Tuesday, May 21st, 2019

Special Event - The Evening Celebration

6:15 PM - 8:30 PM

Professional Athletes - Change Agents and Community Visionaries

Lawrence Jackson, USC/NFL Star, Seattle SeaHawks

Marv Fleming, Four-Time Super Bowl Champion, Green Bay Packers

Bob Grant, NFL Great, Super Bowl Champion, Baltimore Colts and Wake Forest University

Ron Brown, Olympic and NFL Great, Los Angeles Rams

Candace Cable, Paralympic Superstar and Adaptive Sports Activist

Natasha Watley, Softball Star and Olympian

Moderator, Jeremy Rosenberg, VP, Marketing & Communications, LA84 Foundation

Jeremy Rosenberg is Vice President, Marketing & Communications of the LA84 Foundation (@LA84Foundation) where he oversees the organization’s messaging, public engagement and multi-platform storytelling work and staff members. Rosenberg also supervises the LA84 Foundation’s digital library, reference and scholarship arm. A well-connected, results-oriented, budget-conscious and innovative executive with a wide range of editorial and management non-profit and for-profit experiences, Rosenberg is creative and civic-minded, and adept at seeking out and implementing impactful new ideas and recruiting cross-disciplinary partners. Previously, Rosenberg served as Assistant Dean, Public Affairs and Special Events at the USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism. He also served as Senior Advisor,

Digital Strategies. In years prior, Rosenberg worked at the Los Angeles Times and the Annenberg Foundation. Across a wide range of topics from sports to policy to culture and more, Rosenberg has authored non-fiction books, and been a columnist, documentarian and producer of live salons and other events. Rosenberg was named a 2009 Next City Vanguard, as a leading national urban thinker. He won the 2013 California Historical Society Book Award, was a recipient as an oral historian and author of a 2016 California Humanities grant, and served on a pair of non-profit boards of directors. He lives in Los Angeles, California and is @LosJeremy on Twitter and Instagram.

Candace Cable, Paralympic Superstar and Adaptive Sports Activist: Candace Cable’s athletic career presented her with the realization that she could affect positive change and create a vision of equity for all people with her sport platform. She has won 12 medals as a nine-time Summer and Winter Paralympian in the sports of wheelchair racing, downhill and cross country ski racing. During her career she became the first American woman to win medals in both the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games and the only one to accomplish this in the same year, in 1992. She helped pioneer the sport of wheelchair racing and has won 84 marathons, including six Boston Marathons. She works with the State Department Speaker and Specialist program in Sport Diplomacy and was the Director of Paralympic and Disability Engagement and Vice Chair for the successful bid LA2028 to bring theOlympic and Paralympic Games to Los Angeles. Candace consults across the US and globally to promote, build and protect the human rights of people with disabilities by creating workshops for organizations, businesses, educators and students on how understanding disability and making a world accessible and inclusive of people with disabilities, we will uncover huge creative and marketing opportunities that support all people. She's currently working with Respectability, Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and Los Angeles City Department on Disability to employ people with disabilities and educate employers on how to employ disabled people. She also works with Open Doors Organization as a trainer in equable travel and tourism and with UNCIEF on inclusive education materials. She regularly attends the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, (CRPD) at the United Nations and sits on the boards of advocacy organizations, USICD, USOPA and SCOPA.

Natasha Watley, Softball Star and Olympian: During a motivational speaking tour of inner city high schools, Natasha Watley was stunned when, in the middle of her presentation, a teenaged girl raised her hand. I’m sorry, ma’am, but what is softball? Realizing that the sport she loved wasn’t exactly popular, especially among inner city girls, opened Natasha’s eyes. A two–time Pan American Gold Medalist, three-time World Champion, and four-time World Cup Champion, Natasha knew that introducing girls to softball could improve their self-esteem, confidence, and social skills. She vowed to find a way to open up the world of softball to inner city girls, hoping to foster a passion for both the game and teamwork. Soon thereafter, Natasha founded the Natasha Watley Foundation (NWF), a community service nonprofit dedicated to introducing softball to the girls of the nation’s inner cities. NWF seeks to give every girl the opportunity to fall in love with softball, providing a path to not only a sport but also an improved quality of life. More than simply teaching young women how to play the sport, her organization provides a positive alternative to the daily struggles faced by many girls in low-income households. Natasha joined the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame after leading the Bruins, leading to three straight Women’s College World Series and the NCAA Division 1 Softball Championship title in 2003. In 2004, Natasha played with America’s Olympic team, taking home a gold medal. In 2008, she competed again, winning a silver medal. She then continued her professional career by joining USSSA Pride and Team Toyota in Japan. While softball played a tremendous role in Natasha’s life, she managed to balance the sport with education, graduating from UCLA, then going on to receive a Master’s Degree in Sports Business from Saint Leo University. A true champion who has succeeded at every level she has played, Natasha now hopes to pass on her expertise in softball, team building, and leadership to the next generation of women through public speaking, coaching and her foundation.

Bob Grant was one of the first African-Americans to play football for Wake Forest University. He went on to play in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl ring in 1971. His formation of the Retired NFL Players Congress marks a new pursuit for Grant, who says the organization is about moving away from conflicts. Sports Business Journal asked Grant about the new group’s purpose and how it is distinct from other retiree groups.  “The Players Congress, an independent for profit business organization operated by and in support of retired NFL players and their families.” The organization’s mission is to support retired players by developing business opportunities that generate income for players. The Players Congress joined with J.H. Design Group and NFL Properties in a joint apparel-licensing venture that includes training and employment of former players.

Ron Brown is a Former All-Pro NFL Player and an Olympic Gold Medalist turned Entrepreneur. Ron is currently involved in several charitable causes for the underserved.  He is a member of the Board of the Retired NFL Players Congress. Ron is also working on several projects in the field of Finance, International Business, Marketing, Advertising, Branding and Business Development. He went to Arizona State University. After the Olympics, Brown joined the Los Angeles Rams and played for the Raiders as well.  Brown appeared in the 1986 Rams promotional video, Let's Ram It, where he went by the name "Speedball Brown" and claimed to be the fastest man in town.

Marv Fleming is a former professional player, a tight end in the National Football League for twelve seasons, seven with the Green Bay Packers and five with the Miami Dolphins. He was a member of five NFL championship teams. Fleming is the first player in NFL history to play in five Super Bowls—with Green Bay (I, II) and Miami (VI, VII, VIII). He played under hall of fame head coaches Vince Lombardi and Don Shula  for five seasons.  Marv is also in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame and is presently the Director of Signature Jackets for the NFL Players Congress. Below are a few words from Marv Fleming “One of the great things in life is doing things that are challenging and satisfying. Working with Players Congress Founder, Bob Grant gives me that special feeling when we help the Pioneer players of the past. I played the game so know what it means to have a teammate like Bob who respects and encourages you, we think alike. While supporting the "Men Who Made the Game" we also support each other.”