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Forge FC’s annual women in sports conference is coming back for 2025!
After an incredibly successful 2024 Spark Summit, we’re already gearing up for 2025! Whether you attended this year or are eager to join us next time, sign up below to stay updated on next year’s event.
Check out the highlights from the 2023 and 2024 summits right here on this page, including speaker recaps, testimonials, and key moments. Don’t miss your chance to be part of the growing community of women leading the sports industry!
2024 Speaker Alumni
Emma Woods
Emma Woods is a professional hockey player for the Toronto Sceptres in the PWHL. She’s in her 8th season of her professional career, spanning teams in China, Sweden, Toronto, and New York.
A native of Burford, Ontario, she attended Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, where she captained the hockey team and earned MVP honors in her senior year.
Emma is a passionate ambassador for the Grindstone Award Foundation, a Canadian non-profit helping underprivileged girls play hockey. She also works with Allmax to promote health and fitness.
Recently, she competed at Hockey Canada’s Senior Selection National Camp, striving to represent Canada in future championships
Jacqueline Doorey
(Host)
Jacqueline Doorey is a Toronto-based host and producer with 9 years of experience in the sports industry.
She got her start with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats then worked at CBC Sports where she covered four Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as various world cups and world championships.
She’s currently working as a producer and host at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, covering and producing videos for events like the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the NHL Draft and the NHL All-Star Game.
Jill Burgin
Jill Burgin is the Co-Founder of AFC Toronto in the Northern Super League.
She is a strategic brand marketer with over 15 years of experience in brand management at Diageo, working with some of the world’s biggest brands including Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Johnnie Walker & Jose Cuervo Tequila.
Jill is both passionate about and well positioned to develop impactful marketing strategies that will propel women’s professional soccer into the forefront of the sporting arena in Toronto. With years of involvement in girls’ grassroots soccer watching & managing an OPDL team, she has experienced the transformative power of sport to build confidence, leadership skills & grit in young women and she is committed to bringing that experience to more women & girls in the GTA.
She also has international business experience having worked in London, England, for Diageo head office creating a business portal for Global Brand teams and website development experience while working with the Diageo Way of Brand Building team.
Jennifer Quinn
Jennifer Quinn is the Vice President of Communications for the Toronto Raptors, and has led the media relations group through major events like the 2019 Championship, the NBA Bubble, several playoff series, and a pandemic-impacted season played in Tampa, Florida.
Before joining the Raptors in 2017, she was the first female sports editor at the Toronto Star, worked as a reporter at major news organizations in Canada and abroad, and managed media relations for the Canadian government in the United Kingdom as Head of Communications at Canada’s embassy in London.
She graduated from Bishop’s University in Lennoxville, Quebec, and has a graduate degree in journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Gracia Mboko
Gracia Mboko is a dynamic entrepreneur and investor, bridging the gap between athletics and investing. As the Founder and CEO of Athlete Edge Capital, Gracia is dedicated to empowering athletes to build enduring legacies beyond the game.
A former Division-1 tennis player and sister to WTA professional Victoria Mboko, Gracia’s commitment to sports is a defining aspect of her identity. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Strategic Communications and Marketing from the University of Denver’s Daniels School of Business.
Gracia’s corporate journey includes significant roles in sales, marketing, personal ventures in VC & real estate, highlighted by her tenure at Salesforce.
Currently, she serves as the Director of Capital Markets at Whitestone, where she enhances market strategies and increases affordable housing inventory in underserved communities across the United States.
In addition, Gracia Heads Investor affairs as Director of Investor Relations at the Global Gaming League, a pioneering gaming entertainment league led by Clinton Sparks, with T-Pain as Chief Strategy Officer and Jeff Hoffman as Chairman of the Board. The first of its kind gaming entertainment league, comprised of celebrity team owners. This role highlights her influence in a rapidly growing sector. She forges lasting connections that drive meaningful achievements.
Nicole Demers
Nicole Demers is the Vice President of Business Operations at Forge FC.
