Tigers Host Fourth Annual Women in Sports Panel at Comerica Park
DETROIT- The Detroit Tigers will host their annual women in sports panel on Tuesday, May 16 prior to the game vs. Baltimore Orioles at 7:10 p.m.
This event will explore the expanding role of women in the professional sports industry. The program will feature a dynamic, interactive panel of female sports executives who will discuss their careers in professional sports, college sports and sports media. The event will be moderated by sports reporter Jennifer Hammond from FOX 2. The panelists for the Women in Sports event include:
LAUREN CLAYBORNE
Director of Community Affairs, Detroit Lions
A driven leader in and out of the community, Lauren is the director of community relations for the Detroit Lions. She is responsible for building the comprehensive philanthropic programming of the Lions organization and she manages the relationships with Detroit Lions players, Lions Legends, and the Detroit Lions Women's Association.
Previously, Lauren was the manager of corporate partnerships for the Detroit Pistons and the development manager for the Lansing Entertainment and Public Facilities Authority.
A proud daughter and the oldest of three, she currently resides in Downtown Detroit. Lauren enjoys hanging out with her friends, event planning, making crafts, dining, traveling, reading and shopping. She of course loves cheering on her beloved Spartans in every sport. (Go Green!)
You can find more information about Lauren on her social media sites: www.facebook.com/laurenclayborne, Twitter: @l_clayborne, or Instagram: laurenclayborne.
ALICIA JEFFREYS
Vice President of Brand Strategy, Detroit Pistons
Alicia Jeffreys is a Michigan native born and raised in Flint. She graduated with a Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Sports Management and Communications from the University of Michigan. Throughout college, Alicia saw the value in having a diverse range of sports experience and worked for several organizations including UM Hockey, the PGA Tour, Hothouse sports marketing firm working with the Atlanta Braves and the premium services department at the Georgia Dome, home of the Atlanta Falcons. Following graduate school, Alicia became the Market Development Manager for the Detroit Fury, an Arena Football team who played at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
After two years in this position, Palace Sports & Entertainment was looking to grow their young WNBA franchise so Alicia became the Market Development Manager for the Detroit Shock as well. After five years, she was promoted to Director of Business Operations for the Detroit Shock and then also the Director of Brand Management for the Detroit Pistons who played in the same arena. Alicia worked on several marketing campaigns for the Detroit Pistons including the well-known Goin' to Work campaign. She also enjoyed being a part of and handling the marketing and promotions for four Championship teams between the Detroit Shock and Detroit Pistons during this time.
For the past four years, Alicia has continued her marketing role with the Detroit Pistons as the Sr. Director of Lifestyle marketing focusing on creating communication and marketing strategies for several lifestyle groups that drive revenue for Palace Sports & Entertainment. After 15 years of experience with Palace Sports & Entertainment, Alicia was promoted to Vice President of Brand Strategy and will be handling the integration of branding to support several different revenue departments including premium sales, corporate partnerships, fan development, group sales and member lifestyles.
ELAINE LEWIS
Vice President of Public Affairs and Strategic Planning, Detroit Tigers
Elaine Lewis joined the Tigers in early 1999 to help orchestrate a successful opening of Comerica Park. She oversees all aspects of the club's public and community affairs department, including player and alumni relations, Tigers Wives, memorabilia donations, Dreams Come True Program and the Tigers annual Winter Caravan. In addition, she oversees the Detroit Tigers Foundation, the team's charity, which has given away over $20 million in grants, Tigers tickets and scholarships since its inception in 2005.
She also plays a pivotal role in developing programs that encourage Detroit's youth to embrace the game of baseball, highlighted by the 2008 launch of Play Baseball Detroit, a program that has touched more than 120,000 youth. She spearheaded the Detroit Tigers Anti-Bullying Program, which was honored with the 2013 Commissioner's Award for Philanthropic Excellence.
Elaine is a board member of several organizations, including Ilitch Charities, Black Family Development and CATCH -- Sparky Anderson's Charity for Children -- and serves as a mentor for the Metro Detroit Women of Tomorrow Mentor and Scholarship Program.
ALLISON SCHMITT
Swimmer and three-time Olympic Gold Medalist
Allison Schmitt is an American competition swimmer who specializes in freestyle events, and is a seven-time Olympic medalist. Allison was born on June 7, 1990 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The middle of five children, she grew up in Canton, Michigan and began swimming at the age of 9.
In her Olympic debut at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Schmitt won a bronze medal as a member of the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. Four years later, at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, she won a total of five medals, three of them gold, in the 200-meter freestyle (in which she set a new Olympic record), in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, and in the 4×100-meter medley relay (in which a new world record was set). She also won a silver medal in the 400 meter freestyle, and a bronze medal in the 4 × 100 meter freestyle relay.
In total, Schmitt has won seventeen medals in major international competitions: eleven gold, five silver, and two bronze spanning the Summer Olympics, the FINA World Championships, the Pan Pacific Championships, and the Pan American Games. She was a four-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national champion in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle swimming events during college, and was a member of the Georgia Bulldogs team that won the NCAA Division I Women's team title in 2013.
MOLLY WURDACK
Director of Marketing Strategy, Olympia Entertainment & Detroit Red Wings
Molly Wurdack attended Ohio University where she double majored in psychology and business. While pursuing her Bachelor of Arts, Molly played four years of Division I lacrosse. She went on to earn a Masters of Sports Administration and Masters of Business Administration.
After grad school, Molly worked for the Miami Dolphins in the Sponsorship Marketing Department, before joining Olympia Entertainment & The Detroit Red Wings in April 2008 as Manager of Ticket Service & Retention.
In 2011, Molly was promoted to Director of Ticket Service & Corporate Partnership Marketing, where she is responsible for the oversight of client retention on both the ticket service and sponsorship side.
In March of 2017, Molly was again promoted to Director of Marketing Strategy overseeing corporate partnership activation, community relations and foundation, heritage and curation and guest experience for Little Caesars Arena, the Detroit Red Wings and District Detroit.
Molly and her husband Jason are proud parents of a 2-year-old boy named Beckett.
The event is part of an exclusive ticket package that includes a game ticket, entry into the panel, a "Women in Sports" t-shirt with an inspirational quote by Olympic Gold Medalist Wilma Rudolph along with a donation to the benefit the Women of Tomorrow Mentor and Scholarship Program.
Comerica Park gates will open at 5:30 p.m. and the panel will start promptly at 5:45 p.m. in the Beer Hall. Tickets to the Women in Sports event are still available for purchase. To purchase tickets for the Women in Sports event, please visit tigers.com/womeninsports
--TIGERS--