Val Ackerman
- The WNBA’s first president, guiding the league to a much-heralded launch in 1997 and overseeing the day-to-day operations for its first eight years
- In 2005, she became the first woman to serve as President of USA Basketball, which oversees the US Men’s and Women’s Olympic basketball programs
- A USA Basketball board member since 1989, she was the driving force behind the Women’s Senior National Team that produced a 60-0 record and won the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta
- First woman elected to represent the USA on the board of the International Basketball Federation
- A four-year starter and two-time Academic All-American at the University of Virginia, she also played in France for one year.
- In high school, she set a varsity record for most points scored (male or female) with 1,755 in her career
- Recipient of the 2008 Naismith Hall of Fame John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award