In this dynamic fireside chat, Jay Parry and Danette Leighton come together for an authentic conversation on leadership, resilience, and influence across the sports and events industry. Drawing from their experiences in the boardroom, the locker room, and beyond, Jay and Danette will share candid insights on navigating career pivots, advocating with confidence, and leading with purpose in high-pressure environments.

Designed to inspire and empower women at every career stage, this conversation will explore how leaders build credibility, handle setbacks, and leverage their platforms to create meaningful impact—both within their organizations and across the broader sports tourism ecosystem. Expect real stories, practical takeaways, and honest dialogue that challenges attendees to think bigger about their leadership journey and the power of showing up authentically.

Jay Parry
President & CEO
Arizona Sports & Events Alliance

Jay Parry is an accomplished business executive, board member and servant leader with a passion for sports and an even bigger passion for giving. In addition to serving as the driving force behind several major sporting events and professional sports franchises, she has remained equally committed to uplifting underserved communities throughout the country. Today, Jay is the President and CEO of the Arizona Sports & Events Alliance. After earning her degree from the University of Colorado, she held executive roles with Bank of America, the Phoenix Mercury, the Phoenix Suns, the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee and the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). Eventually, Jay returned to Arizona to create and lead the Arizona Sports & Events Alliance, a nonprofit 501c3 entity, created to attract and execute significant events for the state. The Alliance successfully hosted Super Bowl LVII in 2023, which showcased Arizona on a global scale and according to a study completed by the Seidman Research Institute, the total economic impact exceeded $1.3 billion and boosted the state’s GDP by over $700 million, in addition to donating over $2.5 million to charitable organizations across the state of Arizona. The Alliance also led the 2024 NCAA Men’s Final Four and is now poised to host the 2026 NCAA Women’s Final Four.


Danette Leighton
CEO
Women’s Sports Foundation

Danette Leighton serves as CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF), founded in 1974 by Billie Jean King to strengthen and expand participation and leadership opportunities through research, advocacy, community programming and a wide variety of collaborative partnerships.

Leighton joined WSF in 2022 as the seventh CEO in the organization’s history, annually serving millions of girls and women to improve access and equity across all sports as fierce advocates of Title IX. By Title IX’s 50th Anniversary in June of 2022, WSF will have invested over $100 million to expand access and opportunities for girls and women in sports.

Most recently chief marketing officer of the Pac-12 Conference, Leighton brings an array of operational, data and analytics, sponsorship, fan engagement, marketing and sales experience to WSF, spanning professional and college sports for both men and women.

While with the Pac-12, Leighton oversaw all external/marketing operations, including all major championships (football, men’s and women’s basketball, Pac-12 China Game, and many more), and led the creation of the only Conference-wide Fan Data and Analytics program, as well as the establishment of a first-of-its kind outbound ticket sales and sponsorship arm for members in Pac-12 Sales & Pac-12 MMR. She also rebranded the Pac-12 Conference and assisted in the launching of the Pac-12 Networks, while facilitating best practices amongst Pac-12 member institutions in all areas of external relations/operations.

Prior to her nearly 12 years with the Pac-12, Leighton was with Maloof Sports & Entertainment’s NBA Sacramento Kings as vice president of marketing and brand development, as well as vice president of business operations for the WNBA Monarchs, where she led the business of the World Championship-winning WNBA franchise. She also previously worked for Sony and managed their sponsorship of the PGA Tour’s Sony Open in Hawaii and was Stanford University’s executive director of the 1999 NCAA Women’s Final Four.

Leighton is a graduate of the University of Arizona, where she earned her BA in Political Science and a minor in Media Arts. A mother of one daughter, Leighton resides in California and credits her youth softball experience for helping shape her as a sports industry executive.