Programs

Women of Inspiration

2022 Women of Inspiration Award Voting is Open!

Voting closes on Thursday, September 22nd at 8:00PM PST, and the 2022 WOI recipient will be announced live at the Seattle Sports Commission's Women’s Leadership Breakfast on October 14, 2022.

The WISE Chapter of Seattle is excited to announce the launch of its Women of Inspiration Award.

Nominations were collected in August 2022 and finalists were selected by the WISE Seattle Board and Women of Inspiration Committee. The winner of the 2022 WISE Seattle Women of Inspiration award will be honored by WISE at its end-of-year event, receive a year-long WISE membership and a cash donation from WISE Seattle and our partners to be distributed to the non-profit or organization of their choice to continue to Encourage, Empower and Evolve Women in Sports & Events in our community. 

Women of Inspiration Award - This award honors a female in our community who exemplifies the pillars upon which WISE Seattle was founded. This individual is making a positive impact on the business of sports and events while serving as a positive role model and mentor for other women.  

The 2022 Finalists are:

Malia Arrant
Malia Arrant is the Pacific Northwest Soccer Club Director and the first female ‘lead’ Director to run a premier soccer club in the State of Washington. The club now has 13 female coaches on its staff and Malia has been a big part of creating these opportunities.

The cash prize donation would go to support the non-profit youth soccer club in creating more opportunities for players from underprivileged areas to have the chance to play and put themselves in a position to earn a college scholarship.



Jilyne Jarvis
Jilyne Jarvis is a seven-time NCAA All-American and former U.S. Ski Team member. In 2014, she co-founded a nonprofit organization, ZGiRLS (zgirls.org), which equips 11-14-year-old girls with the mental tools they need to build confidence for life.

The cash prize donation would go directly to providing financial support for girls to participate in ZGiRLS' 6-week online confidence-building program.



Theresa Haynie
Theresa Haynie helped found the Seattle Metro Pickleball Association to improve access and advocate for pickleball in the greater metro area. following a gold medal win at the USA Pickleball National Championships in 2019, Theresa decided to focus on promoting play for women.

The cash prize donation would go towards advancing her work of encouraging and empowering women in pickleball to help offset court rentals for early evening access to women still in the workplace.


BJ Kuntz

BJ Kuntz is the Assistant Executive Director of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA). BJ has the privilege of working alongside a team that supports over 800 member schools while looking for opportunities to create space to support inclusion and leadership opportunities for girls and women.

The cash prize donation would provide empowering opportunities to support the women in the association, specifically, coaches and athletic directors.


Cast Your Vote Today!


Key Dates:

  • May 11th - Women of Inspiration Nominations Opens 

  • August 12th – Nominations Close

  • September 14th – Finalists Announced and Voting Begins

  • September 22nd – Voting Closes 

  • October 14th - Winner Announced at Seattle Sports Commission's Women's Leadership Breakfast (buy your tickets here)

Media Coverage

Listen to an interview with WOI Committee Chair, Michelle Ludtka Furbush on the Jake & Stacey Show on Seattle Sports 710AM.

Women of Inspiration Program Partners