Epicenter Week 2026

Date:
August 19-23, 2026

Location:
Portland, Oregon

In 2026, Epicenter Week runs five days in Portland where every part of women’s sports comes together in one place. A leadership summit at Nike’s headquarters runs alongside live games from the Portland Thorns (NWSL) and the Portland Fire (WNBA), the opening of the Kaiser Permanente Performance Center—the first-of-its-kind dual‑sport facility built for professional women athletes—and community events.

At its center is The Epicenter: Women’s Global Sports Summit, presented by Nike, on August 20 — an invite‑only convening where owners, investors, athletes, and industry leaders tackle the decisions shaping the future of women’s sports: league governance, capital, performance, and athlete power.

SCHEDULE

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19 - CELEBRATE

6:00 PM - 10:00 PM: The Epicenter Gala @ the Performance Center (invite only)

THURSDAY, AUGUST 20 - EDUCATE

8:00 AM - 4:30 PM: The Epicenter: Women’s Global Sports Summit presented by Nike (invite only)

FRIDAY, AUGUST 21 - COLLABORATE

Explore, Connect

5:00 PM - 7:30 PM: EmpowHER Awards (invite only)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 22 - ACTIVATE

10:00 AM - 1:00 PM: Kaiser Permanente Performance Center Ribbon Cutting (invite Only)

5:45 PM Kickoff: Portland Thorns vs. Denver Summit at Providence Park

SUNDAY, AUGUST 23 - ELEVATE

11:30 AM - 3:00: 1803 Fund Pep Rally

4:00 PM Tipoff: Portland Fire vs. Washington Mystics at Moda Center

The Epicenter: Women's Global Sports Summit — Featured Speakers

2026 Summit Featured Speakers

Mel Auguste

Global VP, Sports

Marketing, Nike

Scout Bassett

7X U.S.

National Champion,

Paralympian

JT Batson

CEO and Secretary

General, U.S. Soccer

Jessica Berman

Commissioner, NWSL

Alex Bhathal

Executive Chair, RAJ Sports

Susan King Borchardt

Owner, The Athlete Blueprint

Dir. of Performance,

NY Liberty

Sports Marketing

Performance Director, Nike

Dr. Jacqueline Brady

Orthopedic Surgeon,

Kaiser Permanente

Adjunct Associate

Professor, OHSU

Lead Orthopedic Team

Sports Surgeon, Portland

Fire & Portland Thorns

Bridget Carleton

Portland Fire

2x Olympian with Canada

& 2026 WNBA 3-Point

Contest Participant

Andraya Carter

ESPN Analyst +

Basketball Personality

Laura Correnti

Founder & CEO,

Deep Blue Sports

+ Entertainment

Bethany Donaphin

SVP, Head of WNBA

League Operations

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

8× Olympic Medalist

17× World Championships

Medalist

Philanthropist

Kayla Green

President, ATHLOS

Tobin Heath

National Soccer Hall

of Fame ('26)

2× World Cup Champion

2× Olympic Gold Medalist

2X NWSL Champion

(Thorns)

Jayna Hefford

EVP Hockey Operations,

PWHL

5X Olympic Medalist,

4X Gold Medalist

Lauren Holiday

2× Olympic Gold Medalist

2015 FIFA World Cup

Champion

National Soccer Hall

of Fame ('23)

Sandra Idehen

Commissioner, LOVB

Craig Kessler

Commissioner, LPGA

Thayer Lavielle

Managing Director,

The Collective | THE·TEAM

Karina LeBlanc

EVP, Strategic

Growth Development

5X FIFA Women's World Cups

& 2X Olympic Games,

Olympic Medalist

Lisa Bhathal Merage

Governor, Portland Thorns

& Portland Fire

Bridget Munro

Principal Researcher &

Innovation, Nike

Kim Ng

Commissioner, AUSL

Sherri Privitera

Senior Principal, Populous

Dr. Stacy Sims

Female Athlete Health &

Performance Specialist,

Entrepreneur, Scientist,

Keynote Speaker;

Co-Founder, CRO —

Collective X

Sarah Spain

Host and Content Director,

iHeart Women's Sports

Dawn Staley

University of South Carolina

Head Women's Basketball Coach

3X Gold Medalist,

3X NCAA National

Championship-Winning Coach

Michelle Wie West

LPGA Icon &

Major Champion

Sophia Wilson

Portland Thorns,

NWSL Champion,

Olympic Gold Medalist,

2022 U.S. Soccer Female

Player of the Year,

Youngest NWSL MVP