WNBA Indiana Fever

Title IX Heroes Announced for Inspiring Women Night

Published on August 13, 2012 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Indiana Fever News Release


INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 13, 2012)-Eleven Hoosiers from across Indiana will be honored as "Title IX Heroes" at the Indiana Fever's annual Inspiring Women Night presented by Merrill Lynch on Sunday, Sept. 9. Nominated from around the state by granddaughters, brothers, colleagues and friends in an awards program conducted by the Fever and Indiana Humanities, the women will be honored during halftime.

To continue its season-long celebration of Title IX, the Fever is offering a special $9 ticket for its Inspiring Women Night on 9/9. All seats in Section 9 of the lower level, usually $24, are on sale for just $9.

Honorees are:

Kathleen Anderson, Fort Wayne. Kathleen was the first female partner in the Fort Wayne office of Barnes & Thornburg LLP, one of the nation's top 100 law firms.

Ann Delaney, Indianapolis. Born in 1946, Ann was the first female to receive her high school's Outstanding Athletic Scholars Award and has had an accomplished career in law and politics.

Crystal Livers-Powers, Indianapolis. In addition to serving as the spokesperson for Indianapolis Power & Light, Crystal is a troop leader for Girl Scouts of Central Indiana and volunteers with a number of organizations.

Melyssa (Morrow) Ludwig, Evansville. A four-sport athlete from 1978-1981, Melissa ran on Evansville Reitz's boys cross country team before a girls team was formed.

Allison Melangton, Indianapolis. Allison has influenced the success of a number of sporting events (including her role as CEO of the the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee) and has won four Emmys for her work as a television producer for gymnastics competitions.

Louise Owen, Evansville. A legendary athlete from southwestern Indiana, Louise was born in 1929 and over the years has served as a coach, teacher, parent and mentor. And, at 83-years-old, she's still competing.

Gail Moll Pebworth, Crawfordsville. Gail is one of only a handful of women to have coached men's teams at the NCAA level. As the coach of swimmers and divers at Wabash College from 1984-2002, she won 131 of 151 dual meets.

Dr. Concetta Raimondi, Indianapolis. As the Superintendent of the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township, Dr. Raimondi leads teachers and students from a position dominated locally and nationally by men.

Kimberly S. Roberts, Knoxville, Tenn. Armed with a wicked curveball, Kim was the first female Little League Baseball All-Star in the state of Indiana and has been a trailblazer for girls sports her entire life.

Susan Williams, Indianapolis. During her tenure as president of Indiana Sports Corp, Susan has increased programming for Indiana youth, impacting more than 83,000 kids in 2011 alone.

Mitzi Witchger, Noblesville. Mitzi has devoted more than 20 years of her life to increasing athletic opportunities for females by working with student athletes, parents, administrators, legislators and community members.

Title IX is a part of the Higher Education Act passed in 1972 that requires gender equity for boys and girls in every educational program that receives federal funding. Former Indiana Senator Birch Bayh was its author. This year is the 40th anniversary of Title IX, and a fitting opportunity to look back on an amendment that has opened countless doors for women in sports, academics, and professional life.

"The dramatic sports growth for girls has been the signature metric of the Title IX legislation over the past 40 years, but as we can see from these honorees, the benefits of Title IX reached into arenas such as law, medicine, politics and education," said Indiana Fever Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Kelly Krauskopf. "We are proud to honor these inspiring women."

Indiana Humanities collected essay nominations as part of its new two-year program called Spirit of Competition, which examines five core elements of competition: civility, rivalry, passion, innovation, and failure.

"Through Spirit of Competition, we are encouraging Hoosiers to think a little bit differently about the way competition affects their lives on a daily basis," said Keira Amstutz, president and CEO of Indiana Humanities. "Just 40 years ago, there was a very different perception of what women could compete in - on the field and off. These women helped open the door for generations of women to come, and we're proud to honor their accomplishments and spirit."

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