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Meet our TEAM

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OUR bOARD

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Founder

Pam Baker

Pam considers herself a connector of people and ideas. She spent more than 20 years in healthcare at companies big and small and across biotech, pharmaceuticals, digital health, diagnostics and consulting. She’s led teams across commercial, product development and market access sectors in early stage startups to F50 companies.Outside of healthcare, she founded and led a career and communications startup and is drawn to mentoring and activating new and future leaders, markets and possibilities. In 2022 when her husband Doug died of pancreatic cancer shortly after diagnosis, Pam founded the Women's Coaching Alliance in honor of Doug’s efforts to grow the number of women coaching youth sports. Originally from New Jersey, Pam received her BA in Political Science and Asian Studies from Northwestern University and a graduate degree in International Management from Thunderbird. Pam is the mom of teenage twin daughters and a strong advocate for women's leadership. She serves on the board of the International Women's Forum and the Peninsula School for Boys. Outside of work, Pam can be found cooking, watching movies with her daughters, or getting an endorphin rush on her road bike in any number of paths on the Peninsula.

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Board Member

Jay Banfield 

Jay Banfield is a social entrepreneur with experience in the private, public, nonprofit, and educational sectors. He currently serves as the Chief Officer of Economic Mobility at All Home where he leads the development of regional policies and initiatives designed to provide economic stability, drive economic mobility, and ultimately create wealth for those with extremely low incomes and those with multiple barriers to employment in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to joining All Home, Jay spent 12 years at the nationally recognized youth and workforce development program Year Up, leading its expansion to the West Coast and ultimately serving as its Chief Officer of Innovation & Scale. As a member of the National Senior Leadership team, he helped oversee expansion to 25 cities and growth to a $170 million organization. Jay graduated with honors from Stanford University with a degree in psychology and earned a Master of Public Policy from the University of California at Berkeley. His research in self-efficacy, a concept which has led to the growth mindset framework, has appeared in the Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology. He began his career at Oracle Corporation before moving into politics and public service. Since then, Jay has worked on local, state and national political campaigns and has served in both the legislative and executive branches of government. He served as the Chief Assistant Treasurer for the City and County of San Francisco and the Assistant General Manager, Business Services for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Leveraging his psychology and athletic background, Jay was named the Mental Performance Coach for the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he has coached for four seasons. Jay also works with professional and collegiate athletes, as well as collegiate baseball programs, on mental performance and team dynamics. An active community member, he has served on the boards of Stanford Athletics Buck/Cardinal Club, Workday Foundation, San Francisco University High School, Cornerstone OnDemand Foundation, Court Appointed Special Advocates, San Francisco Friends School, and San Francisco Little League. Jay lives in San Francisco with his wife, Kate, in a house that bustles much less frequently now that they have three adult children.

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Board Member

Kathy Koo

Kathy Koo is Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at MedicAlert Foundation, a nonprofit that created the original medical ID bracelet in 1956, and since then has been the leader in providing safety and peace of mind for people living with chronic medical conditions. For the last 20 years, she has held leadership positions as CEO and/or CFO at both for profit and nonprofit organizations. Kathy recently served as the Executive Director of Challenge Success, a nonprofit focused on research-based strategies supporting student well-being and academic engagement. Prior to that, she was Head of School at Peninsula School, a progressive PreK-8th school founded on principles of joyful learning, freedom and choice, and social equity and justice. Kathy also served as founding CFO at GEM Services leading up to its public offering in Taiwan. Before that, she held key finance and operations roles in Investment Banking and Management Consulting. She began her career in public accounting at Arthur Andersen where she attained her CPA. Kathy holds a bachelor’s degree from University of California, San Diego and a Public Management Certificate and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Kathy has always been an advocate and mentor for women in leadership, and was drawn to the Women’s Coaching Alliance (WCA) for its clear mission to develop and mentor young female coaches and prepare them to be confident and valued leaders within and outside of sports. It is clear that women remain woefully under-represented in sports leadership as well as in leadership roles quite generally, and she believes WCA is up for the challenge and positioned to make a difference.

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Board Member 

Jane Goodell

Jane spent 20 years as a television reporter and anchor, working at the Fox network, plus several local television markets, including St. Louis, Milwaukee and Portland, Maine. She is the Co-Executive Producer of the NBC/NFL Films television series, Earnin’ It: The NFL's Forward Progress and the IHeart Media companion podcast of the same title. She also is the Co-Executive Producer of the NFL Films documentary, A Lifetime of Sundays. All three projects explore the impact of women on the game of professional football. As an undergraduate, she attended Brown and Northwestern Universities, and holds a master’s degree with highest honors from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism. She currently serves on the board of the Dia Art Foundation in New York City and the Women’s Coaching Alliance.

