WCS Speakers | Women Coaches Symposium

Dr. Wendy Borlabi, Impact Engine Group

Wendy Borlabi, PsyD

Dr. Wendy Borlabi (she/her) is a highly distinguished performance psychology consultant and executive coach with over 25 years of experience translating the principles of elite athletics to high-stakes professional and corporate environments.

Consulting and Executive Leadership
Dr. B currently channels her dual expertise through Borlabi Consulting and Impact Engine Group (IEG), serving as an executive coach for C-suite leaders and contracting with global businesses to develop tailored workshops and programs focused on peak employee success. As an in-demand keynote speaker, she empowers audiences to build mental strength and resilience.

A Career at the Apex of Sport
Before dedicating herself to full-time consulting, Dr. Borlabi served for nine years as the Director of Mental Performance and Health for the Chicago Bulls, where she led the organization’s holistic approach to mental conditioning and well-being. Prior to the NBA, she spent six years as a sport psychologist for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) at their training center in San Diego, working directly with Olympic hopefuls and medalists across three Olympic Games.

Dr. B’s diverse experience includes co-founding a performance company with six former Navy SEALs, focused on translating seamless teamwork, mental toughness, and unwavering confidence to professional organizations. She also pioneered the development of sport psychology services at James Madison University (JMU), where she served as a liaison between athletics and the Counseling Center for five years.

Dr. Borlabi holds a doctorate in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Sport Psychology and Exercise Psychology (Argosy University/Phoenix), an M.S. from Georgia Southern University, and a B.S. from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. She lives in Chicago with her twelve-year-old boy/girl twins.

Johanna Glaaser, Florida State University

Johanna Glaaser

Johanna Glaaser (she/her) is Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) and Sport Psychology PhD candidate at Florida State University. Previously, she received a master’s degree in cognitive science at the University of Minnesota where she also served as a research assistant at the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport. Driven by a goal to support both coach and athlete development, she prioritizes a person-centered, holistic approach in her mental performance work. Her research interests focus on translating empirical research into actionable tools for sport coaches, cognitive and technological integration in sport coaching, and women and girls in sport.

Dr. Anna Goorevich, U.S. Soccer Foundation

Anna Goorevich, PhD

Anna Goorevich (she/her/hers) joined the U.S. Soccer Foundation in May 2026 as the Manager of Girls & Women’s Programs. She is a gender and sport scholar and advocate who aims to leverage and translate research to create more safe, welcoming, and empowering spaces for all bodies in sport, especially girls and women. Anna graduated with a Doctorate in Kinesiology/Sport Sociology at the University of Minnesota where she also served as a Research Assistant in the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport. Previously, she was a US-UK Fulbright Postgraduate Scholar at the University of Stirling in Scotland where she received a Master of Science in Sport Management. Anna also graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies at Franklin & Marshall College, where she played Division III soccer. Anna has over 13 peer-reviewed publications in a variety of sport sociology, sport coaching, sport management, and sport psychology academic journals and her research interests revolve around the gendering of coaching and sport leadership, gender identity and sport participation, and menstruation and sport.

Dr. Gretchen Kerr, University of Toronto

Gretchen Kerr, Ph.D.

Dr. Gretchen Kerr (she/her) is a full professor and Dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education at the University of Toronto. Gretchen has advanced research and scholarship in the area of maltreatment and safeguarding with over 200 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters. Gretchen considers herself to be a public scholar, applying her research experience and expertise to promote safe, healthy, inclusive and fulfilling sport experiences for all. Gretchen was the subject matter expert in the development of a policy mandated for all National Sport Organizations in Canada to promote safeguarding. She was also a co-author of Canada’s first national prevalence study of maltreatment among current and former national team members and has developed educational modules for the Coaching Association of Canada. Dr. Kerr is frequently commissioned to inform decision-makers in the high-performance sports community about the systemic changes needed to advance safe, healthy, inclusive and welcoming sport.

Dr. Nicole M. LaVoi, Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport

Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D.

Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D. (she/her) is a leading scholar on gender and sport, a Senior Lecturer in social and behavioral sciences in the School of Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota and the Director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport. As a public scholar and through action-oriented collaborative research, she translates data and answers critical questions that can make a difference in the lives of girls and women. She is an award-winning athlete, coach, distinguished teacher, writer, regional Emmy winner, sought after speaker, two-time Hall of Fame inductee, and was named a 2023 Champion of Equality by the USTA. Currently, she serves on the Gatorade Women’s Advisory Board and the Board of Trustees at her alma mater, Gustavus Adolphus College.

Dr. Sarah Lesko, Bras for Girls.

Sarah Lesko, MD, MPH

Dr. Sarah Lesko (she/her) is the Executive Director and Board President of Bras for Girls. She is committed to making sports and body movement accessible and welcoming for all, and believes in the power of sports to improve health, happiness, and equity.

Bras for Girls is the perfect blend of Sarah’s training, expertise, and passions. After a collegiate running career, Sarah became a Family Doctor, practicing in the Community Health Center setting. Feeling the frustrations of the limitations of allopathic medicine, she returned to get her Masters in Public Health to be able to focus on community-based needs. In 2015 Sarah took a hiatus from practicing medicine, helped start the Bras for Girls program in 2017, and shepherded its growth as well as its transition to a free standing non-profit in 2021. Sarah is honored to serve this organization to help ensure that every girl has access to a well-fitting sports bra.

Sarah earned a BA in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University, an MD from the University of Pennsylvania, completed her residency in Family Medicine at UCSF, and earned an MPH from the University of Washington. Sarah also coached middle school track and cross-country and witnessed first-hand how a sports bra can change a girl’s trajectory. Small supportive interventions have a big impact.

