Darden, Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative Partner on New Case Series

Darden’s Institute for Business in Society has partnered with the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative to produce 10 cases focused on the business of sports, highlighting unique leadership opportunities and challenges facing women in leadership.

“This partnership with the Darden School of Business reinforces, and perfectly aligns with, our commitment to equality in the workplace and lays a foundation for future business leaders to learn from the legacy of Billie Jean and other great sports icons,” said Il ana Kloss, co-founder of the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative.

The first case, “Billie Jean King: Serving Up Leadership,” is now available from Darden Business Publishing. The case offers a short chronological biography of King as she climbed to the highest levels in tennis and became known for her groundbreaking advocacy on issues such as pay parity for female athletes, outlining the key decision points along the way.

Cases in development consider issues of diversity, equity and inclusion in the National Women’s Soccer League, the Women’s National Basketball Association, USA Gymnastics and Nike. Future cases will focus on mental health, access and membership at exclusive organizations and the formation of the first women’s professional tennis tour.

Bill Shelton (MBA ’93), chief marketing officer of Group1001 and longtime advocate of gender equity in sports, was the catalyst for the collaboration, which furthers Darden’s commitment to inclusive excellence and is a tangible outgrowth of the Women@Darden initiative.

By Molly Mitchell

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