REBOOTING THE AMERICAN DREAM:
The Future of College
& Youth Sports
Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Obama Presidential Center, Chicago, Illinois
The room
Voices and attending organizations to date.
Presidents and chancellors, athletic directors, governing bodies, teams, media, investors and foundations — the organizations sending leaders to the Obama Presidential Center on October 28.
Adrian College
DePaul University
University of Illinois Chicago
Winston-Salem State University
Boston College
Robert Morris University
Cornell University
Knight Commission
U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee
USA Swimming
Boston Legacy FC
Altius Sports Partners
Future U
Dynasty Equity
Transition Equity Partners
Ellucian
Arnold Ventures
Clayton Christensen Institute
Harlem Children's Zone
Roadtrip Nation
Tim Tebow Foundation
American Council on EducationAdrian CollegeDePaul UniversityUniversity of Illinois ChicagoWinston-Salem State UniversityBoston CollegeRobert Morris UniversityCornell UniversityKnight CommissionU.S. Olympic & Paralympic CommitteeUSA SwimmingBoston Legacy FCAltius Sports PartnersFuture UDynasty EquityTransition Equity PartnersEllucianArnold VenturesClayton Christensen InstituteHarlem Children's ZoneRoadtrip NationTim Tebow FoundationAmerican Council on Education
Arizona State University
Council of Independent Colleges
University of North Texas
Bethany College
Northwestern University
Stanford University
University of North Carolina
Ithaca College
IMG Academy
Grayson Law Firm
McKinsey & Company
Tyton Partners
Creative Artists Agency
USA TODAY
NAACP Capital
Valiant Management
HighSage Ventures
HITE EQ
TMRW Sports
Stand Together
University Innovation Alliance
American Association of Colleges and UniversitiesArizona State UniversityCouncil of Independent CollegesUniversity of North TexasBethany CollegeNorthwestern UniversityStanford UniversityUniversity of North CarolinaIthaca CollegeIMG AcademyGrayson Law FirmMcKinsey & CompanyTyton PartnersCreative Artists AgencyUSA TODAYNAACP CapitalValiant ManagementHighSage VenturesHITE EQTMRW SportsStand TogetherUniversity Innovation AllianceAmerican Association of Colleges and Universities
Beloit College
Loyola University Chicago
Washington State University
Miami Dade College
Xavier University
University of Notre Dame
Chicago Red Stars
NCAA
Houlihan Lokey
Venable LLP
ESPN
3STEP Sports
Noodle
A Better Chicago
Big Picture Learning
Digital Promise
Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation
Obama Foundation
National Association of Independent Colleges and UniversitiesBeloit CollegeLoyola University ChicagoWashington State UniversityMiami Dade CollegeXavier UniversityUniversity of Notre DameChicago Red StarsNCAAHoulihan LokeyVenable LLPESPN3STEP SportsNoodleA Better ChicagoBig Picture LearningDigital PromiseSteve & Marjorie Harvey FoundationObama FoundationNational Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
Maryville College
Tiffin University
New York University
Rice University
University of Maryland
Vanderbilt University
Association of Governing Boards
USA Hockey
PGA of America
Parity
King & Spalding
The Free Press
Edmentum
American Enterprise Institute
Emerson Collective
Positive Coaching Alliance
Susan Crown ExchangeMaryville CollegeTiffin UniversityNew York UniversityRice UniversityUniversity of MarylandVanderbilt UniversityAssociation of Governing BoardsUSA HockeyPGA of AmericaParityKing & SpaldingThe Free PressEdmentumAmerican Enterprise InstituteEmerson CollectivePositive Coaching AllianceSusan Crown ExchangeThe Biggest Names in Sports Are in the Room
Champions, commissioners, coaches and builders taking the stage on October 28.
