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
Orthopaedic Surgeon, NW
Permanente Medical Group
Adjunct Assoc. Professor,
OHSU
Lead Team Orthopaedic
Sports Surgeon,
Portland Fire & 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
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
Alexis Ohanian
Founder, Seven Seven Six
Co-Founder & Former
Executive Chairman, Reddit
Founding Control Owner,
Angel City FC, LAGC,
ATHLOS and LOVB LA
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
EPICENTER WEEK
In 2026, Epicenter Week will return as a five-day convening in Portland, Oregon dedicated to advancing women's sports through business leadership, professional sport, community, and culture. Produced by RAJ Sports in partnership with Nike, the week brings together the people shaping the future of women's sports in the only city already living it.
Epicenter Week encompasses The Epicenter: Women's Global Sports Summit presented by Nike at The Philip H. Knight Campus, professional games featuring the Portland Thorns and Portland Fire, the EmpowHER Awards, and community programming.
Portland is cementing its place as the global epicenter of women's sports as the only city in the country with an NWSL and WNBA team under the same ownership group, a first-of-its-kind privately financed $150M+ dual-sport performance center built for the female athlete, and a fanbase that has been showing up for women's sports before it was a movement.
Epicenter Week is where that foundation becomes a global conversation.
August 19–23, 2026 | Portland, Oregon
THE EPICENTER: WOMEN'S GLOBAL SPORTS SUMMIT
The Epicenter: Women's Global Sports Summit presented by Nike is an invitation-only leadership forum for the senior executives, investors, athletes, and decision-makers shaping the next era of women's sports. Hosted at The Philip H. Knight Campus — Nike's global headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon — the Summit is the centerpiece of Epicenter Week. A full day of substantive programming, curated conversations, and high-value connection built around the people with the power to build what's next.
Attendance is by invitation only.
Thursday, August 20, 2026 | The Philip H. Knight Campus, Nike Headquarters | Beaverton, Oregon
FEATURED PRESS
THE GLOBAL EPICENTER OF WOMEN'S SPORTS
⌾
THE GLOBAL EPICENTER OF WOMEN'S SPORTS ⌾
Thank you to our Presenting partner
Thank you to our Supporting partners
ABOUT RAJ SPORTS
RAJ Sports, led by Alex Bhathal and Lisa Bhathal Merage, focuses on investment opportunities in sports and sports-related properties, drawing on the Bhathal family’s multi-generational experience and relationships in the industry. The firm seeks to leverage the power of sports to affect broader social and economic change through a variety of business and philanthropic strategies. Its deep experience in professional sports operations and large-scale real estate developments that create thriving community centers, positions the firm to deliver valuable assets that will support further growth for the players, staff and fans. In 2013, the Bhathal family became investors in the Sacramento Kings (NBA); subsequently building the platform to include the Sacramento RiverCats (MiLB), Stockton Kings (NBA G-League) and several sports anchored real estate developments. The 2024 acquisitions of Portland Thorns (NWSL) and the WNBA Portland Fire expansion team represents a milestone for the city of Portland and places it at the epicenter of growth for women’s sports.
