reimagining the future

College sports is at a tipping point. 

EmpwrU assembled a team of the brightest leaders, experts, and scholars to come up with the G-A-M-E plan. 

• G = Governance - the NCAA needs a new governance model that aligns with its core purpose of regulating fair competition and protecting athletes. The new structure should be leaner, nimble, transparent, fair, and most importantly represent the needs of its more than 500,000 athletes and all the schools it serves. The best way to transform any organization in crisis is to start at the top. The NCAA Board of Governors voting member composition should be: 1/3 schools (representative of all divisions); 1/3 athletes and; 1/3 independents (practical leaders). This allows real transformation to take place. 
• A = Athletes - are the heart and soul of what makes college sports so special! We need more athletes playing college sports not less. NIL has opened the door to important discussions about rights and opportunities for all athletes. Creating a formal "Athlete Bill of Rights in College and Elite Sports" allows athletes to have a voice in the education, resources, and opportunities that help protect and empower them for a lifetime.  
• M = Modernization - of college sports is imperative. The current bylaws and policies severely restrict both athletes and schools. The new bylaws should liberate schools to benchmark strategies used by other successful organizations to add sports and increase athletes who will graduate from their universities. Schools gain economies of scale when playing multiple divisions within each sport and adding new sports like pickleball and flag football. This strategy allows for profitable growth and ensures compliance with Title IX requirements. 
• E = Employment - According to IRS 3-prong test, “under common-law rules, anyone who performs services for you is your employee if you can control what will be done and how it will be done.” Creating an employee model is an appropriate catalyst to move college sports forward by providing transparency with fair compensation, incentivizing athletes to achieve a college degree, and working to create long-term partnerships between athletes and universities.

Kerry is a respected and empowering leader who has achieved extraordinary results. She founded KP Sports, a multimedia rights company,  acquired in 9 years by industry leader, Learfield IMG.  

As the CEO of USA Gymnastics, Kerry was hired to transform a high profile Olympic organization facing extraordinary crisis. Kerry started her career with Pitney Bowes, a Fortune 500 corporation, where she achieved exceptional results leading diverse, high performing business units .

Kerry was inducted in the Hall of Fame at the Anderson School of Management where she earned her MBA. As an Adjunct Professor, she taught marketing, management and leadership.  

Kerry serves on several boards including Anderson School of Management and Sports Tech HQ Indy. She's a mentor and advisor to Techstars Sports Accelerator, member of IU Angel Network, Vision Tech Partners and Venture Capital of Indiana.