Demers began her career with Hamilton Sports Group in 2008 as an Account Service Representative. She was a pivotal figure in the Hamilton Tiger-Cats organization, playing a leading role in the transition from Ivor Wynne Stadium to Tim Hortons Field and managing ticketing operations for the 108th Grey Cup. Throughout her tenure, she focused on diversifying and expanding the fanbase to elevate the live experience at Tim Hortons Field.
Since joining Forge FC as Associate Vice President of Business Operations, Demers has driven significant growth, including double-digit increases in season memberships and the creation of multi-faceted programs for youth soccer teams in Hamilton and surrounding areas. She also launched the Spark Summit, an event designed to connect professional women in sports business.
Demers is a former NCAA Division I softball player at Delaware State University, where she earned a full scholarship and was recognized as an NCFA All-American Scholar Athlete from 2004 to 2008. She holds a B.S. in Sport Sciences with a specialization in Sport Management and a minor in Business Economics. Demers continues to be a leading force in sports business, contributing to the success and growth of Forge FC and the broader Hamilton sports community.
Laura Armstrong
Laura Armstrong joined the Canadian Premier League and Canadian Soccer Business as Senior Director of Communications in May 2022 following a decade-long career in journalism, namely with the Toronto Star, where she covered some of the biggest stories in recent Canadian sport history like the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the 2019 NBA Finals and the Canadian Men’s National Team’s road to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Armstrong works out of the CPL league office and collaboratively across its eight member clubs and dozens of League1 Canada teams to develop effective messaging and communication strategies and tell a multitude of sport, community, business and human interest stories from coast to coast.
She has been instrumental in the bringing to life such marquee league events as the 2022 & 2023 CPL Finals, the 2022 & 2023 CPL-U SPORTS Drafts, CPL On Tour: Kelowna 2024 and the 2024 League1 Canada Women’s Inter-Provincial Championship.
2023 Spark Summit Recap
2023 Spark Summit Alumni
Meghan Chayka
Meghan is a Co-Founder/CEO of Stathletes, a hockey data and analytics company.
Stathletes provides industry leading hockey insights in over 22 leagues worldwide and has scaled to the highest professional levels across North America and Europe. In another industry role, Meghan is a Data Scientist in Residence at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.
She was featured on the insert cover of the Hockey News’ Top 100 of power and Influence, listed at 95 overall and in the Top 10 for Hockey Business Executives. Meghan and Stathletes have also been awarded Top Young Entrepreneur of the Year for 2018/2019 by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and Top 40 under 40 in hockey for the Athletic in 2019 & 2020. She is on the board of advisors of US Integrity in the sports betting space.
Lindsay Hamilton
Lindsay Hamilton joined TSN in September 2016 and is currently an anchor for SportsCentre.
Hamilton started working in broadcasting at a young age, becoming the first host of the Family Channel in 2008. For more than five years she interviewed entertainment icons, athletes, and musicians across North America, including Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, and One Direction.
In 2012, Hamilton hosted events during the 100th Grey Cup Anniversary Week, and by 2014 she joined Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment as a host for Toronto Marlies, IIHF World Juniors, and Toronto Maple Leafs games and team events. She’s also hosted a variety of major events during her time on TSN including The Masters, CP Women’s Open, FIFA Women’s World Cup, The Grey Cup, Queen’s Plate and Curling Day in Canada. Hamilton competed in a variety of sports while growing up in Mississauga, Ontario, including playing varsity lacrosse at McMaster University and competing on Team Ontario.
Patrice Whiffen
Patrice Whiffen is the Founder of Patrice Whiffen Marketing + Events, a boutique marketing, events and multimedia firm based in Toronto, specializing in sports and entertainment.
With 13 years of experience working with brands such as The Toronto Maple Leafs, Big Machine Label Group, PrimeTime Sports & Entertainment, The Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Warner Music Canada, Boots and Hearts Music Festival, The CFL Alumni Association, The Country Music Association of Ontario and many more, Patrice has established herself as a young leader in social media marketing, event management and multimedia.
Patrice is the In Game Host for the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL, as well as the sideline reporter for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. She is also the host of Tiger-Cats Time Out on the Ticats Audio Network. Patrice is a Director for Don Cherry’s Pet Rescue Foundation, sits on the Young Professionals Board for You Can Play, and works as a Part-Time Professor for Fanshawe College, Georgian College and Mohawk College.
