Global Sports Mentoring Program

using Sport for Financial empowerment of women in Indonesia

From sports broadcasting to business administration and marketing, Sarah Nicolina’s diverse professional experiences have enabled her to realize the power of sport for economic development and community empowerment. After researching strategies for Sport Development and Peace, Sarah has been hard at work implementing ways to monetize sport for social change in Indonesia. Her leadership has been prolific, serving on Indonesia’s national sport federation and organizing media efforts for the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

While Indonesia has made great strides in its efforts to provide women with increased opportunities for leadership and participation in sport, women continue to face challenges caused by enduring social stigmas about the role of women in society. Sarah believes that by increasing media coverage and investing in the technical improvement of its athletes, her country will maximize its economic potential.

At the GSMP, Sarah hopes to learn more about the ways that sports are marketed and monetized in the United States, which will allow her to create practical strategies for her own sports marketing agency in Indonesia. Sarah hopes to create a strategy that aims specifically to benefit girls and women through sport by equipping them with the tools they need to become leaders in their community.

Sarah will be mentored by Val Ackerman, Commissioner, and her team at the Big East Conference in New York, New York.

Val Ackerman, New York City, NY

Commissioner, Big East Conference

Val Ackerman was named the fifth Commissioner of the BIG EAST Conference on June 26, 2013. She previously spent eight years as an attorney and executive at the National Basketball Association, was the founding President of the Women’s National Basketball Association, and is a past President of USA Basketball, which oversees the U.S. men’s and women’s Olympic basketball program. She also served for two terms as the U.S. representative to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).

She has had a long and accomplished career in the sports industry and is one of the few executives in sports who has held leadership positions in both men’s and women’s sports at the collegiate, professional, national team and international levels. A recent highlight to her many accomplishments in the sports business, Val was inducted as a contributor into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of its 2021 class. Val was previously inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and currently serves on that organization’s Board of Directors.

Val is a 1981 graduate of the University of Virginia, where she graduated with high honors with a B.A. in political and social thought and was a three-time captain and Academic All-American on the women’s basketball team. She received her law degree from UCLA in 1985.

using Sport for Financial empowerment of women in Indonesia

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