Global Sports Mentoring Program

From Courts to Cultivation: Dynamic Leadership in Sports and Sustainable Innovation

Currently serving as Vice President of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation and CEO of FIBA2027 Ambassador, Alina Adomaityte proves to be a leader in both sports administration and business innovation.

In her position as Chief Executive Officer of Zeme Group, Alina specializes in agricultural innovation and sustainable energy solutions, operating enterprises in the United Arab Emirates and Lithuania, blending Lithuanian agricultural knowledge with the UAE’s dynamic business landscape.

But she also shines in the sporting context. With national medals in football (soccer), classical dressage, boxing, and weightlifting, sports are an integral part of Alina’s life. Her true passion, street basketball, is a lifelong pursuit, culminating in leadership of her own basketball boarding academy, Adomaitye International Basketball Academy (AIBA).

At AIBA, Alina nurtures young talent, aiming to shape future champions while emphasizing holistic development, particularly among young women. Additionally, as Vice President of Lithuanian Basketball and Kickboxing, she remains committed to advancing these sports on a national and international level.

Alina will be mentored by Commissioner Val Ackerman 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.

From Courts to Cultivation: Dynamic Leadership in Sports and Sustainable Innovation

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