Karen Volden
Karen Volden’s managerial and budgetary acumen combined with her passion for storytelling has helped produce impactful and award-winning television programming throughout her distinguished 30 year career working at the highest level of Canadian sports broadcasting.
Karen was an integral member of the team that launched Uninterrupted Canada in 2019, the Canadian production partner of the Lebron James-led Uninterrupted company, specializing in athlete-empowered story-driven documentaries and branded content. Her notable productions at Uninterrupted Canada include the highly acclaimed “Wick” – the powerful bio profile of the world’s best female hockey player – Canadian Hayley Wickenheiser, “Anything is Possible”, the story of Toronto Raptor Serge Ibaka’s triumphant return to his hometown Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo after the Raptors won the NBA Championship, which was nominated for ‘Best Sports Program’ at the 2021 Canadian Screen Awards, and “Black Ice”, the gritty and groundbreaking documentary that examines the role of Black players in Canadian hockey, from pre-NHL contributions to the game to the struggles against racism that continue to this day. “Black Ice” won the People’s Choice Award for documentaries at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.
Prior to joining Uninterrupted Canada Ms. Volden was Senior Production Manager for “Hockey Night in Canada” from 2014-2019. She also served 17 years as a Senior Production Manager of TSN’s award winning live and documentary feature production. This included oversight of TSN / CTV’s historic coverage of the Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Olympic Games. Prior to joining TSN, Volden held roles with production and budgetary responsibility starting with the CTV launch of Sportsnet back in 1990.
Tiffiny Lai
Tiffiny Lai is the Senior Manager of Brand and Creative Design at the Canadian Football League. She leads the continued growth and strategy of the CFL Brand while implementing Brand Governance and Compliance processes leaguewide.
Tiffiny works collaboratively across 9 CFL teams to operationalize brand insights and shift leaguewide brand perceptions. Prior to working at the CFL, Tiffiny worked with the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) across a handful of business verticals including Licensing, Global Events, Marketing and Community Relations.
This breadth of experience has fortified Tiffiny’s knowledge and insights across the Brand landscape while establishing connections with multiple Global Brands. Tiffiny is a strategic and creative-minded professional who constantly seeks new ways to authentically transform Brands and Brand perceptions.
Mary Lobson
Mary Lobson is the Founder and CEO of REES Technologies Inc. She has worked for 30 years in the gender-based violence field and in 2020 launched REES (Respect, Educate Empower Survivor); a trauma-informed online platform for reporting bullying, abuse, harassment, and discrimination.
Since 2009, Mary has worked at the intersection of technology and gender-based violence as an advocate for change across sectors and industries while continuing to lead innovation in the area of trauma-informed technology. She is a recent graduate of Creative Destruction Lab – Rockies and has been active as a board member of the Ending Violence Association of Canada (EVA Canada) and D Division RCMP Sexual Assault Investigative Review Committee.
Andi Petrillo
Andi Petrillo is the host of OneSoccer’s Matchday Live & OneSoccer Today. She is also a CBC Sports Olympic and World Championship Host.
Andi is two-time Canadian Screen Award winner for Best Sports Host and in 2016 she became the first woman to win the award. Previously, Andi was also the first woman to host a daily sports radio talk show: Leafs Lunch with TSN 1050 and the first woman studio-team member of Hockey Night in Canada.
Deidra Dionne
Deidra Dionne won a Bronze Medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics as a freestyle skier. Today, she is the head of Business Affairs, Rogers Sports & Media. Previously, Deidra held the role of Senior Manager, Legal and Partnerships for a sports marketing and consulting company.
Taylor McIntyre
Taylor McIntyre coaches Wide Receivers for the McMaster Marauders (OUA). She is also the Receivers Coach & Special Teams Coordinator for the Team Ontario U18 Women’s tackle team.
Among many other stops during her coaching career, Taylor spent four weeks as a guest coach with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as part of the CFL’s ‘Women in Football’ program. Taylor also has a Sport Management degree from the University of Windsor.