Speaker and Honoree Biographies

Official Symposium Program

Recommended Resources

Opening Remarks

• Lewis, Monica (June 3, 2025) “Howard University Elevates Kery Davis to Vice President of Athletics.” The Dig.
• McPherson, Dana and Larry J. Sanders. (December 12, 2023) “Insights with AD Kery Davis:  The Importance of Providing a Platform to Showcase HBCUs and Highlighting the Excellence of Howard University.” The Dig.
• Ridpath, B. David and Julie Sommer (September 2022) “Paid in Full:  From Amateurism to NIL and the New Marketplace for College Athletes.” Texas Public Policy Foundation.
• Sommer, Julie. (April 10, 2024) “As Sports Betting Explodes, College Athletes Must be Protected.” Sportico. 

Panel 1 –The Athletes’ Verdict Post-House Settlement – From the Courtroom to the Locker Room: A Frontline Report on the New NCAA 9:15-10:15am

• Friestedt, Leigh Ernst. (March 2017) “Early Recruit: The Role of Sports in Education”. Equity IX.

• Friestedt, Leigh Ernst and Jeffrey E. Faucette. (October 29, 2025) “Appellants’ Opening Brief in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. GRANT HOUSE, et al v. CHARLOTTE NORTH et al. v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, et al.”   

• Libit, Daniel. (November 5, 2025) “Liberty Track Walk-On Stays Course in House v. NCAA Deal Objections.” Sportico.
• The Drake Group Education Fund. (January 22, 2026) “Title IX Under Fire – Webinar #53 – Series on Critical Issues in Collegiate Athletics.” The Drake Group Education Fund.

Panel 2 – The Cost of Undervaluation: Media Rights, Revenue Sharing, and the Rising Value of Women’s College Sports 10:30am-11:30pm ET

• The Drake Group Education Fund. (November 20, 2025) “Beyond the Court: Women’s College Sports Broadcast Deals and Valuing Women’s Sports in the New Media Landscape-Webinar #51 – Series on Critical Issues in Collegiate Athletics.” The Drake Group Education Fund.
• Ava Gardner. (December 10, 2025). “Transcript: AI at Play – Interview with Charlie Meyers, Chief Technology Officer, Monumental Sports and Entertainment.” The Washington Post.
• Radnofsky, Louise. (April 13th, 2022) “John Rosner is quoted about the Media Value of the Women’s NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championship.” The Wall Street Journal.
• JP Dellacamera.  (April 20, 2023) “Broadcast Smarter, Coach Better:  Shirin Malkani, Perkins Cole.”  Podcast Series, Spiideo.

• Axon, Rachel. (April 7, 2025) “Champions 2025: Carol Stiff.”  Sports Business Journal.

NATIONAL AWARDS CEREMONY 11:45am-12:45pm

2026 National Public Service Award – Senator Maria Cantwell

• S. 2932—“Student Athlete Fairness and Enforcement Act-SAFE Act”  Sponsor: Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA]  To protect the name, image, and likeness rights of, and provide protections for, student athletes, and for other purposes.

• S.3378 — “Helping Undergraduate Students Thrive with Long-Term Earnings Act”-“HUSTLE Act” Sponsors: Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] and Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA] To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to establish name, image, and likeness investment accounts for student-athletes, and for other purposes.
• Discussion Draft. “College Sports Competitiveness Act” Sponsors: Schmitt, Eric (R-MO) and Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA] Provides a new antitrust exemption allowing college football institutions to jointly sell media rights and makes it optional for conferences and schools to pool their media rights together, allowing for a significant increase of revenue into college sports.

2026 National Public Service Award – Representative Michael Baumgartner

• H.R. 2663—“Restore College Sports Act” Sponsor: Baumgartner, Michael [R-WA-05] To establish the American Collegiate Sports Association, and for other purposes.

• H.R. 5812—“Correcting Opportunity and Accountability in Collegiate Hiring Act -COACH Act” Sponsor: Baumgartner, Michael [R-WA-05] To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to cap certain intercollegiate athletics compensation and buyouts as a condition of institutional participation in Federal student aid programs, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 5693—“Protect College Sports from Private Equity and Foreign Influence Act-PROTECT Act”. Sponsor: Baumgartner, Michael [R-WA-05] To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit certain private-equity and sovereign wealth fund agreements involving intercollegiate athletics.

