Kathleen Francis
In November 2011, Francis was named Chair and President of WISE (Women in Sports and Events), the leading voice and resource for professional women in the business of sports and events.
Additionally, she is the founder of Oasis Sports Ventures, a start-up marketing and development company specializing in providing quality amateur sports programs and competitions for youth, young adults and families that encourages physical activity, social engagement and achievement.
Kathy has also served as Managing Director, Marketing and Development for the USTA and SVP of Sales, Marketing and Communications at the NJSEA . Francis also spent 11 years at Major League Baseball. She created national advertising campaigns and yearlong platforms honoring the “All Century Team,” Jackie Robinson’s and Hank Aaron’s anniversaries. She reintroduced youth skills competitions, developed a four-on-four competition and oversaw the expansion of RBI - an inner cities program.
Atif Rafiq
Atif Rafiq is the Former President of Commercial & Growth at MGM Resorts, a Fortune 300 company. In this role, Atif leads a team of C-level executives, SVP's and corporate vice presidents to direct the company’s growth strategy including its commercial approach, business model, customer experience and new offerings.
Prior to MGM Resorts, he was the Chief Digital Officer and Global CIO for Volvo. Previously he served as chief digital officer and Corporate SVP of McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) from 2013 to 2017, where he worked for the CEO and lead one of the largest digital transformations in the world. Atif was the youngest person in the company’s history to sit on their exec committee.
Additionally, Atif has a 17 year career in well-known high tech companies, including Amazon, Yahoo! and AOL.