Nancy Hogshead-Makar named Women's Sports Foundation Senior Director of Advocacy

New York, N.Y., April 19, 2010 – The Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) today named Professor Nancy Hogshead-Makar its Senior Director of Advocacy. The WSF was founded by Billie Jean King in 1974 as a driving force to attract girls and women to sport while promoting better health and education.

Hogshead-Makar has a 25-year history with the WSF. She began as an intern after the 1984 Olympics, where as a swimmer she won three gold and one silver medal. She became a member of the Board of Directors in 1985, becoming Vice-President from 1990-92, and served as the organization’s third President from 1992-94. She has served as the organization’s Legal Advisor since 2003.

Hogshead-Makar’s expertise spans an array of gender equity issues, including sports participation, sexual harassment, employment, pregnancy and legal enforcement. Her book, co-authored with Andrew Zimbalist, Equal Play, Title IX and Social Change, has received critical acclaim since its release in November 2007 by Temple University Press. She was the lead author of the NCAA’s Pregnant and Parenting Student-Athletes; Resources and Model Policies, released November 2008.

“Nancy brings profound experience to this role. Her history of working all sides of the issue, from athletes and coaches to educational institutions to legal groups, is without peer”, said Kathryn Olson, CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation. “Advocacy is a cornerstone of this foundation and under Nancy’s leadership we look forward to continuing to drive the issues that advance the lives of girls and women.”

Hogshead-Makar has testified in Congress numerous times on the topic of gender equity in athletics, written numerous scholarly and lay articles and has been a frequent guest on national news programs on the topic. She serves as an expert witness in Title IX cases and has written amicus briefs representing athletic organizations in precedent-setting litigation. In 2007 Sports Illustrated Magazine listed her as one of the most influential people in the 35-year history of Title IX.

Hogshead-Makar has received significant awards recognizing her commitment to athletics, including induction into the Academic All-America Hall of Fame and the International Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame, receipt of an honorary doctorate from Springfield College, membership in the Hall of Fame for the National Association for Sports and Physical Education and has been the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators “Honor Award” winner.

Hogshead-Makar is a tenured Professor of Law at the Florida Coastal School of Law where she will continue to teach Sports Law. She is a founding member of LIGEA, the Legal Institute for Gender Equity in Athletics. She earned her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and is an honors graduate of Duke University.

About the Women’s Sports Foundation

The Women’s Sports Foundation, founded in 1974, is the leader in promoting sports, health and education for girls and women. With Billie Jean King as its founder and ongoing visionary, the Women’s Sports Foundation continues to have a profound impact on female athletics, from its vigorous advocacy of Title IX legislation to providing grants and scholarships, grassroots programs for underserved girls, and groundbreaking research. An agent for change, the Women’s Sports Foundation has relationships with more than 1,000 of the world’s elite female athletes and is recognized globally for its leadership, vision, strength, expertise and influence. For more information, please call the Women’s Sports Foundation at 800.227.3988 or visit www.WomensSportsFoundation.org.