EXPIRED: 2025 Women of Inspiration Award – Voting Now Open!

Seattle Sports is proud to partner with Women in Sports & Events (WISE) Seattle for the Woman of Inspiration Award — and voting is now open!

This award honors an individual who lives by the values that WISE Seattle was built upon: encouraging an inclusive community, empowering personal growth and development, and driving meaningful change to evolve the sports and events industries for generations to come.

The winner will receive a WISE membership and a cash donation from WISE and its partners to be directed to the non-profit or organization of their choice, continuing the mission to Encourage, Empower, and Evolve Women in Sports & Events in our community.

Cast your vote today!

Congratulations to all of our 2025 Women of Inspiration Award Nominees!

 Alanna McDonald – President/ Co-Founder of 3XBA

Alanna McDonald is the President and Co-Founder of the 3×3 Basketball Association (3XBA), the premier women’s 3×3 basketball tour and youth development pipeline in North America. She has dedicated her career to expanding opportunities for women athletes, lowering barriers for youth, and creating a sustainable Olympic development pathway.

Alanna grew up in Seattle where she developed an early love for sports. Volleyball became her passion, carrying her from Ballard High School to Brown University, where she competed at the Division I level. She went on to play professionally overseas where she also earned a Master’s in International Migration Studies in Brussels, bringing with her a global perspective that continues to inform her leadership. Her passion for advocacy shaped her work in refugee resettlement, where she developed trauma-informed programs for families beginning new lives in the Pacific Northwest.

  Christina Millan – President/ Co-Founder of The Pro Shop

Christina Millán is the Owner + Principal of VIVA Projects, specializing in strategic project management and owner representation in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industry. She is also the Co-Founder and current President of the non-profit The Pro Shop, whose mission is to empower women into greater positions of influence through the game of golf.

 A proud Latina small business owner in a male-dominated industry and an avid golfer, Christina has grown to love the game not only for its professional networking opportunities but for the personal confidence it has instilled. Since launching The Pro Shop, she has been part of a shift where women who had never said Yes to golf are now starting with Yes — playing in their first lesson, first round, and first industry tournament. She hosted the first tournament in the AEC industry with 50% women participants, a remarkable leap from the typical 3–5% female representation.

  Darla Varrenti – Founder, Nick of Time Foundation

Following the devastating loss of my 16-year-old son Nick Varrenti, a multi-sport athlete who died from sudden cardiac arrest, I transformed profound grief into life-saving action by founding Nick of Time Foundation with my family in 2006. What began as a mother’s quest to honor her son’s memory has evolved into a vital community health initiative dedicated to preventing sudden cardiac arrest in children and young adults through comprehensive sudden cardiac arrest awareness, education, and an ECG youth heart screening program.

Marceil Whitney – Founder & Director, Tennis Outreach Programs (TOPs)

Marceil Whitney began her coaching career at the age of 18. More than 55 years later, she continues to inspire and reach youth of all ages and abilities through the sport of tennis.

In 2003, Marceil founded Tennis Outreach Programs, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, with a mission of “Empowering youth for lifetime success through tennis, education, fitness, and character development—regardless of economic circumstance.” , to further expand her desire to give back to the community. With help from supporters and generous major donors, Eastside Tennis Center (ETC) opened in 2013, a dedicated facility for Tennis Outreach Programs, to ensure TOPs could offer youth tennis programs year-round.  Marceil developed Adaptive Tennis for children with autism and in 2024 introduced Adaptive Tennis for Hard of Hearing and Deaf Students with ASL Interpreters on court.

Her contributions to tennis  and youth have been recognized nationally and regionally.  Marceil received the  Educational Merit Award in 1991 from the USTA International Tennis Hall of Fame in Rhode Island, recognizing her work with young juniors. Marceil also was inducted into the USTA Pacific Northwest Hall of Fame in 2023.

  Suzanne Vick – Athletic Director, University Place School District/ Curtis High School

I’m a proud mom of three grown sons. Having spent 25 years in education, I currently serve as the Athletic Director for the University Place School District and Curtis High School and am humbled to have been recognized as the 2025–2026 SPLS Athletic Director of the Year and the 2025–2026 West Central District Athletic Director of the Year.

Sports have shaped my life. I was a multi-sport student-athlete at Wilson High School (now Silas High School) and went on to play volleyball at Eastern Washington University. I’ve been honored with induction into the Wilson High School Hall of Fame, the Tacoma-Pierce County Hall of Fame, and the Eastern Washington University Hall of Fame.

My passion is empowering people to live within their passion. I’m an advocate for positive change and a champion for female athletes. As advisor to the Curtis High School Girls and Women in Sports group, I have the privilege of helping young women grow as leaders, student-athletes, teammates, and individuals.

The winner will be announced at the Seattle Sports Commission’s annual Women in Leadership breakfast on Friday, October 24^th, 2025.