Storm Announce 2025 Honorees for Believe in Women Night Presented by Symetra
WNBA Seattle Storm

Storm Announce 2025 Honorees for Believe in Women Night Presented by Symetra

Published on August 29, 2025 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Seattle Storm News Release


SEATTLE - The Seattle Storm today announced the 2025 honorees for their annual Believe in Women Night, presented by Symetra. Believe in Women Night is a Force4Change initiative that celebrates leaders in the Pacific Northwest and amplifies the contributions of Black female leaders and their organizations that serve marginalized communities.

The four leaders selected by Storm ownership and players are Darnesha Bowman, Nikki Gane, Deena Pierott and Paula Sardinas. Each honoree was chosen because of their years of service in the local community, specifically the opportunities they've created for youth and women through education and mentorship.

"Believe in Women Night is a powerful evening celebrating the vision, resilience and leadership of Black women in our community," said Storm Executive Director of Force4Change Crystal Langhorne. "We're proud to honor these leaders who are working tirelessly to shape a more just, inclusive and empowered future. Their impact reaches far beyond our community and inspires us all to lead with that same purpose."

The four women will be celebrated during a halftime ceremony at Climate Pledge Arena on August 30 during the 6:00 p.m. matchup against the Chicago Sky. Storm leadership and Symetra's Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Trinity Parker will present the honorees with custom jerseys and a donation to celebrate their contributions to the community.

"Trailblazers in their respective fields, Darnesha, Nikki, Deena and Paula embody true leadership, an unwavering commitment to community and the vital importance of creating pathways to opportunity," said Parker. "Congratulations to each of these four extraordinary women on receiving this well-deserved honor. They are powerful, inspiring examples of why we support, celebrate and 'Believe in Women' at Symetra."

More about the honorees:

Darnesha Bowman is the founder and CEO of Black Coffee Northwest. A Seattle native with over twenty years of experience in the nonprofit sector, her mission is to serve others and make a positive impact by challenging racism and encouraging Black generational wealth. Black Coffee Northwest has a nonprofit that offers free programming and internship opportunities for underserved youth in middle school and high school. Free mental health counseling, tutoring, job training and music lessons are also available to youth through Black Coffee Northwest's offerings.

Nikki Gane is the CEO of Dignity for Divas, an organization working to address the unhoused crisis in Western Washington by providing women with opportunities for personal growth as they transition out of homelessness. Resources include housing assistance with personalized case managers, workshops focused on removing barriers to encourage self-sufficiency and supportive services like self-care kits and check-ins through the Diva community.

Deena Pierott is the founder and CEO of iUrban Teen, a nonprofit that focuses on educating underrepresented teens in science, technology, engineering and math. The organization works to give youth hands-on experience in a variety of careers in the STEM fields. The program launched in 2011 and has served more than 21,000 youth while expanding to in-person STEM and Arts programming in Washington, Oregon, Texas and California.

Paula Sardinas is the president and CEO of the public affairs firm, FMS Global Strategies. The organization works in the legislative branch to create change across multi-generational systems that impact marginalized communities. For over 30 years, FMS Global Strategies has passed over 10,000 bills into law and allocated more than $2 billion in state and federal funds to advocacy programs across 12 states. Sardinas is also the CEO of The Purpose Driven Girl, a nonprofit focused on empowering BIPOC women and girls through workshops and mentorship programming.

For more information or to purchase tickets for the final home games of the regular season, visit http://stormbasketball.com, or call 206-217-WNBA (9622).

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