Dr. Jo Line, Oberlin College & Oberlin College & Athlete Ally

Jo Line, Phd

Dr. Jo Line (they/them) is a scholar-practitioner focused on equitable team building and collaboration. They coach professionals in leadership roles to nurture team members’ individual and collective capacity for the purpose of building communities in which all members can thrive. As the Program Director for Community-Engaged Research and Learning and a Co-Chair and Lecturer for the Sport Studies and Management Integrative Concentration at Oberlin College and the Athletics Inclusive Climate and Belonging Senior Specialist at Athlete Ally, Jo takes an interdisciplinary approach to exploring power dynamics on teams, particularly in the context of sport, grounded in a feminist cultural studies perspective. Jo’s teaching and research are also informed by their practical experience navigating competitive and recreational sport environments around the world as a competitive distance runner and Watson fellow, coaching collegiate and post-collegiate competitive and recreational athletes, and facilitating mutually-beneficial partnerships as a community engagement professional in higher education.

Dr. Tara-Leigh McHugh, University of Calgary

Tara-Leigh McHugh, PhD

Dr. Tara-Leigh McHugh (she/her) is a Professor and Canada Research Chair in Gender Equity in Sport and Physical Activity in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary (Alberta, Canada). Her program of research is focused on advancing understandings of the psychosocial factors related to women’s and girls’ experiences of their bodies in sport. Through collaborative and community-based research approaches she is committed to developing evidence-informed policy and best practice recommendations to support the equitable participation of women and girls in all roles, and across all levels, of sport. She is internationally recognized for her leadership in gender equity-focused sport research, having recently served on the Steering Committees for the 2025 and 2026 International Olympic Committee Consensus Statements. At the National level, she serves as the Senior Advisor to the Chair for the Canadian Women & Sport Impact Research Committee.

Audrey Shaw-Edwards, U.S. Soccer Foundation

Audrey Shaw-Edwards

Audrey Shaw-Edwards (she/her) is the Director of Content & Education at the U.S. Soccer Foundation, where she leads the creation of coach education programs, curriculum, and learning experiences that help coaches and youth-serving professionals use sport as a vehicle for positive youth development, mentorship, and belonging. A former Division I student-athlete with a background in Sports and Exercise Science, Audrey works at the intersection of sport, youth development, and education, equipping coaches and program leaders with the knowledge and strategies to create meaningful experiences that positively shape the lives of the young people they serve.

Alicia Pelton, Coaching HER

Alicia Pelton

Alicia Pelton is the Program Director for Coaching HER at the University of Minnesota’s Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, with over 35 years of experience in youth sports as a coach, athletic director, program owner, and consultant. She is committed to advancing coaching education, leadership development, and equity in sport by creating opportunities for coaches to grow, lead, and thrive.

As a panelist for “Networking and Advice: Making a Career Move,” Alicia will share insights on navigating career transitions, building professional relationships, and positioning yourself for the next step—whether moving from youth to high school, high school to college, or stepping into leadership roles.

On the WeCOACH NextGen Panel, she will discuss cultivating confidence, creativity, and collaboration in coaching. Through her work building community and collaborating with organizations like National Governing Bodies, sports associations, and nonprofits, Alicia helps ensure that coaches have the education, support, and pathways they need to thrive. She believes that strong coaching cultures are built through mentorship, accessible learning opportunities, and systemic change at all levels.

Alicia holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master’s in Sports Leadership from Northeastern University. She was instrumental in growing girls’ sports in Wisconsin and was inducted into the Janesville Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.

Vanessa Fuchs, WeCOACH CEO

Vanessa Fuchs

A veteran leader with 20+ years of experience in athletic administration, Vanessa Fuchs (she/her) joined WeCOACH as Chief Executive Officer in March 2022. Before WeCOACH, she served 12 years as Senior Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator at her alma mater, Florida State University.

In her first three years, WeCOACH membership has grown 1,300 percent, now serving over 18,000 women coaches in the WeCOACH Community. In addition, grant funding has more than doubled, Academy Scholarships funding has septupled to over $50K, and new leadership programs have launched to advance the WeCOACH mission to recruit, advance, and retain women in coaching.

Vanessa’s tenure at FSU began in 2010, where she served in a variety of important leadership roles over the past decade. Named the 2015 Women Leaders in Sports Division I Administrator of the Year and an FSU Champion Beyond the Game honoree in 2016, she was instrumental in providing strategic direction for departmental initiatives focused on student-athlete welfare, enhancing athletic performance, fundraising and new revenue generation, gender equity, and diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility & belonging (DEIAB).

In June of 2013, former Florida State President Dr. Eric Barron named Fuchs the school’s interim Athletics Director as she became the first woman to lead the Seminoles’ Athletic Department. The former Seminole basketball player was one of just seven women leading an athletics department among the 124 schools that participated at the FBS level in 2012.

Prior to arriving at Florida State, Vanessa committed seven years to the NCAA in Indianapolis in Academic and Membership Affairs. She got her start as a Championships Intern with the ACC in 2001. The Pompano Beach, Florida, native was a four-year letterwinner for the Seminoles’ women’s basketball team from 1997-2001. She was the team co-captain in her senior year and finished her career as a four-time ACC Honor Roll selection.

Vanessa graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in communications at Florida State University and earned her master’s degree in Sport Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Vanessa resides in Tallahassee, FL with her longtime partner Chrissy and their two French Bulldogs, Fenix and Frankie (aka, “The UNcoachables”).