**Schedule subject to change without notice
TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2026
8:00 am Registration, Breakfast and Networking
ALL DAY--Self Care Room
A self-care room will be set up at the conference for participants to use at their leisure. They can relax, talk with others, participate in activities, and learn more about self-care. The room allows participants to take care of themselves, reduce stress, and explore ways to support mental and physical health. Participants will learn self-care techniques and be encouraged to use these activities to promote wellness and prevent burnout.
KRISTIE ABBS
Asst. Professor Social Work
Slippery Rock University
9:00 am--MAIN STAGE--Opening Keynote
10:00 am-MAIN STAGE-Women Leading the Charge
Lessons from the Leaders
Learn from these incredible leaders who have demonstrated their ability to lead as well as their ability to transform the organizations. From navigating obstacles along the way to becoming groundbreaking leaders in the sports industry, these women have created a roadmap for the next generation of aspiring women.
11:00 am--BREAKOUT SESSION #1
11:00 am --Brain Health Track
New Technologies in Brain Health
The speed at which brian health technologies are evolving continues to accelerate. Learn about some of the best new options to maintain brain health, combat repetitive head impacts and recover from concussions.
11:00 am --Inclusion Track
Advancing Opportunities for Women
Women have demonstrated the enormous power sports have. Research demonstrates that an overwhelming percentage of female executives have extensive sports experience. How do we continue to develop more opportunities for young girls to not only participate in sports, but to get access to leadership roles.
11:00 am --Fundraising Track
Sponsorship
Sponsorship is an elusive element of successful events and programs. Learn from experts who have raised millions of dollars for organizations around the country and across the world.
11:00 am --Skill DevelopmentTrack
Board of Directors Training
Your Board of Directors is one of the most powerful fundraising tools for nonprofits. Learn from these experts about how you can maximize their powers. Walk away with actionable items that will allow you leverage the strengths of their experiences and relationships so that you can help your organization grow and create more impact.
ELIZABETH FINLAYSON
Founder
Nonprofit Coach
GREG HEBERT
Founder
Kelsey Thomas Consulting
LISA ANNE THOMPSON TAYLOR
Founder
Board Veritas
11:00 am --Athlete Track
Leveraging an Athlete's Platform for Good
Athletes have a short window to capitalize on their fame. Learn from those who have consistently worked with athletes at all phases of their career to help strengthen their brands and organizations. See how the experts have built sustainable organizations for their athletes in order to maximize lifetime impact. Gain insight into understanding how athletes have the unique power to lead change, not only through their own actions, but by leveraging their platforms and opening the doors for others to either join their efforts or create new initiatives. How does the psychology of inspired action encourage a culture where getting off the sidelines becomes the default setting. Learn how storytelling and a peer network facilitate greater involvement.
ALAN PAVLOSKY
Founder
Legacy All-Stars
11:00 am --Big Picture Track
Why Are Sports Important for Society?
Many funders and Foundations are reluctant to support the sports eco-system because they believe there is already too much money being spent in the sector. While youth sports are certainly highly commercialized and professionalized in today’s world, the concepts of play and the overal skills developed by youth create tangible and lasting benefits for a society. Learn from elite leaders who have studied this impact and share research demonstrating the enormous power sports have to change lives and transform communities. How can we harness the power of sports to drive change and to create lasting impact that will benefit generations to come? How can we train funding sources on the power of collective impact?
11:45 am--BREAKOUT SESSION #2
11:45 am --Brain Health and Mental Health Track
Opening the Dialogue in Mental Health
11:45 am --Inclusion Track
Combatting Racism, Hate and Antisemitism
Hate can be debilitating for many athletes. How can we work together to eliminate hate, racism and Anti-semitism. Hear from the difficulties athletes face and learn how groups are collaborating to take on these issues in order to pave the way for future generations. These athletes and leaders are partnering with organizations around the world and are creating more programs and opportunities to take on these issues and combat their harmful impact.
NEIL KELLER
Jewish Sports Historian
ERIC RUBIN
Founder
Project Max
MICHAEL SWEETNEY
Former NBA Player
New Horizons Counseling Center
11:45 am --Fundraising Track
Family Offices, VC and Venture Philanthropy
11:45 am --Skill DevelopmentTrack
Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics: How Data Helps Us Understand Giving Patterns
Identifying and evaluating giving patterns of teams and fans can be very challenging. How do we provide meaningful benchmarks to professional franchises so that they can determine the strength of their giving and community impact programs? How is fan data measured? What can we do as a community to increase the levels of giving and support greater impact?
AUBREY KENT
Professor
Temple University
EMILY SPARVERO
Clinical Assistant Professor
University of Texas-Austin
NEIL SCHWARTZ
President
SBRnet
11:45 am --Athlete Track
Protecting the Athlete Through Legal Structure and Effective Governance
Athletes have high profiles. In the context of sports philanthropy, this can be both a benefit and a drawback. Athletes have significant legal, financial and reputational risks for having their name on a foundation. Though many seek counsel to establish their organizations, these risk grow and multiply as the foundation expands its operations and raises more money. Learn from elite counsel in terms of how to best establish the policies and controls that allow effective governance.
ANDREW MORTON
Partner
Handler Law
11:45 am --Big Picture Track
The Power of Sports to Attack Societal Issues
Many issues outside of the sports world can be greatly impacted by the power of sports celebrity and media. Take a dive into some of the current strategies these organizations are utilizing to address societal issues such as:
**Domestic Violence **Drunk Driving **Gun Violence Prevention **Human Trafficking **Sustainability
12:30 pm Lunch Keynote
Leigh Steinberg is a pioneering sports agent, entrepreneur, best-selling author (released his newest book, The Comeback, Spring 2026), and Chairman of Leigh Steinberg Sports and Entertainment. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential agents in sports history and the real-life inspiration for Jerry Maguire.
