GREEN BAY, Wis. — With all eyes on Green Bay and the NFL draft this spring, the intersection of sports and leadership, particularly for women, is the focus of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay’s Schreiber Institute for Women’s Leadership 2025 Celebrate event. The annual opportunity to celebrate and inspire women across the region takes place from 2 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, at The Weidner.

Attendees will hear from two former standout women’s college athletes — both Wisconsin natives who competed successfully on college teams in their home state — and have evolved their sports experiences into business and advocacy, encouraging women to continue leading and paving the way for those coming behind them.

Keynote speaker Alicia Pelton, program director for Coaching HER at the University of Minnesota Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport, will deliver a speech on “Playing Outside the Lines: Breaking Barriers and Leading in Sport and Life.” In her presentation, Pelton will delve into how managing emotional and mental well-being through life’s highs and lows is key to overcoming barriers, embracing successes and pushing forward — breaking traditional boundaries in both sport and leadership along the way.

Pelton has over 30 years of experience in youth sports, advocating for gender equity in sports and has championed the advancement of girls’ sports while advocating for women in leadership roles. She actively engages the community to grow the game for females from participation to leadership roles on a state-wide youth through high school level. In 2018, She was one of the founding members of the Wisconsin Women’s Soccer Advisory Council, which celebrates females in soccer. She is one of the principle advocates responsible for growing girls hockey in Wisconsin, now the fastest growing girls hockey state, by 25%, in three years.

In addition, NCAA Division I Head Women’s Volleyball Coach and Senior UW-Green Bay Administrator Abbey Sutherland will be a guest speaker at the event, sharing how to be an advocate for people and a promoter of holistic growth. Sutherland was named 2018 Horizon League Coach of the Year and is a graduate of the 2019 NCAA Women Coaches Academy Class #48. She just completed her sixth season at the University.

Women from across the region and those who mentor and supervise them — including men — are encouraged to attend the event. Feel free to bring a friend, co-worker, or an entire group. Large groups are welcomed with block seating. Cost for the evening is $50 per person. Institute members receive a 25% discount, $30, and UW-Green Bay faculty, staff and students are free. To learn more about the Celebrate 2025 event and to register please visit the website.