Greater Orlando Sports Commission Announces Details of Annual Event

The Greater Orlando Sports Commission (GO Sports) is proud to announce that the 4^th Annual Celebrating Women in Sports luncheon presented by Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute will be hosted at Addition Financial Arena on Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at noon. In addition to Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute returning as the presenting sponsor, Florida Blue has signed on as the sponsor of the 2022 featured speaker, Jennifer Rizzotti, President of the Connecticut Sun WNBA Team.

As a student-athlete at the University of Connecticut, Rizzotti first vaulted into the national spotlight as the starting point guard for the Huskies' first national championship team in 1995 with an undefeated 35-0 record. She went on to become a two-time WNBA Champion with the Houston Comets before pivoting to coach at the college level. Rizzotti joined the Sun after five seasons as the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at George Washington University and 11 seasons as Head Coach of the University of Hartford Women’s Basketball program, where she compiled a 316-216 (.594) record and was named America East Coach of the Year three times. Inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013, Rizzotti is well-known in basketball circles around the world, most notably as an assistant coach to the USA Basketball Women’s National Team, with whom she won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. A member of eight previous USA Basketball coaching staffs, she was named the USA Basketball FIBA 3x3 Women's Series team head coach for the 2022 tour. As president of the Connecticut Sun, Rizzotti is responsible for the business operations and marketing strategies for the WNBA team.

The luncheon will also recognize several female leaders in the local sports community with the Women in Sports Leadership Award and Rising Star Award. The 2022 award recipients will be announced at a later date.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jen Rizzotti as this year’s keynote speaker, continuing our tradition of offering insight and inspiration from some of the most noted female athletes and executives in US sports history,” said Jason Siegel, President & CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission. “With our community hosting NCAA March Madness at the Amway Center in 2023, Jen is the perfect guest for this year’s luncheon. We’re excited to host this event every year and continue to shine a spotlight on the extraordinary women in our sports community. Thank you to Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute for their ongoing support as our presenting sponsor, and thank you to Florida Blue for sponsoring this year’s keynote.”

Past featured speakers include Jessica Mendoza (2018), ESPN’s first female Major League Baseball analyst and two-time Olympian; Stephanie McMahon (2019), WWE’s Chief Brand Officer; and Brandi Chastain (2021), two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, coach and broadcaster.

Registration and networking will begin at 11:30am and the luncheon will begin promptly at Noon. Table Sponsorships are $2,000. To purchase a table for the event or to learn more about sponsorship opportunities, contact Michael Kalinich at Michael@greaterorlandosports.com. Individual tickets are $100 and may be purchased at www.greaterorlandosports.com/celebrating-women-in-sports. 

ABOUT THE GREATER ORLANDO SPORTS COMMISSION

GO Sports is a private, non-profit organization established to attract and manage sports-related events, conferences and activities that drive positive economic development in the City of Orlando, Lake County, Orange County, Osceola County, and Seminole County. Founded in 1992-93, the organization has hosted or co-hosted more than 1,550 events in the Greater Orlando area with a total economic impact exceeding $2.1 billion in spending within the community. For more information, please visit GreaterOrlandoSports.com.