Nina Corder, Ed.D., is a social entrepreneur, community leader, and founder of various initiatives through grassroots activism, international diplomacy, and systems-level advocacy. For over 20 years, she has dedicated her career and initiative to advancing women’s economic empowerment, leadership, and international development efforts, which have directly supported more than 12,000 women and youth in building their careers through entrepreneurship training, networking opportunities, and mentorship.

As the Founder and Executive Director of Inclusive for Women Inc., widely known as Women of Toledo, Nina has transformed a grassroots idea into a movement for equity, empowerment, and inclusion. She has raised more than USD$2.1 million in funding, established all the region’s initiatives, and championed policy changes, including Toledo’s Pay Equity Act (O-173-19) and the adoption of the City of CEDAW (O-095-22). Corder played a pivotal role, contributing significantly to Toledo and Lucas County earning their official Welcoming designation with Welcoming America. Her initiatives create pathways for women of all backgrounds, particularly those from underrepresented communities, and the global workforce, to access economic opportunities, leadership networks, and a more inclusive future.

Corder’s global engagements span more than 30 countries across five continents. She has served various roles for a range of international programs, bridging cultures and building capacity for systemic change. Her roles have included working with the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Professional Fellows Program in Hungary, Albania, China, and Mongolia, as well as facilitating women leadership development in Kenya with the World Academy for the Future of Women, a
UN-affiliated NGO. She has also contributed her expertise to the U.S. Congressional Office for International Leadership’s Open World Program, strengthening cross-cultural exchange and democratic collaboration with delegations from Ukraine, Moldova, and Hungary. Corder’s global advocacy has also intersected with cultural diplomacy, including her involvement with the Budapest district II municipality on Helló Margit! All- Arts Cultural Festival and the Women in Business Festival (Női Váltó Fesztivál) in Hungary.

Her expertise, expressed through the intersecting lenses of human rights, economic equity, and global inclusion, has been recognized by both national and international institutions. Her honors include the Jefferson Award for Public Service (often referred to as “the American Nobel Prize”), the Ernest M. Pon Human Rights Award, and recognition as a UN Women Global Champion for Change. Corder earned her master’s and bachelor’s Degrees from the University of Toledo and completed her post-doctoral Ed.D. with Northcentral University in Organizational Leadership.

Mackenzie Cassar is the Game Presentation Coordinator for the Detroit Tigers. She went to Eastern Michigan University from 2019-2022 and graduated with her bachelor’s degree in media studies and journalism. During her time at EMU, she joined the student ESPN program, where she fell in love with live production. In summer of 2022, she was a seasonal assistant with the Detroit Tigers and found her passion for in-house entertainment. She then went on to freelance as a graphics/xPression operator for the Detroit Tigers, the Detroit Red Wings, the Detroit Pistons, and the University of Michigan for around a year. In November of 2023, Kenzie was hired into her current position and is honored every day to be a Detroit Tiger.

Taylor Olson is an experienced marketing professional, currently residing in Detroit, Michigan as the Director of Brand Marketing for the Detroit Tigers. In Taylor’s current role, she develops and executes strategic marketing efforts to drive revenue and brand awareness for the club, while also promoting a positive work culture amongst her colleagues. Her passion for the game of baseball and uplifting others shines brightly through her work and professional presence. When Taylor is not at Comerica Park, she enjoys traveling, hiking and trying new Detroit restaurants with her husband.

Jillian Lehman is the Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Experience at the University of Toledo. This is her 12th year in collegiate athletics and the start of her 10th at UT. In this position, Jillian oversees the day-to-day operations of the Rocket Academic Center and leads the Student-Athlete Support Services (SASS) office in a variety of services to assist with and promote academic progress, personal development and community engagement for student-athletes. Jillian currently works directly with men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and women’s tennis. She feels incredibly lucky to call this “work”.

A proud Toledo native, Jillian played basketball at Clarion University in Pennsylvania and graduated with a degree in mid-level education in 2012. She earned a master’s degree in academic advising with a concentration in athletics from Kansas State University in 2013. She now lives in Perrysburg with her husband, Cory, who also played baseball and basketball in college, and their three children; Taylor, Leo, and Olivia.

Named the head coach for Bowling Green Volleyball on Dec. 23, 2024, Alex DelPiombo is currently in her 14th year of coaching and first as a head coach. DelPiombo has spent the last 10 seasons with Bowling Green, beginning as an assistant coach before being elevated to associate head coach in 2019 and now serves as the program’s head coach.

During her time in Bowling Green, DelPiombo has aided the Falcons to a 200-105 record while being 133-40 in the Mid-American Conference. She has coached the Orange and Brown to back-to-back MAC Regular Season titles in 2017 and 2018, a MAC Regular Season title in 2024 as well as a MAC Regular Season and MAC Tournament titles in 2020-21 and 2022, including trips to the NCAA Tournament in both seasons. DelPiombo also assisted BGSU to five consecutive MAC Tournament Championship appearances from 2019 to 2023, the longest MAC streak since 2010.

DelPiombo’s coaching career began in 2012 at Morehead State as an assistant coach, serving in the role for two seasons. Her career transitioned to Samford in 2014 as an assistant coach, again serving in the role for two seasons before arriving in Bowling Green. A 2012 graduate of Gannon University, DelPiombo is a native of nearby Monroe, Mich.

Valerie Thompson didn’t have a career path to follow—she created one. Starting out as a freelance designer under her firm Leap Graphics, she built a career rooted in creativity, trust, and a deep desire to help others advance. Entrepreneurship and teaching at the college level evolved into leadership roles that required not just design thinking, but strategic vision.

Her early work in corporate marketing gave her a front-row seat to how visibility and influence actually work. That experience, along with her involvement in professional organizations, revealed just how many creative voices were being overlooked—not because of talent, but because no one had shown them how to get in the room, or what to do once they were there.

Valerie responded the only way she knew how: by building. She led environmental and philanthropic initiatives within ProMedica. She launched a structured residency program through MadAveCollective, where she now serves as Director of Development—helping creative freelancers transform their skillsets into sustainable businesses. She currently serves as President of the American Advertising Federation – Toledo Chapter and is active on several boards including the School of Media and Communication’s Advertising Advisory Board at Bowling Green State University, YWCA of Northwest Ohio, TASC (Treatment Accountability for Safer Communities), and The Girl Friends, Incorporated, a national network of professional Black women.

Whether she’s speaking, teaching, mentoring, or building systems, Valerie’s work is about strategy rooted in collaboration, equity and legacy. To Valerie, leadership is about remembering what it feels like to be left out… and building something better in response.

A native of Leamington, Ontario, Shannon completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College where she was a member of the women’s ice hockey team. She then went on to complete her Master’s Degree in Social Work at the University of Windsor where she was an Assistant Coach with the women’s hockey team. Shannon has a passion for working with athletes and has also completed a certificate in Sport Social Work through the University of Michigan.

Shannon has experience working in a variety of social work roles, including in the medical field, inpatient psychiatry, outpatient behavioral health, employee assistance programs, and higher education. In her current role as Alumni Spouse & Family Wellness Coordinator, Shannon supports the spouses and family members of retired NHL players with any health and wellness challenges they are facing. This role is the first of its kind in professional sports. Shannon lives in Bowling Green, OH with her husband Stavros, who is an Assistant Athletic Director at BGSU, and their two hockey-playing daughters Effie & Zoe.