See everyone in the room
Arne Duncan
Former Co-Chair, Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, Former U.S. Secretary of Education
Tim Tebow
7x NYT Best-Selling Author, 2x National Champion, Heisman Trophy Winner, Founder & Chairman of the Tim Tebow Foundation, The Tebow Group and ESPN Analyst
Mike Tirico
Emmy Winning American Sports Commentator for NBC Biggest Events: Sunday Night Football, Olympics & the NBA
Don Garber
Commissioner, Major League Soccer & CEO, Soccer United Marketing
Muffet McGraw
Legendary Head Women's Basketball Coach, Notre Dame, Winner of 2 NCAA National Championships, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee, Studio Analyst, ESPN
Curtis Granderson
Former MLB All-Star, Philanthropist and Baseball Analyst
Michael Cohn
Co-Founder, GSV Sports
Michael Moe
Co-Founder, GSV Sports
Minnesota Football
Deborah Quazzo
Co-Founder, GSV Sports
Craig Robinson
Executive Director, National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC); Former Head Men's Basketball Coach, Oregon State University
Princeton, 2x Ivy Player of the YearFormer pro basketball
Bill Polian
Hall of Fame American Professional Football General Manager, Originator of the NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement
Sarah Spain
Emmy & Peabody Award-Winning Journalist Host, iHeart
Joe Kennedy
Director of Athletics & Sports Leadership, Obama Foundation; Co-Founder, The Team
Mark Jackson
Vice President for Athletics and Recreation, Northwestern University
Seth Davis
Editor-in-Chief, Hoops HQ, In-Studio Analyst, CBS Sports, Former Sports Illustrated Senior Writer
Kelly Amonte Hiller
Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach, Northwestern
NCAA ChampionLegendary Coach
MaliVai Washington
Founder, MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation; Olympian, Wimbledon Finalist and USTA Florida Hall of Famer
Len Elmore
Co-Chair, Knight Commission; Senior Lecturer, Columbia Sports Management; Former College Basketball Analyst, CBS Sports
Michael Sorrell
President, Paul Quinn College
Jay Paterno
Founder, Blue Line 409, Co-Founder of Success With Honor, Former Penn State Football Coach and Penn State Trustee
Carlos Moreno
Co-CEO, Big Picture Learning
Penny Schwinn
Former Education Commissioner, Tennessee
Jeff Selingo
Special Advisor to the President, Arizona State University; Contributor to The Atlantic, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal; Co-host Future U podcast
Betsy Cantwell
President, Washington State University
Mark Reed
President, Loyola University Chicago; Member, NCAA Division I Board of Directors
Bubba Cunningham
Senior Advisor to the Chancellor and Former Director of Athletics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Marie Lynn Miranda
Chancellor, University of Illinois Chicago
Ross Dellenger
National College Football Reporter, Yahoo Sports, Former Sports Illustrated Writer
Evan Richter
Founder & Partner, Smash Capital
Brandon Copeland
Co-Founder and Executive Director, Athletes.org; 10-Year NFL Veteran
Meghann Burke
Executive Director, National Women’s Soccer League Players Association (NWSLPA)
Saurabh Sanghvi
Partner, McKinsey & Company
Tom Farrey
Executive Director, Sports & Society Program, The Aspen Institute
Kwame Owusu-Kesse
CEO, Harlem Children's Zone, Senior Advisor, Dynasty Equity
Ed Foster-Simeon
President and CEO, U.S. Soccer Foundation; Former USA TODAY Deputy Managing Editor
Chad Gruen
CEO, 3Step Sports, Founder & CEO, SMP Holdings
Kelly Mehrtens
Former Executive Director of NFL Trust, Founder of SMART SPORTS, Former Deputy Athletics Director, University of Maryland
Jacqueline Kronk
Chief Strategy Officer, Office of Indiana Secretary of Education
Ben Wallerstein
CEO & Co-Founder, Whiteboard Advisors
Adam Weinberg
President, Denison University, NCAA Div III Presidents Advisory Group
Andrew Donovan
Dan Greenstein
Former Chancellor of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education
Steve Hank
Senior Director, Alvarez & Marsal, Former CRO / Sr. Associate AD, UT Austin
Sarah Hubbard
Regent & Former Board Chair, University of Michigan, Principal, Acuitas LLC
Karen Weaver
Academic Director, The New Athletics Enterprise Certificate Program, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education
Michael B. Horn
Award Winning Author, Co-Founder, Clayton Christensen Institute
Jason Belzer
Founder and CEO, Athlemy
Alayna Williamson
Chief of Staff, University of Michigan Football, Former Director of Undergraduate Admissions & Scholarships, University of Utah
David Hollander
Assistant Dean & Clinical Professor, Tisch Institute for Global Sport, NYU
Libby Naumes
Co-Founder, NU Advisory Partners
Lisa Young
COO, Deputy Athletics Director, Arizona State University (Sun Devil Athletics)
Amy Privette Perko
CEO, Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics
Arthur H. Bryant
Title IX Athletics Lawyer & founder of Arthur Bryant Law, P.C.
Leela Srinivasan
CEO, Parity; Leader in Women's Sports Sponsorship and Athlete Income Equity
Mollie Marcoux Samaan
CEO U.S. Squash, Former Commissioner, LPGA, Former Director of Athletics, Princeton
Larissa Fontaine
Deputy Athletics Director, Olympic Sports and Student-Athlete Success, Stanford, Board Member, USA Gymnastics
Pat Kelleher
Executive Director, USA Hockey
Kevin Ring
President & CEO, USA Swimming, Former CRO, PGA of America and VP, IMG
Max Siegel
CEO, USA Track & Field, Sports and Entertainment Executive
Brian Hainline
VP, World Tennis & Immediate Past President, USTA, Former Chief Medical Officer, NCAA
Lennie Waite
Chief Science Officer, HITE EQ; 2x All-American, Rice University
Gerald J. Harrison
Vice President and Director of Athletics, Marshall University
Dr. Sheila Ohlsson Walker
Senior Scientist, Tufts University; Founder, Scobie Institute for Wellness; Board Member, U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation & International Tennis Hall of Fame
Craig Sloan
CEO, Playfly Sports
Isaiah Kacyvenski
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Will Ventures; Former NFL Linebacker and Co-Founder, Sports Innovation Lab
Chris Bevilacqua
Sports, entertainment, media and technology entrepreneur, investor, executive and advisor.