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Board Member

Jen Millet

Jen Millet is an authentic CMO with 20+ years’ experience leading culturally relevant brands across technology and entertainment. She has developed a deep expertise of brand strategy, product marketing and performance media. Jen has built and scaled marketing teams from early-stage start-ups to large public companies and successfully manages 200M+ marketing budgets. Jen currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer for the Golden State Warriors where she reports to the team President. Since her time with the organization, the Warriors have been #1 in the NBA across all revenue verticals and became the first sports franchise in North America to surpass 25M Instagram followers. In this role Jen led the organization in the establishment of its mission, vision, and values. Prior to the Warriors Jen served as the VP of Consumer Marketing at Pandora, where she was responsible for driving 45M monthly active users. She developed Pandora’s first product marketing function and led the GTM strategy for the launch of the service’s subscription product. Jen serves on the Board of Governors for The Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco, where she runs the marketing committee. She is passionate about gender equity and strives to create opportunity for girls and women, bringing her into strong alignment with the Women’s Coaching Alliance’s core mission. She has been recognized and profiled by Sports Business Journal and SF Business Times. Jen graduated with a BA in English from The University of Colorado, Boulder in 1996.

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Advisory Board

Danielle Slaton

The Glory Days Danielle played soccer for the U.S. Women’s National Team from 2000-2005, earning a silver medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and a bronze at the 2003 Women’s World Cup. She played professionally in the Women’s United Soccer Association, where she won a championship with the Carolina Courage and was the league defender of the year in 2002. She also played professionally for Olympique Lyonnais in France, and spent her college years at Santa Clara University, where she captained her team to a NCAA championship in 2001. At Santa Clara, Danielle was a 3-time All-American and she was named the 2001 NCAA Scholar Athlete of the Year. Beyond the Field After her playing career finished, Danielle went on to coach women’s soccer at Northwestern University and earned her Master’s Degree in Sports Administration. She then transitioned into the field of education, where she designed curriculum, fundraised, organized events, and worked with donors and alumni. She currently works as a television analyst and has called professional and college games, as well as two Women’s World Cups, two Olympic Games, and the Women's European Championships. Danielle is passionate about using sports as a means for social change and serves on the board of directors for the U.S. Soccer Foundation, the U.S Soccer Federation, and the Bay Area Women's Sports Initiative. She is one of four founders, alongside former teammates Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, and Aly Wagner, who helped bring Bay Football Club, the NWSL's 14th franchise, to the San Francisco Bay Area. Danielle lives in California with her husband John, and their two boys, Johnny and Marcus.

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Board Member

Chris Ardito

I recall from my youth that although coming from a wonderful family and being a top student and athlete, I was consistently either directly or indirectly told that “girls can’t do …..” Starting with playing baseball to having any real career. And this was exacerbated by the lack of seeing hardly any women in leadership roles that would suggest otherwise. I am drawn to give back through the Women’s Coaching Alliance and pay forward the confidence and skills I first learned as an athlete and then later in Corporate America, and instead show that girls CAN do anything. I’ve spent the last 25+ years as an executive in Biotech leading teams, and in my volunteer time coaching every youth sport imaginable for both girls and boys. My goal is to be that diverse role model in both settings, so they all know anything is possible. As a WCA Board member, I aim to bring my peers along with me and bring along those coming up behind us. I’m consistently reminded that young women and all youth need more diverse leaders and role models if we are going to build a pipeline of strong leaders in every industry, and youth sports is the perfect place for that message to start.

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Board Member

Vivek Shah

Vivek considers himself a Lifelong Learner, Inspirer and Collaborator. He is on the journey of leading Infinite Potential (IP), an organization that empowers individuals and organizations to reach their potential and fulfill their greatest dreams. Specifically, IP provides coaching to CEOs, athletes and coaches and co-creates cultures for ultra high performing organizations. Vivek’s focus both personally and professionally has always been investing deeply in individuals who comprise an organization; his belief is that for any organization to have extraordinary results that are sustainable, everything begins with the human. His approaches involve elevating the individual first so one may lead the life they desire to live with intention - this philosophy is embedded into the work of Infinite Potential. Prior to Infinite Potential, Vivek co-founded Nitya Capital, a real estate firm based in Texas. The company began as an idea in 2013 and by 2021, managed over $3 billion in multifamily and student-housing assets around the US. Vivek was one of two Managing Partners and his role included overseeing all essential operating departments including Operations, Finance, Accounting, Human Capital, Technology and Legal. The platform has over 500 total team members. Prior to Nitya beginning in 2005, Vivek worked at D. E. Shaw, a $60 billion investment firm, where his group focused on equity and debt investments in private companies. Vivek helped open the firm’s San Francisco office. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with honors. Vivek currently resides in the San Francisco area because his wife said living in the Bay Area was a prerequisite to marrying her. He does, however, frequently visit his home state of Texas where his parents live. Vivek and his wife, Pooja, met when they were 16 years old and have been together since. They have two children, Kaya and Ahren, who both love basketball (coached by their father, Vivek) and softball / baseball (coached by their mother, Pooja). In all aspects of life, Vivek is only competing with himself. He loves the quote “power is giving someone else the emotion you desire to feel.”

