Fifth Annual Women Changing the Game Event Presented by FPL
Kicked Off Countdown to Ninth Annual RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl
West Palm Beach, FL – Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX with top female executives in Palm Beach County, the fifth annual RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl’s Women Changing the Game event presented by FPL at the Hilton West Palm Beach drew an intimate group of women in business, sports and community leaders for a night filled with women-empowering experiences, great networking, food and drink, pop-up shops, gifting and more.
A traditional high point of the annual event is its panel discussion of executive women sharing their career experiences and advice for attendees. This year the Title IX-themed panel discussion moderated by Keli Ferguson, the Emmy Award-Winning Sports and Anchor ESPN 106.3 on WPTV and FOX 29, featured accomplished South Florida women executives who have either played or worked in collegiate athletics and in some way have been impacted by Title IX. The rule established in 1972 with just 37 words is what helped level the playing field that women athletes and their coaches thrive on to this day.
A special welcome video from Sarah Colby Spain, an American sports reporter who works as an espnW.com columnist, ESPN Radio host, ESPN television personality and occasional ESPN SportsCenter reporter, kicked off the inspiring panel discussion including four South Florida executives:
- Pam Rauch, Vice President of External Affairs and Economic Development for Florida Power & Light Company who competed as a member of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill women’s tennis team.
- Staci Wilson, Olympic Gold Medalist and Pine School Boys Soccer Head Coach who competed as a member the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and in the U.S. Olympics for women’s soccer.
- Kate Arrizza, President & CEO of Cox Science Center and Aquarium who was an all-state swimmer in high school and recruited to swim for the United States Naval Academy team. After receiving her Bachelor of Science degree from the Naval Academy, she served as an Officer in the U.S. Navy for seven years. Kate still regularly competes in open water marathon swims, ranging between 10K and 20K in distance and in training for the 12.5-mile swim for the 8th time around the island of Key West.
Fifth Annual Women Changing the Game Event Presented by FPL Kicked Off Countdown/2/2/2/2
- Courtney Lovely, Director of Athletics at Palm Beach Atlantic University who formerly served as Senior Associate Athletics Director and Title IX Deputy Coordinator. She is the first minority to serve in her current role and is the third athletic director during PBA’s NCAA era.
“Women Changing the Game has become a highlight on our annual Bowl calendar, and I am gratified by its popularity, growth and stature,” shared RoofClaim Boca Raton Bowl Executive Director Doug Mosley. “This year we changed our approach a bit and for a good reason, as this was the first time this traditionally women-only event invited men to attend because we felt that celebrating 50 years of Title IX called for a broader audience.”
Sponsors for Women Changing the Game included presenting sponsor FPL, Brightline, Hilton West Palm Beach, Trustbridge, PNC Bank, Deep Eddy Vodka and the Gardens Mall. Guests enjoyed a variety of pop-up shops from the Gardens Mall including Kendra Scott, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Peloton, Josephine Alexander Collective and Aveda; as well as VIP Gifting Bags and a chance to win a $500 gift certificate for shopping at the Gardens Mall and a one-year Cooper Hawk membership.
Women Change the Game was one of several countdown events to the 2022 RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl that will kick off the Tuesday evening before Christmas, December 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET at FAU Stadium and will air live nationally on ESPN as well on ESPN Radio and locally on ESPN 106.3 FM. Conference affiliations for this year’s matchup include the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference, Sun Belt Conference and selected independents.
The RoofClaim.com Boca Raton is a celebrated annual holiday tradition in Boca Raton and Palm Beach County that lives up to its other name “Boca’s Biggest Annual Outdoor Party.” It’s, also, the only collegiate Bowl game in Palm Beach County featuring all of the pomp and circumstance of a traditional bowl event. It is a high-energy, entertaining experience for both college football fans and non-fans alike, and allows the national spotlight to shine on Boca Raton and Palm Beach County. For more community countdown events that benefit Bowl Charity Partner Spirit of Giving and game week info, visit roofclaimbocaratonbowl.com and/or follow through social media on Facebook (Facebook.com/BocaBowl), Twitter (@BocaBowl), and Instagram (@BocaBowl).
About The Roofclaim.Com Boca Raton Bowl
The Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl is one of 17 bowl games owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN. The RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl debuted in 2014 and has been well received in the community through its first eight years. It has twice held the distinction of matching up two conference champions – Marshall University vs. Northern Illinois University (2014), and UAB vs. Northern Illinois (2018). In all, six conference champions and another three conference division champions have played in the game. Among the bowl’s alumni who have moved on to the NFL are current New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (BYU, 2020), Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary (FAU, 2017) and Philadelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliott (Memphis, 2016). For more information about the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl visit RoofClaimBocaRatonBowl.com or follow through social media on Facebook (Facebook.com/BocaBowl), Twitter (@BocaBowl), and Instagram (@BocaBowl).
ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In 2022, the 32-event schedule includes three early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events, and a college softball event, which account for approximately 400 hours of live programming, while reaching nearly 64 million viewers and attracting over 800,000 annual attendees. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans. For more information, visit the official website, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.
Photo: Ron Elkman
