Dr. Williams, Shalala Attend Dinner of Influence

Miami Athletics and Stradivarius Consulting sponsor dinners during Game Changing Retreat

Atlanta, GA – Today,The Winning Edge Leadership Academy announced Dr. Carla Williams, Athletic Director at the University of Virginia and former University of Miami President, Donna Shalala will attend one of two scheduled Dinners of Influence during their 2018 Game Changing Retreat.  Williams, an early supporter of The Winning Edge, is the first African-American female to become an Athletic Director at a Power 5 conference school.  Shalala, served as Miami’s President from 2001 to 2015 and in 2008 President Bush presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award. They will join cohort members and over 35 other industry professionals including College Football Playoff’s Laila Brock, NFL Network’s Galen Gordon, Rachel Lindsay from Cooper & Scully and Season 13 of the Bachelorette, Trevor Moawad from Moawad Consulting, Adam White from Front Office Sports, and Dr. Eric Wood from the University of Central Florida for a Jefferson style dinner.  “It is important for me to serve as a role model for other sport administrators who aspire to advance in this profession. The Winning Edge Leadership Academy and specifically, the Dinner of Influence, provide opportunities to mentor, share experiences, and foster professional development for participants who are eager to learn and give back to the industry. This is an awesome responsibility for me and I’m honored to be a part of these efforts,” said Dr. Williams on her participation.

The Winning Edge Leadership Academy also announced that in addition to the University of Miami Athletics department,  Miami based Stradivarius Consulting will sponsor one of the two Dinners of Influence.  Michael Penfield, Principal of Stradivarius Consulting, has more than 15 years of award-winning experience and leadership in business as a consultant to organizations looking to scale up their productivity. He has worked with up and coming companies to large organizations, including FEMA.   In a statement, Penfield said, “As an industry professional who has made a career out of assisting brands and organizations to achieve their objectives, the opportunity to partner with the mission of Winning Edge Leadership was something that seemed natural based on our shared vision. Sponsoring and supporting one of the Dinners of Influence for the Game-Changing Retreat here in Miami presents a very special opportunity for me as a leader to give back to the next generation of sports industry leaders, impact their lives, as well as inspire their motivation and drive to do the same for those that will follow them in the near future.”

The Dinner of Influence, created by Executive Director and retreat host Corinne Milien, is similar to the dinners held by President Thomas Jefferson, where he engineered conversations that helped people discover their common humanity and change the course of history, including the famous “dinner table bargain” struck between James Madison and Alexander Hamilton.  The Dinners of Influence will take place on June 22nd and June 23rd and will feature industry professionals who will come to the table with the intention of sharing insight, providing assists,and discussing diversity in sports business. “I had to think outside the box when planning this event because we are developing a group of leaders who often miss out on opportunities to interact with professionals in the industry at this level because of the demands as student-athletes.  Having a single conversation around a table with only seven other people instead of a room full of 50 to 100 people will increase the odds of successful follow-ups from everyone involved,” Milien said about adding Dinners of Influence to the retreat.  “Some people find it strange I would model a dinner promoting diversity after President Jefferson, but his method of bringing people together to influence change is exactly the experience we want to spark the change we need.”