— Sun to Honor Teresa Velez, Dina Sears-Graves, Esther Wallace, and Lisa Salters —
Uncasville, CT (August 23, 2024) – The Connecticut Sun hosts its Women of Inspiration Night presented by Post University on August 23 at 7:30PM EST as the team welcomes the Chicago Sky to Mohegan Sun Arena for the first time during the 2024 season. The Connecticut Sun and Post University, the Sun’s Official Education Partner, will be honoring four women who have made a difference in their respective industries—Teresa Velez, Dina Sears-Graves, Esther Wallace, and Lisa Salters.
Women of Inspiration Night presented by Post University will feature giveaways and a pregame reception. The first 2,500 fans at Mohegan Sun Arena will receive a Connecticut Sun lunchbox. Additionally, Post University will also be presenting its ‘Threes for Degrees’ scholarship awards. Two lucky students will receive $7,500 to any school of their choice. Lastly, the Sun will be hosting a Women of Inspiration Pre-Game Reception from 5:00-7:00PM at Mohegan Sun Cabaret Theatre, featuring the Sun’s four Women of Inspiration and welcoming remarks from Connecticut Sun President, Jen Rizzotti.
Theresa Velez
Officer Theresa Velez is a mental health advocate, a beacon of compassion, and a pillar of support to her community. Officer Velez has served as the Crisis Intervention Team coordinator for the Hartford police department, providing crucial support and resources to officers and their families during times of need. Buying clothes for victims and lending a helping hand to push cars out of the snow are just two examples of how Officer Velez has gone above and beyond to make a positive impact in the lives of others. Theresa’s dedication to promoting mental health and well-being within the police department highlights her commitment to protecting the community as well as caring for her fellow officers.
Esther Wallace
Esther Wallace is an artist, turned athlete, turned entrepreneur who founded the brand Playa Society in 2018. She grew up not wanting to play basketball as a 6’1 kid in the city where the game was invented, Springfield, MA, until she fell in love with the sport as a sophomore in high school. Wallace earned a Division I scholarship after her first two years of basketball, then went on to play, coach, and earn a master’s degree in marketing while overseas in England.
Before basketball, her dream was to design apparel, so after she retired from the game, Esther went back to creating. Playa Society began in a basement apartment in Boston, MA – made to bridge the gap and establish culture for women’s sports.
Today, Esther is known best for her WNBA merch collaborations, often featuring sketches of the players throughout the league that are worn by athletes and sports fans around the world.
Dina Sears-Graves
Dina Sears-Graves has over 30 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector and is currently the President & CEO of United Way of Southeastern Connecticut. She is committed to finding solutions for the betterment of all residents of New London County. At the heart of this work is her belief that no one organization can accomplish this work alone; it takes diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and talents to achieve the greatest outcomes, a community where all can thrive.
Under her leadership as President & CEO at United Way, she has guided the creation of a new strategic vision for the organization – driving impact through innovation, creativity and leadership bringing ideas, new resources, and creating equitable, lasting solutions. The organization has not only seen revenue increase each year under her leadership but has more than doubled the amount of dollars invested in the local community, $5.23 million this past year. These investments provided over 89,900 services to individuals and families, to ensure that children enter school ready to learn and are successful in primary school, youth gain the knowledge, skills, and credentials to be prepared for the workforce and obtain family-sustaining employment, individuals and families have their basic needs met, improve their health and have access to healthcare, and achieve financial stability. In addition, United Way of Southeastern Connecticut is the only United Way in the country that operates a food bank. Last year, the Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Center distributed over 1.8 million meals throughout the county, serving over 22,000 individuals each month. It is through partnerships and collective action that United Way can respond when the community is faced with its biggest challenges.
Before assuming the President & CEO position at United Way, she previously served as the Vice President of Community Impact. In that role she provided oversight for the investment of all community impact initiatives and also managed the Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Center. Prior to United Way, Dina was Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Connecticut and was the Director of UPLIFT Teen Pregnancy Prevention.
Dina is a lifelong resident of New London County and has a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Relations from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in Business Management from Albertus Magnus College. She is the 2007 recipient of the New London County Bar Association Liberty Bell Award and a graduate of the Advanced Leadership Program at United Way Worldwide. She serves on the Board of Corporators for Norwich Free Academy, Chelsea Groton Bank and is on the Board of Directors for End Hunger CT!
Lisa Salters
Lisa Salters is a versatile, accomplished, Sports Emmy-winning reporter with more than three decades of experience. She is a sideline reporter for two of ESPN’s biggest sports properties – the NFL’s Monday Night Football and NBA games on ESPN and ABC, as well as a co-host of the company’s award-winning E:60 film and documentary series.
In May 2023, at the 44th Annual Sports Emmy Awards, Salters won her first Sports Emmy in the ‘Outstanding Personality/Reporter’ category.
Salters was named the sideline reporter for MNF in April 2012 and is now the longest-tenured sideline reporter in MNF history. She contributes to weekly game telecasts including an NFL Wild Card game and beginning in the 2023-24 NFL season, a Divisional playoff game. During ESPN studio shows on Mondays leading up to MNF games, Salters provides team reports from the stadium.
Salters has been part of NBA coverage on ESPN and ABC since 2005. Her role includes the NBA Finals, high-profile NBA Saturday Primetime and NBA Sunday Showcase games. Prior to her current NFL and NBA assignments, she was the sideline reporter for ABC’s Saturday Night Football college football games for five seasons (2006-10).
Beyond covering high-profile events, Salters is co-host of ESPN’s acclaimed E:60 series alongside Jeremy Schaap. She helped launch the series in 2007 as a featured correspondent before her promotion to co-host in 2019. Before arriving at ESPN, Salters worked for ABC News from 1995-2000. Based in Los Angeles, she was named the first West Coast correspondent for the ABC affiliate news service, NewsOne, in February 1995.
A native of King of Prussia, Pa., Salters graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism. She played guard for the women’s basketball team from 1986-87. In 2017, Salters was honored in her hometown as a member of the Montgomery County chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.
Established in 2003, the Connecticut Sun is a professional women’s basketball team in the Women’s National Basketball Association that takes residence at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. For more information or to purchase season tickets, visit www.connecticutsun.com or call 1-877-SUN-TIXX.
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