Navigating Unpredictable Careers and Reshaping College Sports

Resources

Resources & Recommendations

People Mentioned

• Richard Weiss (Publisher of SBJ, Founder of Sports Business Journal) - Val Ackerman sent him an email in 2010 suggesting a conference focusing on the business of women in sports, which eventually led to the Game Changers conference.
• Lori Fuller - Mentioned as being involved with the Sports Business Journal and the Game Changers event.
• Ralph Sampson - A prominent basketball player who was on the University of Virginia's men's team when Val Ackerman was there, lifting them to the Final Four.
• Charlie Bettman (Val Ackerman's husband) - Met him while working at a Wall Street law firm.
• Gary Bettman (General Counsel of the NBA, now Commissioner of the NHL) - Hired Val Ackerman as a staff attorney at the NBA in 1988.
• Joel Litman - Interviewed Val Ackerman for her position at the NBA.
• Russ Granick (Long-time Deputy Commissioner at the NBA) - Interviewed Val Ackerman for her position at the NBA and was described as David Stern's "yang," a practical and effective operator.
• David Stern (Commissioner of the NBA) - Interviewed Val Ackerman for her position at the NBA and was a key figure in the creation of the WNBA. He was described as complicated, a visionary, a perfectionist, and a micromanager.
• Rick Welts - Went on a road show with Val Ackerman and others to convince NBA owners about a women's basketball league.
• Gary Stevenson - Went on a road show with Val Ackerman and others to convince NBA owners about a women's basketball league.
• Carol Stiff - Mentioned as someone in the room who would know about the NBA's support for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics preparations.
• Lisa Leslie - Member of the "women's dream team" preparing for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
• Cheryl Swoopes - Member of the "women's dream team" preparing for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
• Rebecca Lobo - Member of the "women's dream team" preparing for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, noted for being from UConn.
• Steve Mills - Part of the team that did the road show to convince NBA owners about a women's basketball league.
• Adam Silver - Part of the team that did the road show to convince NBA owners about a women's basketball league.
• Diana Taurasi - Mentioned as coming into the WNBA during Val Ackerman's last draft in 2004, likened to Michael Jordan.
• Liz Boardman (now Moulton) (Alavi) - The search firm professional who approached Val Ackerman about the Big East Commissioner role.
• Dave Gavitt (Founder of the Big East in 1979) - Val Ackerman knew him and had worked with him during her NBA years.
• Kim Damron - Agreed with Val Ackerman that an athletic director job is the hardest in sports.
• Charlie Baker - Mentioned as having a hard job trying to keep the complicated bureaucracy of the NCAA together.
• John Havlicek - Val Ackerman's favorite athlete growing up.
• Olga Korbut - Val Ackerman's favorite athlete growing up.
• Nadia Comaneci - Val Ackerman's favorite athlete growing up.
• Billie Jean King (BJK) - Val Ackerman's favorite athlete growing up.
• Patty Phillips - Mentioned as leading the charge for more women leaders in sports.
• Sue Rodin - Mentioned as a "freedom fighter" keeping the focus on diversity in sports leadership.
• Kathy Francis (WISE) - Mentioned as a "freedom fighter" keeping the focus on diversity in sports leadership through WISE.

Organizations & Institutions

• Sports Business Journal (SBJ) - The publication hosting the "Game Changers" conference where the interview took place.
• Big East Conference - The athletic conference where Val Ackerman serves as Commissioner.
• University of Virginia (UVA) - Val Ackerman's alma mater, where she was a scholarship athlete in the early years of Title IX.
• NBA (National Basketball Association) - Val Ackerman worked there as a staff attorney and was involved in the creation of the WNBA.
• NHL (National Hockey League) - Gary Bettman, former NBA General Counsel, is now the Commissioner of the NHL.
• USA Basketball - Val Ackerman worked with this organization after leaving the WNBA.
• WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) - Val Ackerman was the founding president of this league.
• UConn (University of Connecticut) - Rebecca Lobo was mentioned as a player from UConn.
• NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) - The national governing body for college sports, currently facing numerous legal challenges.
• WISE (Women in Sports and Events) - An organization mentioned as leading the charge for diversity in sports leadership.

Events

• SBJ's Game Changers Conference - The event in New York City on September 25, 2025, where the conversation with Val Ackerman took place.
• Atlanta Olympics in 1996 - The event that the USA women's basketball team was gearing up for, which served as a laboratory for testing interest in women's basketball and quietly planning the WNBA.
• Women's Final Four - Mentioned as a widely anticipated event that was cresting at the time of the WNBA's formation, particularly due to the UConn-Tennessee rivalries.