Female Industry Leaders Pave the Way for Aspiring Sport and Recreation Students

Last week, students from the College’s Sport and Recreation Management program gathered virtually for the “Women in Sports” panel hosted by the Commonwealth Coast Conference, which featured five female trailblazers in the sport industry. The panelists addressed a room full of aspiring industry leaders, highlighting the paths they took to success as well as the roles they see for women in the future athletics landscape.

“Young women entering college are now seeing that women are visible leaders in sport. Kim Ng, Becky Hammon, Kendall Schofield and Katie Sowers are shattering glass ceilings in male-dominated professional sports and are paving the way for future generations in the sport industry,” said Natalie West, assistant professor of Sport and Recreation Management. “Across higher education, women account for approximately 40% of all sport and recreation management majors, a number that has exponentially grown over the years.”

For Haley Roy ‘24, the recent success stories of women rising to executive roles in sport are inspiring and historic. The first-year standout has already made her mark in the industry as an intern for NESN during her first semester at the College. With career aspirations to work in event management for the Boston Bruins, Roy feels confident that the concentrated coursework at Curry will help her reach her goals. “I chose to study sport and recreation management at Curry because of the internship opportunities and classroom support that will help me get to where I want to be with my career aspirations.”

The Sport and Recreation Management program is housed within the College’s Business department offering the unique management, marketing, and strategy curriculum to succeed in the businesses of sport and recreation. The career-focused curriculum prepares students to be critical thinkers, capable of effectively managing and marketing sport and recreation enterprises across an array of markets.