CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Akron RubberDucks are holding their first Women in Sports virtual panel tonight – Wednesday, Sept. 2.

The free panel, which is available via Zoom invite link, is 7-8:30 p.m. Attendees can sign up online.

RubberDucks broadcaster Marco LaNave will moderate the event, which will feature women offering insight on working within the sports industry:

Linda McNabb: Vice president, sales and marketing, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

Jan Burke: Director, ticket sales and services, Canton Charge.

Emily Gates: Director, Sport Management, baseball, field hockey and volleyball, Ohio High School Athletic Association.

Donna Orender: CEO, Orender Unlimited. Former president of the WNBA and senior vice president of the PGA.

Joey Arrietta: Director, Fastpitch Operations, Racers Foundation and founder/president of Akron Racers Softball.

A question-and-answer segment will follow the topics:

• How they began in the industry, and how they subsequently rose through the top leadership positions.

• Challenges faced in an industry predominantly run by men.

• Factors and experiences that shaped them into respected leaders as well as benefits and value of strong mentorship.

For questions, email ticket sales associate Jenna Smith at jsmith@akronrubberducks.com or call 330-375-1715.

I am on cleveland.com’s life and culture team and cover food, beer, wine and sports-related topics. If you want to see my stories, here’s a directory on cleveland.com.