Michigan's winningest softball coach is stepping into a different kind of arena next week, joining a lineup of Olympic medalists, tech executives and broadcasting royalty for a summit built to spotlight women in sports. The University of Michigan will host the Women in Sports: Elevate HER Summit on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, bringing together athletes, coaches and industry leaders to talk pathways, power and persistence in front of students, alumni and community members.
The event, also reported by WDIV ClickOnDetroit, centers on leadership, mentorship and opportunities for the next generation of athletes. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with interactive concourse stations covering adaptive sports, VR performance testing and athlete nutrition, according to University of Michigan Athletics, before the main panel discussion kicks off at 6 p.m. inside the 12,707-seat arena that has served as the home of Michigan women's basketball since 1974.
Leading the softball contingent is Carol Hutchins, who retired in August 2022 as the winningest coach in NCAA softball history, finishing with 1,707 career wins over 38 seasons at Michigan. Per ClickOnDetroit's reporting, Hutchins guided the Wolverines to 22 Big Ten titles and the program's first Women's College World Series championship in 2005. Hutchins was inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2006, per the same athletics department account.
A Title IX Pioneer Shares the Stage
Joining her is Debbie Williams-Hoak, a four-time Big Ten javelin champion who went on to qualify for the LPGA Tour and now helps develop young athletes through golf instruction and coaching in southeast Michigan, according to the ClickOnDetroit report. Williams-Hoak was recruited to Michigan in 1978 after a conversation with football coach Bo Schembechler, U-M Athletics notes, and she was inducted into the university's Hall of Honor in 2022 as part of its first all-female class, marking the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Hutchins and Williams-Hoak are also set to join Local 4 ahead of the summit to discuss their experiences in sports and what the event means for Ann Arbor.
The headline panel, titled Women in Sports: Pathways, Power and Persistence, draws from a roster that stretches well beyond campus. Kate Johnson, Google's Director and Head of Global Sports & Entertainment Marketing Partnerships, graduated from Michigan in 2001 with a political science degree and was inducted into the U-M Athletics Hall of Honor in 2016, according to Forbes.
From Campus Sports to Global Boardrooms
Li Li Leung, who served as President and CEO of USA Gymnastics after becoming president in 2019 following a stint as a Vice President at the NBA, earned her psychology degree from Michigan in 1995 while competing on three Big Ten championship gymnastics teams, according to a release from USA Gymnastics. She also serves on the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan's Board of Directors.
Estee Portnoy, a 1989 Michigan graduate, has spent more than 25 years as a senior executive at Jump Management, where she manages Michael Jordan's business enterprise and executive produced ESPN's 2020 documentary The Last Dance, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. Portnoy also serves on U-M's School of Kinesiology Sport Management Advisory Board. Rounding out the panel is Casey E. Taylor, whom ClickOnDetroit describes as a sports marketing leader.
Veteran broadcaster Andrea Joyce will host the summit. The event aims to connect women across the sports industry while offering networking, professional development and mentorship opportunities, per ClickOnDetroit.
A Local Event Reflecting a Booming Industry
A Local Event Reflecting a Booming Industry The summit's timing lines up with a broader surge in women's sports as a business. Deloitte projects total global women's elite sports revenue will reach at least $3 billion in 2026, including commercial, broadcast and matchday revenue, according to an April 2026 forecast from Deloitte, which projects commercial revenue alone at $1.4 billion, or 45% of the total.
General admission tickets to the Elevate HER Summit cost $30, while current University of Michigan varsity student-athletes can attend free with their MCard, according to ClickOnDetroit. The audience is expected to include students, alumni and community members gathering at Crisler Center to hear from a panel that spans softball diamonds, track ovals, Olympic rowing lanes and the executive suites of Google, the NBA and Michael Jordan's business empire alike.
