ROSEMONT, Illinois — The Big Ten Conference will host its first LGBTQ+ Symposium at the Big Ten Headquarters and Conference Center in Rosemont, Illinois. The symposium will bring together more than 100 student-athletes, coaches, and administrators from the conference’s 14 member institutions to discuss and share leading practices, guidelines, and activities relating to LGBTQ+ inclusion in college athletics.
The symposium kicked off with a networking dinner on Wednesday, featuring opening remarks from retired Penn State University Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Sandy Barbour. Today, the symposium will feature a full day of programming, including a panel discussion on the current state of college athletics, four breakout sessions on topics such as equipping allies, the intersection of identity on the field, and the legal landscape of college athletics, and a final panel discussion on the future of the LGBTQ+ community in athletics.
The symposium will feature several guest speakers and panelists, including:
- Sandy Barbour, retired Penn State University Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics
- Sara Burton, the University of Illinois Senior Woman Administrator
- Lisa Byington, Big Ten Network broadcaster and Milwaukee Bucks play-by-play announcer
- Em Chermaie, former University of Nebraska rifle student-athlete
- Christina Diaz, Penn State University Assistant Athletic Director for Development and Enrichment
- Corliss V. Garner, Old National Bank EVP, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer
- Anil Gollahalli, Big Ten Conference Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel
- Robert Gorman, Sports Equity Foundation
- Raina Harmon, University of Iowa assistant women’s basketball coach
- Eriana Henderson, Big Ten Conference George and Viola Taliaferro Fellow
- Janet Judge, Education, and Sports Law Group LLC Partner
- Erica Lafayette, Rutgers University basketball student-athlete
- Resa Lovelace, University of Maryland Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Development
- R.J. Mansfield, Under Armour designer
- Jailyn Mason, Big Ten Conference George and Viola Taliaferro Fellow
- Shannon Minter, National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) Legal Director
- Patrice Palmer, TEDx speaker, and motivational leadership coach
- Zana Patterson, Under Armour digital marketing lead
- Danielle Pulliam, University of Wisconsin Assistant Athletic Director for Diversity and Inclusion
- AG Shah, Former Northwestern University fencing student-athlete and current Northwestern director of fencing operations
- Alexandra Sommer, Ohio State University Academic Counselor and Student-Athlete Engagement Coordinator and member of the OSU women’s ice hockey coaching staff
- Charron Sumler, Ohio State University athletic counselor
- Hudson Taylor, Athlete Ally
- Joi Thomas, the University of Minnesota Executive Associate Athletic Director for Health & Performance
- Cece Villa, University of Nebraska soccer student-athlete
The Big Ten LGBTQ+ Symposium is an invitation-only event, but the Big Ten Network, along with the Big Ten’s primary social media channels on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, will provide coverage of the event.