2026 Changemaker Award – Cody Campbell

• Campbell, Cody.  (March 27, 2026) “Who owns college sports? The American people do, and Congress must Protect It.” USA Today.

• Campbell, Cody. (April 15, 2026) “College Sports Face Collapse from Mismanagement, Lawsuits, and Revenue Crises...” SavingCollegeSports.com.

2026 Exceptional Service Award – Keith Adams

• Adams, Keith. (December 5, 2018) “Finding the Balance Between Academic and Sport Motivation: A Study of Division I Student-Athletes.” Dissertation -Doctorate of Education, Grand Canyon University
• Adams, Keith. (April 13, 2026). “The System is Failing Student-Athletes.  Here’s What We’re Doing About It.” CKAsaveproject.org.

2026 Student Journalism Prize for Investigative Reporting in Intercollegiate Athletics

• Hilkowitz, Mia, Kasey Watkiins, Nathan Shriberg, Savannah Slone. (October 20, 2025)  “Could Big Ten Schools Use NIL Deals to Circumvent Salary Cap?” Indiana Daily Student.

• The Drake Group Education Fund. (March 19, 2026) “Investigative College Sport Journalism: Meet our 2026 Student Award Winners-Webinar 55 -Series on Critical Issues in Collegiate Athletics.”  The Drake Group Education Fund.

POST-LUNCH FIRESIDE CHAT with Cody Campbell  12:45-1:30pm

• Assimakopoulos, Lia. (December 12, 2025) “How Cody Campbell Became the Face of a New Movement in College Sports.” The Detroit News.

Panel 3 – The Labor Paradox: Navigating the Complexities of Collegiate Athlete Unionization 1:45-2:45pm

• Committee on Education and Workforce. (April 8, 2025)  “Game Changer: The NLRB, Student-Athletes, and the Future of College Sports.”  Hearing before the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions.”
• Schneider, Scott. (October 8, 2025) “A College Players Union is Not Going to Happen.  Here’s Why.”  Hoopshq.com
• Libit, Daniel. (March 2, 2026) “Duke Union Risk Memo Warned of Kara Lawson, Lacrosse Players.”  Sportico.
• Dellenger, Ross. (June 30, 2025) “Could Collective Bargaining be the Answer for College Sports?  Some ADs are Ready to Say the Quiet Part Out Loud.” Yahoo Sports.
• H.R. 2663—“Restore College Sports Act” Sponsor: Baumgartner, Michael [R-WA-05] To establish the American Collegiate Sports Association, and for other purposes.
• Koller, Dionne. “No Shortcuts – With Dionne Koller; on Collective Bargaining and College Sports.” Center of Sport Business Analytics.
• Roberts, Michele, Richard Ford, and Casey Floyd. “Concerns with the Proposed ‘House’ Settlement and Its Broader Implications for College Sports and Athletes’ Rights.” Case 4:20-cv-03919-CW Document 705 Filed 01/30/25  

• Ford, Richard. (April 6, 2023) “Michele Roberts Interview: Collective Bargaining 101 and the Potential Role of Collective Bargaining in College Sports”  DYKmdia.io

Panel 4 – The New Playbook: Redefining Governance in the Era of College Super-Leagues 3:00-4:00pm ET

• Jenkins, Sally. (November 20, 2025) “How to Fix the Mess of College Sports.” The Atlantic.

• Jenkins, Sally. (June 16, 2024) “College Athletes Should Think Twice Before Asking to be Employees.” The Washington Post.

• Cantwell, Maria. (September 10, 2025) “The Growing College Sport Funding Gap: How Massive Media Revenue Disparities Are Hurting Athletes and Smaller Schools.” U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

• Cantwell, Maria. (August 25, 2025) “Letter to Division I University Presidents and Chancellors Re: The SCORE Act Entrenches an Athletics Spending Arms Race, Hurting College Sports Competition.” Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

• Marshall, Kendrick. (June 9, 2021) “Howard President Explains to Congress ‘Tremendous Concerns’ of NIL Rights for HBCUs.” HBCUSports.com

• Gee, E. Gordon. (November 23, 2025) “College Athletics is in Crisis—We Must Unite to Save It.” The Hill.

• The Drake Group Education Fund. (October 16, 2025) “The New Era of College Athletics: Navigating Chaos and Building a Sustainable Future-Webinar 50 -Series on Critical Issues in Collegiate Athletics.”  The Drake Group Education Fund.