Gordon Jones
President, College of Western Idaho; Founding Dean College of Innovation + Design Boise State University
Angela Ruggiero
Co-Founder, Sports Innovation Lab; 4x Olympian and Olympic Gold Medalist, Ice Hockey; IOC Member
Beth Brooke
Director, The New York Times and US Olympic and Paralympic Committee; Co-Chair, WomenDriveToo; Member, Knight Commission
Kevin Connors
Founder, Million Coaches Challenge; Managing Director, Susan Crown Exchange
Michael Lazar
Chief, Soccer Markets and Pathways, U.S. Soccer Federation
Phyllis Lockett
Founder & Senior Advisor, LEAP Innovations
Michael Alter
Owner, Chicago Sky
Nina King
Vice President and Director of Athletics, Duke University
Chris Howard
EVP and Chief Operating Officer, Arizona State University, College Football Playoff Committee
Steve Mesler
US Olympic Hall of Fame Bobsled Gold Medalist; Managing Director, Mesler Performance Group; Co-Founder & Chairman, Classroom Champions; Former Board Member, USOPC
Patrick Eilers
Founder & Managing Partner, Transition Equity Partners, NFL Veteran & Notre Dame National Champion
Tiffany Taylor
President, GSV Summit
Candice Storey Lee
Vice Chancellor for Athletics and University Affairs and Athletic Director, Vanderbilt University
Tom Theodorakis
Director of Athletics, United States Military Academy at West Point, Former Syracuse Lacrosse Player and NCAA Champion
Our mission
ALL people deserve equal access to the future.
For 17 years, in partnership with Arizona State University, GSV has built the ASU+GSV Summit — the "Davos of Education" — around one conviction: ALL people deserve equal access to the future and an opportunity to flourish. We are now bringing that same mission to collegiate and youth athletics.
Sport is life's original learning and leadership accelerator. Athletics is the flywheel for next-generation economic mobility and citizen development, and it is the essence of the American Dream. Yet the ecosystem faces daunting issues that deeply affect student-athletes, parents, families, coaches, fans and the K-12 and higher education systems that support all of them.
We believe sports can help rebuild the civic layer of a fractured America. Our objective is to convene leaders whose shared purpose is to give ALL people high quality athletic experiences.
On October 28, 150 leaders will spend a day designing the systems change this moment demands — not cataloguing problems, but building solutions we can carry forward together.
The day at a glance
- Date
- Wednesday, October 28, 2026
- Time
- 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- Venue
- Obama Presidential Center, Chicago, Illinois
- Format
- Keynote conversations, eight working sessions, museum tour and dinner
- Attendance
- By invitation — exclusive and non-transferable
Launch Partners
Flow of the day
A Day Built for Systems Redesign.
Registration & Badging Opens
Registration and badging in Home Court
Early Afternoon Keynotes
Keynote conversations in The Auditorium
Back to the Auditorium for Late Afternoon Keynotes
Late afternoon keynotes and conclusions from each room
Dinner & Closing Conversation at Home Court
Seated dinner, followed by Sports and Advancing the American Dream at 8:17 PM, moderated by Tiffany Taylor
Program Begins
Opening conversations in The Auditorium
8 Rooms, 1 Future
Head to the breakout rooms for highly interactive conversation
Private Museum Tour
A private tour of the museum, then a reception at the Harold Washington Overlook
8:30 AM
Registration & Badging Opens
Registration and badging in Home Court
12:00 PM
Program Begins
Opening conversations in The Auditorium
1:00 PM
Early Afternoon Keynotes
Keynote conversations in The Auditorium
2:05 PM
8 Rooms, 1 Future
Head to the breakout rooms for highly interactive conversation
4:15 PM
Back to the Auditorium for Late Afternoon Keynotes
Late afternoon keynotes and conclusions from each room
6:00 PM
Private Museum Tour
A private tour of the museum, then a reception at the Harold Washington Overlook
7:00 PM
Dinner & Closing Conversation at Home Court
Seated dinner, followed by Sports and Advancing the American Dream at 8:17 PM, moderated by Tiffany Taylor
Be in the Room Where it Happens
8 Rooms, 1 Future.
Eight working sessions, two halves — every attendee chooses a room and helps design what comes next.