Leigh has represented more than 300 professional athletes over a five-decade career. His unparalleled record includes negotiating over $4 billion in contracts, representing eight No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks, 64 first-round selections, and 12 Hall of Famers.
Beyond contract negotiation, Steinberg is a leading advocate for athlete welfare and brain health. After representing nearly half of the NFL’s starting quarterbacks in the 1980s, he became an early voice addressing the long-term dangers of concussions.
For more than 30 years, he has hosted concussion education seminars, founded the Brain Health Summit and Longevity Lounge, and established the Leigh Steinberg Foundation to promote awareness, prevention, and solutions for brain injury and athlete safety as a whole.
Most recently, Steinberg has extended his fiduciary-style advocacy to healthcare as a co-founder of MDEnvoy, a physician agency and advisory platform. Applying the same principles that defined his sports career, integrity, voluntary alignment, and long-term partnership, he now works to restore professional agency and stewardship to physicians in today’s high-stakes medical environment.
Leigh is active in the film and entertainment space and still committed to being a change agent.
1:30 pm-MAIN STAGE-
Owners, Teams and Coaches: Leadership from the Top
Building a Culture of Philanthropy
A professional team’s ability to drive impact in its community hinges on the strength of the team ownership group.
Learn how the leadership from the ownership group provides messaging not only to its Foundation and
Community Relations Staff, but also to fans, sponsors and the community at-large.
Robert Castellini, Jr.
Owner, Cincinnati Reds
Founder, Sentinel Wealth Management
2:15 pm-MAIN STAGE-New Power Partners
How Philanthropic Advisors, Wealth Managers, Family Offices and
Foundations Are Redefining Impact
In today's high-stakes world of sports and entertainment, athletes and high-net-worth individuals are demanding more than financial returns; they want their wealth to mean something. This session explores the emerging partnership between philanthropic advisors, wealth advisors, family offices and foundations. Learn how their collaboration is unlocking a new standard of purposeful giving. From aligning values with investment strategy to building legacy foundations that outlast a playing career, this conversation reveals how the most effective advisors are working in sync.
Participants will learn how to map a client's personal values directly to giving vehicles (DAFs, private foundations, impact investing) so that philanthropic goals and wealth strategy reinforce rather than compete with each other.
Participants will understand the critical financial and philanthropic decision windows in an athlete’s career (rookie contract, peak earnings, post-career transition) and how coordinated advisor teams can maximize impact at each stage.
Lori Kranczer
Founder
Link Philanthropic
3:15 pm--BREAKOUT SESSION #3
3:15 pm --Brain Health and Mental Health Track
Supporting Mental Health in Sports Organizations
3:15 pm --Inclusion Track
Breaking Down Racial Barriers
3:15 pm --Fundraising Track
Maximizing Event Revenue and Branding
3:15 pm --Skill DevelopmentTrack
Launching a New Nonprofit
Getting a new nonprofit off of the ground is a challenging undertaking. Learn from this panel that has successfully navigated the process of launching a new organization and successfully finding funding sources, developing a board of directors and building the organizations infrastructure. See how these organizations have developed the strategy which fostered the growth.
Bob Dickinson
Founder
STEAM Sports Foundation
3:15 pm --Athlete Track
Finding the Right Advisors: How Do You Know Who to Trust?
Athletes are pulled a lot of directions and frequently are encouraged to use friends and family rather than relying on experts in the field. How can we train athletes to build a powerful team that includes agents, family office structures and other professionals that help them create a "full ecosystem" that maps their client journey from first contract to lasting legacy.
3:15 pm--Big Picture Track
How Secure is Your Organization's Data: Assessing External and Internal Risks
This panel explores how trust, visibility, and digital risk intersect in sports philanthropy. Panelists will discuss how athletes, foundations, advisors, sponsors, and nonprofit leaders can protect the people and relationships behind the mission without slowing down impact. The conversation will cover public exposure, trusted-circle risk, foundation governance, AI impersonation, donor trust, and practical steps organizations can take immediately
4:00 pm--BREAKOUT SESSION #4
4:00 pm --Brain Health and Mental Health Track
Understanding the Brain
4:00 pm --Inclusion Track
Inclusion for Mobility, Hearing and Vision
4:00 pm --Fundraising Track
Strategies for Building a Grant Ready Organization
Many small nonprofits are looking for funding and throwing everything at the wall without a cohesive strategy. Foundations have millions of dollars available for the right projects.
Hear the challenges Funders face in identifying which organizations are good investments for creating impact. Learn how Funders can become strong teammates and long-term partners in pursuing your mission.
ELIZABETH FINLAYSON
Founder
Nonprofit Coach
GREG HEBERT
Founder
Kelsey Thomas Consulting
4:00 pm --Skill DevelopmentTrack
Leveraging the Media to Amplify Your Cause
4:00 pm --Athlete Track
Building Your Philanthropic Blueprint:
Identifying Your Passion and Creating Your Legacy
Building authentic and long-last legacy requires significant insight and planning. From navigating athlete relationships and sports industry culture to understanding the difference between high-visibility campaigns and real impact, participants will develop the pattern recognition and professional instincts needed to succeed at the intersection of sport and social good. Through real-life scenarios and practical frameworks, attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how trust is built, how partnerships are structured, and how to show up with credibility in one of philanthropy's most dynamic - and misunderstood - sectors.
ARIAN MAY
VP-Development and Engagement
Artem Vale Foundation
9:30 pm After Hours Networking
Marriott Lobby