- Donna Orender
-
Donna Orender is a sports executive and a former collegiate and professional basketball player. She was recently president of the WNBA. She grew up on Long Island, New York and was a five-sport athlete in high school, lettering in basketball, field hockey, volleyball, softball, and tennis. She is currently married to M.G. Orender and has two children, Zachary and Jacob.
Contents
College years
Orender graduated from Queens College in 1978 with a degree in psychology, followed by graduate studies in social work at Adelphi University. While at Queens College she was an All-American basketball player.
Career
Under the name Donna Geils, Orender played three seasons in the Women's Pro Basketball League (WBL), where she was an All-Star, and one of only 20 women to play in all three seasons of the league. During that time span, she played for the New York Stars (1978–79), New Jersey Gems (1979–80), Chicago Hustle (1980–81).[1] In 1985, she played for the U.S. Maccabiah Team. Orender's WBL career is featured in the book "Mad Seasons: The Story of the First Women's Basketball League, 1978–1981," by Karra Porter (University of Nebraska Press, 2006)
Her television production career began as a production assistant at ABC Sports and continued at the Sports Channel. Orender also owned her own production company, Primo Donna Productions.
She spent 17 years with the PGA Tour and became the Senior Vice President of Strategic Development in the Office of the Commissioner in 2001. Orender was the original producer of "Inside the PGA Tour". She helped negotiate television contracts that quadrupled the Tiger Woods phenomenon to $800 million.
In February 2005, Orender was named the new WNBA president, succeeding Val Ackerman.
In December 2005, Fox Sports Network named Orender as the seventh most powerful women in sports behind notable names like Danica Patrick and Sheila Johnson, owner of BET.
On December 3, 2010, it was announced that Orender would be stepping down from her post effective December 31, 2010. NBA Vice President Chris Granger was tabbed to replace her on an interim basis until Laurel Richie was the named the new President.
Future
In her short tenure, Orender is already recognized as having a strong focus in branding, partnership establishments and marketing via new media.[citation needed]
See also
Notes
- ^ Geils, Donna Chait. "MAKING A DREAM COME TRUE, AND WATCHING IT FADE AWAY", The New York Times, November 15, 1981. Accessed July 30, 2010.
References
National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame A-G H-S HandballHorseracingIce hockeyJudo/KarateBob Berland • Marilyn Fierro • Charlee MinkinLacrossePole VaultJillian SchwartzRacquetballRugbyShawn LipmanShot putSkiingCarrie SheinbergSoccerSwimmingT-W TennisTrackTriathleteWeightliftingWrestlingWriter/Broadcaster/
Columnist/Photographer/
ExecutiveMarv Albert • Mel Allen • Marty Appel • Len Berman • Linda Cohn • Howard Cosell • Marty Glickman • Roger Kahn • George Kalinsky • Bill Mazer • Shirley Povich (columnist) • Milton Richman (columnist) • Sam Rosen • Dick Schaap (columnist) • Suzyn Waldman • Warner Wolf • Paul ZimmermanOtherRay Arcel (boxing trainer)• Senda Berenson Abbott (women's basketball pioneer) • Red Auerbach (basketball coach) • Gary Bettman (NHL commissioner) • Al Blau (lacrosse official) • Ed Block (football trainer) • Larry Brown (basketball coach) • Herb Brown (basketball coach) • Norm Drucker (basketball official) • Aerial Gilbert (blind rower) • Sada Jacobson (fencing) • Seth Greenberg (basketball coach) • Gladys Heldman (womens tennis magazine founder) • Helene Hines (wheelchair marathoner) • Red Holzman (basketball coach) • Neila Jacobson (football trainer) • Fran Kalafer (volleyball coach) • Fred Lebow (NYC marathon founder) • Ryan Levinson (cyclist w/muscular dystrophy)• Marv Levy (football coach & executive) • Jerry Markbreit (football referee) • Marvin Miller (baseball player association executive) • Debbie Rademacher (soccer coach) • Abe Saperstein (basketball owner & coach) • Red Sarachek (basketball coach) • Gary Wichard (football player & sports agent)Marty Glickman Award;
Outstanding Jewish
Scholastic (College)
Athlete of the YearCharles Altchek (soccer) • Yael Averbuch (soccer) • Cliff Bayer (fencing) • Matt Bernstein • Shay Doron (basketball) • David Ettinger (football) • Jay Fiedler (football) • Loren Galler Rabinowitz (figure skating) • Rebekah Green (shot put) • Bess Greenberg (basketball) • Dustin Greenhill (gymnastics) • Dan Grunfeld (basketball) • Damion Hahn (wrestling) • Dan Helmer (gymnastics) • Anita Kaplan (basketball) • Brie Katz (volleyball) • Chad Levitt (football) • Jessica Levy • Samantha Marder (softball) • Boyd Melson (boxer) • Neil Ravitz (football) • Amy Rosson (softball) • Rebekah Rottenberg (lacrosse) • Mike Saffer (football) • Jon Scheyer (basketball) • Laine Selwyn (basketball) • Marc Siegel (ice hockey)Jules D. Mazor Award;
Outstanding Jewish
High School Scholar
Athlete of the YearAdam Balkan (baseball) • Stephanie Barnet (squash) • Ben Belmont (lacrosse) • Rachel Blume (softball) • Dannielle Diamant (basketball) • Hillary Framson (soccer) • Zachary Greenberg (basketball) • Ben Herman (swimming) • Emily Jacobson (fencing) • David Kahn (swimming) • Jesse Koller (soccer) • Jarryd Levine (soccer) • Max Levine (baseball) • Jason Liberman (basketball) • Sarah Lowenthal (gymnastics) • Adam Mahfouda (lacrosse) • Samantha Marder (softball) • Chad Prince (soccer) • Jon Scheyer (basketball) • Jodi Schlesinger (track) • Justin Simon (basketball)• Mark Wohlstadter (football) • Courtney Zale (basketball)Dick Steinberg Award;
"Good Guy" AwardAndy Bloom (shot put) • Ron Carner (executive) • Dave Cohen (football coach) • Gerald Eskanezi (columnist) • Jay Fiedler (football) • Ken Fiedler (basketball coach) • Stan Fischler (broadcasting) • Alan Freedman (executive) • Nicole Freedman (bicycling) • Margie Goldstein-Engle (horse showing) • Stan Isaacs (columnist) • James Jacobs (handball) • Steve Jacobson (columnist) • Barry Landers (broadcaster) • Nancy Moloff (wheelchair discus) • Marty Riger (basketball coach) • Arthur Richman (baseball writer & executive) • Dick Steinberg (football general manager) • Herb Turetzky (basketball) • Lisa Winston (columnist)George Young Award Ernie Accorsi (football) • Lou Carnesecca (basketball) • Preston Robert Tisch (football) • George Young (football)Categories:- Women's National Basketball Association presidents
- Basketball players from New York
- Jewish basketball players
- Jewish American sportspeople
- People from Long Island
- Living people
- Queens College, City University of New York alumni
- Adelphi University alumni
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