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Advisory Board

Poonam Prasad

Poonam Prasad is Founder and President of Prasad Consulting & Research. In the face of drastic government funding cuts to nonprofits in the late 1980s, she established the firm in 1989 to help charities attract private philanthropic dollars to make up for the greatly reduced levels of public support. Ms. Prasad is on the Executive Committee of the Giving Institute: Leading Consultants to Nonprofits and on the Advisory Committee of Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy. She has served on the Faculty of the Master of Science in Nonprofit Management program at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies and was previously Adjunct Assistant Professor of Philanthropy and Fundraising at New York University's George H. Heyman, Jr. Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising for 15 years, training and mentoring a vast network of fundraisers, many of whom hold senior fundraising positions across the country today and of whom she is most proud. Ms. Prasad is also a sought-after trainer at workshops hosted by such nonprofit and professional organizations as the American Red Cross, the American Friends of the Louvre, Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health, United Negro College Fund, Weill Cornell Medical College, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the American Alliance of Museums(AAM), and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Ms. Prasad is past President of Women in Development New York (WID-NY). Previously, she was co-chair of National Philanthropy Day in New York. She also initiated the first Research Track at AFP's annual Fundraising Day New York Conference (the largest one-day conference on philanthropy in the country) and has coordinated it for several years. Ms. Prasad also served as a member of the international board of the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (APRA). She was a Board member and Chair of the 25th Anniversary Committee of the New York Women’s Agenda where she launched its first individual giving campaign. Ms. Prasad has served on and led the boards and committees of numerous nonprofits in this country and overseas. She was honored by the US Ambassador to Jamaica for “outstanding service, unrelenting dedication and resourcefulness” as President of the American Women's Group. That year, the organization quadrupled the funds raised and created an endowed educational scholarship fund from which funds are still being granted annually. She was also recognized by the Rotary Club of Calcutta Midwest in India for raising funds for a free cataract surgery project in rural Bengal. Ms. Prasad began her career as an investigative reporter and worked in journalism, advertising and public relations in India, South Korea, Hong Kong, Jamaica and the U.S. before transitioning to fund-raising for nonprofits. Her prose and poetry have been published in numerous publications around the world.

OUR team

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Founder

Pam Baker

Pam considers herself a connector of people and ideas. She spent more than 20 years in healthcare at companies big and small and across biotech, pharmaceuticals, digital health, diagnostics and consulting. She’s led teams across commercial, product development and market access sectors in early stage startups to F50 companies.Outside of healthcare, she founded and led a career and communications startup and is drawn to mentoring and activating new and future leaders, markets and possibilities. In 2022 when her husband Doug died of pancreatic cancer shortly after diagnosis, Pam founded the Women's Coaching Alliance in honor of Doug’s efforts to grow the number of women coaching youth sports. Originally from New Jersey, Pam received her BA in Political Science and Asian Studies from Northwestern University and a graduate degree in International Management from Thunderbird. Pam is the mom of teenage twin daughters and a strong advocate for women's leadership. She serves on the board of the International Women's Forum and the Peninsula School for Boys. Outside of work, Pam can be found cooking, watching movies with her daughters, or getting an endorphin rush on her road bike in any number of paths on the Peninsula.

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Curriculum Designer

Kathy Toon

Kathy Toon grew up in Portland, Oregon where she competed in youth volleyball, softball, tennis and swimming. She played tennis at Pepperdine University and graduated with honors in Sports Medicine and Nutrition. Kathy later earned her Masters degree in Sport Psychology from San Diego State. She coached collegiate tennis at the University of California, Berkeley for 14 years, earning National Coach of the Year Honors and helped guide three doubles teams to NCAA championship victories. Kathy is the author of the book Get Your Game Face On! and serves as a performance consultant to individuals and teams in the Bay Area. Coach Toon is also a nationally-known trainer for Positive Coaching Alliance, and has conducted hundreds of workshops for thousands of coaches, athletes and parents across the country. She is also the proud mom to her sons Dylan and Alex.

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Creative Graphic Director

Darnell King 

Darnell King, a dynamic graphic designer, finds his truest expression through a profound love for both art and sports. With an eye for creativity and a heart for athletics, he effortlessly weaves his passions into visually captivating designs. Inspired by the energy, emotions, and teamwork displayed in sports, Darnell's artwork reflects the essence of competition and triumph. Darnell channels his enthusiasm and love for coaching and sports into his work. Darnell's unique ability to bridge the gap between art and athletics makes him a force to be reckoned with in both arenas.

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