WISE LA Announces 2015 Women of Inspiration Award Recipients

The Los Angeles Chapter of Women in Sports and Events (WISE Los Angeles) announced today that Judi Cordray (Vice President, ESPN Los Angeles Production Center), Blanca Gonzalez (Vice President/General Manager of the West, Nike), and Jennifer van Dijk (Vice President, Team Marketing and Business Operations, NBA, most recently Senior Vice President of Digital, Wasserman Media Group) have been selected as the recipients of the 2015 WISE Los Angeles Women of Inspiration Award. The WISE Los Angeles Women of Inspiration Awards presented by FOX Audience Strategy will be awarded at the 6th annual gala taking place on Thursday, November 19th at Downtown Los Angeles' City Club.

The WISE Los Angeles Women of Inspiration honorees have been selected by the organization's nominating committee for their qualities of extraordinary leadership in the sports industry, leading them to become strong and positive role models for women of all levels in their personal and professional development. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, WISE Los Angeles is the leading voice and resource for professional women in the business of sports and strives to offers its members the opportunity to gain valuable insights and connections that can provide them a competitive advantage in their current position and as they advance in their careers.

Being honored for their outstanding achievement, Cordray, Gonzalez and van Dijk will also become members of the WISE Los Angeles Advisory Board Committee for 2016, serving as a valuable source of expertise and experience for the members of WISE and the Los Angeles chapter. As WISE Los Angeles Advisory Board Committee members, they will provide guidance for the growth and direction of the chapter and continue to support the mission of WISE in the Los Angeles area and across the country.

"Judi, Blanca, and Jennifer are influential leaders and change agents in the sports industry. They are role models for all men and women and we are thrilled to honor them at this year's WISE Los Angeles Women of Inspiration Awards," said Shelley Taniguchi, WISE Los Angeles President. "Our annual gala is not only a chance for us to honor these industry leaders who have excelled at fulfilling their professional goals and influencing others in the industry, but also to bring together professionals that share the goals and mission of WISE of enhancing the success and growth of women in the sports and events industry."

"On behalf of the 21st Century Fox entertainment businesses, FOX Audience Strategy is thrilled to return as the presenting sponsor of the WISE Los Angeles Women of Inspiration Awards," said Nicole A. Bernard, Executive Vice President, FOX Audience Strategy. "WISE aligns with FOX Audience Strategy objectives to enhance a diversified executive and creative workforce and support women's career growth in the sports and entertainment industries- and our efforts are yielding results through our strategic partnership with WISE. We're excited to be part of such an impactful event that honors women who are all making a difference in the sports industry and look forward to an ongoing and fruitful partnership with WISE Los Angeles."

Judi Cordray joined ESPN as the vice president in charge of ESPN's Los Angeles Production Center, which launched in April of 2009. Cordray came to ESPN from the Disney ABC Media Networks Group where she served as Vice President, Broadcast Operations & Engineering West Coast operations, overseeing the engineering & IT staff, daytime studio, master control and media center operations. Prior to her role with BO&E, Cordray served as General Manager of ENG (electronic news gathering) Operations for ABC News, Western Region, overseeing multiple bureaus. From conventions to celebrity trials, Cordray played a key role in production planning and facilities coordination of studio and remote operations, serving all platforms of ABC News. In her ESPN role, Cordray oversees all the day-to-day operations of the new Los Angeles facility; supports all programming produced in it or remote traffic routed through it, and is ESPN's most senior representative in the Los Angeles production community. In addition to ESPN content originating from this facility, the 1 a.m. ET SportsCenter is produced from Los Angeles five days a week as well as other popular programs such as SportsNation, NBA Countdown, Nacion, A Los Golpes and Grantland Podcast.

Blanca Gonzalez brings nearly 20 years of brand and leadership experience in the industry having spent the majority of her career at Nike Inc. In 2002, she started her journey with Nike in Los Angeles in Entertainment Marketing, and then became Brand Manager for Nike's iconic "BLU House" global energy center, connecting Nike with top influencers from LA and abroad. She has worked in several key roles within the Nike organization where she has developed her merchandising and general management skill set with roles across geography, territory and global, including GM of Sportswear and Action Sports for Nike de Mexico, which allowed her to fulfill her dream of experiencing her culture and heritage once again. She currently holds her dream job as the Vice President and General Manager of the Nike West Territory. She has a strong passion her home city of Los Angeles, developing teams, mentoring young women and being an advocate for children with special needs. She has relentless energy and values her career and family life as a wife and mother to three beautiful children.

Jennifer van Dijk served as Senior Vice President of Digital at Wasserman Media Group for the past 7 years and has recently accepted a position with the NBA as Vice President, Team Marketing and Business Operations. van Dijk will be responsible for sponsorship innovation for teams and looks forward to settling into her new role this fall. In van Dijk's former role at Wasserman Media Group, she worked with major sports, athletes and brand clients including Pepsi, Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Airbnb, Samsung, Ironman and others. van Dijk created a model for custom workshops that trained commercial directors and sales teams to more creatively design and better sell assets. The work with teams has led to triple digit increases in fan engagement as well as direct revenue increases from sponsors and ticketing for their clients. She has a specialty in working with new technology and social platforms like Twitter and Facebook to create new content and services for fans and teams. Jennifer is a 2015 member of the highly coveted SportsBusiness Journal's Forty Under 40 Awards class.

Highlighting this year's WISE Los Angeles Women of Inspiration Awards presented by FOX Audience Strategy will be the featured keynote address by Dr. Bernice Ledbetter, Professor of Organizational Theory and Management at the Graziadio School of Business and Management. Dr. Bernice Ledbetter teaches graduate-level courses across a range of management and leadership topics. She is an award winning teacher and recipient of the Howard A. White Award for Teaching Excellence. Dr. Ledbetter chairs the Master of Science in Leadership and Management degree at Graziadio and her research and teaching interests focus on women in leadership, values and spirituality; she is the author of several articles and book chapters, and co-author of Reviewing Leadership: A Christian Evaluation of Current Approaches.

The WISE Los Angeles Women of Inspiration Awards presented by FOX Audience Strategy will take place at the City Club in Downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, November 19th. To purchase tickets or sponsorship packages, visit wiselosangeles.org. Follow WISE Los Angeles on Facebook and Twitter for updates on upcoming events and announcements.

WISE (Women in Sports and Events) is the leading voice and resource for professional women in the business of sports. Through ongoing meetings, special events and mentoring programs, WISE offers its members the opportunity to gain valuable insights and connections that can provide them a competitive advantage in their current position and as they advance in their careers. See more at wiseworks.org.

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