utmost value on all persons and believes that diverse and inclusive communities enrich our institutions and our shared experiences. By teaming with WeCOACH, a trusted voice in the female coaching community, we are pleased to support our female coaches by providing them with the personal and professional development tools they’ll need as they coach, mentor and lead student-athletes along a path to excellence,” said Northeast-10 Conference Commissioner Julie Ruppert.
About the Northeast-10 Conference
The NE10 is an association of 14 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
About WeCOACH
Founded in 2011, WeCOACH has become the premier membership organization committed to recruiting, advancing, and retaining women coaches across all sports and levels. Previously known as the Alliance of Women Coaches, the organization reinvigorated its brand in August 2018. By providing a supportive and unified network, educational programs and resources, and access to in-person and digital resources, WeCOACH is changing the landscape for female coaches.
WeCOACH Announces Three New Board Members; Green Becomes
Board President
January 3, 2020
Additionally, Charmelle Green, Penn State University senior associate athletics director assumes the role of Board president effective this month. The move coincides with Elizabeth King beginning her term as president-elect and Dr. Cecile Reynaud will transition to past-president. The leadership positions are one-year progressive terms.
“We are thrilled to welcome Marlene, Teresa and Nona to our Board. They join WeCOACH at an exciting time as we continue to broaden our programmatic offerings across levels and build deeper relationships across the landscape. We are confident their skills and experiences will provide valuable perspectives to our already talented group of Board members,” said Charmelle Green.
Marlene Bjornsrud’s career has spanned more than 40 years of leadership in women’s sports, including coaching roles, administration and front office positions, and the non-profit sector. Bjornsrud served as executive director of the Alliance of Women Coaches (now WeCOACH) from 2014-16. Previously, she was a co-founder of Bay Area Women’s Sport Initiative (BAWSI), a nonprofit organization she co-founded in 2005 with USA soccer stars Brandi Chastain and Julie Foudy. In 2013, Bjornsrud was recognized by the International Olympic Committee with its prestigious 2013 Women and Sport Award for the continent of the Americas.
Teresa Gould joined the Pac-12 Conference office staff in August 2018, where she manages sports administration and championships for women’s basketball and all Olympic sports, oversees governance and compliance, and serves as the conference’s senior woman administrator. Gould brings a breadth of leadership experience to the WeCOACH Board, having worked both at the university and conference levels, within and outside of athletics, and in broadcast and revenue generating roles. Gould has administrative experience at UC Davis, Cal-Berkeley, the West Coast Conference, as well as three years at ESPN.
Nona Richardson, a 30-plus-year veteran of athletics administration, has been Utah’s senior associate athletics director and senior woman administrator since January 2015. Richardson oversees all student-athlete support services at Utah, including academics, sports medicine, nutrition, the wellness team and the life skills program. She also supervises several sports, serves as Utah’s gender equity and diversity coordinator and is a representative on Pac-12 Conference Counsel. Richardson’s previous administrative stops spanned roles at UC Davis (2007-14), Ball State (2002-07) and Valparaiso (1996-2002). She began her career in collegiate athletics as a volleyball coach and was honored as the 2017 Women Leaders in College Sports DI-FBS Administrator of the Year.
About WeCOACH
Founded in 2011, WeCOACH has become the premier membership organization committed to recruiting, advancing, and retaining women coaches across all sports and levels. Previously known as the Alliance of Women Coaches, the organization reinvigorated its brand in August 2018. By providing a supportive and unified network, educational programs and resources, and access to in-person and digital resources, WeCOACH is changing the landscape for female coaches.