About Us

Meet our Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Jen Brooks, CMAA

In a world where I often stood as the only woman in the room, I found inspiration—not intimidation—in that solitude. I saw an opportunity to change the narrative, to build a space where women in high school sports could gather, support one another, and thrive. Recognizing that such a space didn’t yet exist, I set out to create it myself. That’s how the Global Community of Women in High School Sports was born.

This isn’t just a community; it’s a movement. Imagine a room filled with women who share an unwavering passion for high school sports, who bring determination, grit, and joy to their roles every day. This is the reality we’ve crafted—a vibrant, inclusive network where connections are made, ideas are shared, and barriers are broken.

Our Global Community is not exclusive. It’s a place for anyone who believes in the power of sports to inspire, lead, and unite. Whether you’re a woman working in high school athletics, a male ally, or a passionate supporter, you’ll find a home here. Together, we celebrate not only the victories on the field but also the resilience, collaboration, and innovation that define our work off it.

Here, the vision is clear: to empower and uplift individuals through shared experiences, mutual support, and collective growth. By fostering this environment, we’re not just breaking barriers; we’re building bridges—connecting generations of leaders and creating a legacy of excellence and inclusion.

At the Global Community of Women in High School Sports, we dare to dream of a future where every voice is heard, every leader is celebrated, and no one stands alone in their pursuit of greatness. Together, we’re redefining the landscape of high school sports, one connection at a time.

Welcome to our community—a place where passion meets purpose and dreams have no bounds. Join us as we continue to shape the future of high school sports for women and allies everywhere.

Meet our Executive Council

Tabitha Beard

tbeard@gcwhss.com

Tabitha Beard is a celebrated educator, coach, and athletic leader with a track record of success both on and off the field. Currently serving as the Co-Activities Director for Oxford School District, Beard has dedicated over two decades to shaping the future of education-based athletics. Prior to her current role, she spent three years as the Assistant Activities Director and taught math while coaching high school softball for 20 years.

During her coaching tenure, Beard led her teams to extraordinary heights, winning five state championships at New Hope High School in New Hope, Mississippi. Her remarkable achievements earned her numerous accolades, including being named Coach of the Year by the Mississippi Association of Coaches in 2009 and receiving nine Coach of the Year honors from the Commercial Dispatch and Clarion Ledger.

Beard’s commitment to professional excellence extends beyond coaching. She is one of only three Athletic Directors in Mississippi to earn the prestigious Certified Master Athletic Administrator (CMAA) designation from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA). She also holds national certifications as an Accredited Interscholastic Coach (AIC) and a Certified Interscholastic Coach (CIC), reflecting her dedication to fostering student, school, and community success.

A proud alumna of Mississippi University for Women, Beard earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the institution. Despite her extensive accomplishments, she considers her greatest achievement to be her 25-year marriage to her husband, Wade, and their two children, Brittni (24) and Hunter (19).

Kerstin Bender

kbender@gcwhss.com

Kerstin Bender is a visionary K–12 administrator with 15 years of international experience leading holistic learning and athletics programs across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Currently serving as the Athletics Coordinator at the American School of Dubai, she designs data-driven, mission-aligned systems that foster belonging, equity, and student leadership, empowering diverse teams to deliver sustainable, high-impact programs.

Her global career has taken her through Germany, India, China, and Thailand, where she most recently served as Director of Sports, Activities, and Camps at UWC Thailand. A firm believer that athletics is education in motion, Bender champions sport as a catalyst for confidence, connection, and lifelong learning.

In addition to her role on the Executive Council of the Global Community of Women in High School Sports, Bender serves on the organizing committee for PHASE (Physical Education, Health, Athletics, Sports, and Experiential Learning), a global community of educators advancing wellness and physical education, and on the International Association of Athletic Administrators and Coaches (IAAAC) board, supporting professional growth across Asia.

She is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Educational Leadership at Edgewood University, and her research explores inclusive and feminist approaches to leadership in athletics administration. As the International Connections Lead for GCWHSS, she is committed to advancing gender representation, amplifying global perspectives, and building bridges that connect women in sport through research, mentorship, and collaborative program design that unites theory and practice.

Dr. Patrice Elder, CAA

pelder@gcwhss.com

Dr. Patrice Elder has extensive experience in athletic administration and student instruction. She has over seven years of experience as an athletic administrator and fifteen years as a certified athletic trainer. Previously, she served as an instructor and student success coordinator at Delaware State University. Before that, she worked as an instructor and academic advisor in the Department of Human Performance and Sport Sciences at Tennessee State University (TSU). She also held the position of associate head of athletic trainer at TSU.

Patrice is a certified athletic administrator and serves as one of the NIAAA Professional Development Academy State Certification Coordinators for the state of Tennessee. She is also the chair of the TIAAA Equity and Community Committee. She frequently presents at regional conferences and as a Leadership Training Instructor with the NIAAA. Furthermore, Patrice has expertise in risk management, youth sports, and organizational culture and climate.

Jody Kay Hormann

jhormann@gcwhss.com

With over two decades of experience in coaching and athletic administration, Jody Hormann brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership to her current role as Assistant Executive Director of the Texas High School Athletic Directors Association. Her career has spanned multiple roles- from head coach and athletic director to Senior Executive Director of Campus Activities-each enriching her perspective on the impact of athletics in education. She began her journey at Bloomington High School and went on to teach, coach and be an athletic administrator in Edna ISD, Leander ISD, and Prosper ISD, where she helped launch new programs and oversaw broad areas including athletics, fine arts, and health services. In her current role at THSADA, Jody is committed to supporting athletic directors across Texas and strengthening the organization that has played a vital role in her own professional development.

Dr. Branden M. Lippy

erblippy@gcwhss.com

Dr. Branden Lippy is an accomplished leader with a proven track record in both academic and athletic settings. She has directed a comprehensive school district athletics program for the past 15 years, encompassing 35 sports and more than 125 coaches, fostering excellence and growth across all levels.

Dr. Lippy currently serves as Vice Chair of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) District III Committee, where she plays an integral role in policy development, procedural oversight, and championship coordination for 125 member schools and 21 district events. She is also a member of the PIAA Board of Directors and serves on the national faculty for the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA), sharing her expertise through national conferences and professional development programs.

With a background that includes collegiate athletics and adjunct teaching roles, Dr. Lippy demonstrates a deep commitment to education, sports, and the advancement of diverse communities. She is widely recognized for her exceptional leadership, communication, and organizational abilities—and for her unwavering integrity in every facet of her work.

Vicki Nelms

vnelms@gcwhss.com

Vicki Nelms joined the executive council with a wealth of knowledge as a former athlete, teacher, coach and sports administrator. Her extensive 43-year career in youth athletics makes her an outstanding addition to the organization.

Nelms’ love of sports began at Pacific High School in Pacific, Missouri, where she was a three-sport athlete who went on to play collegiate volleyball at Arkansas State University. She later received her master’s in education from Texas Woman’s University, and spent her career as a coach, athletic director, teacher and assistant principal in states from Missouri to Texas to Florida and Oregon. Nelms officially retired in 2023 and will be recognized in the Oregon Athletic Directors’ Hall of Fame in 2025.

For Nelms, joining the Global Community of Women in High School sports meant the opportunity to help women continue to grow in this profession. She shared that the organization offers women the chance to find strength, empowerment and networking. Nelms is currently retired and committed to supporting other women in the profession she loved for more than 40 years.

Andrea Schmidt

aschmidt@gcwhss.com

Andrea Schmidt is an education administrator with over 23 years of teaching, coaching, and academic and athletic administrative experience at the high school and collegiate levels. She spent four years as the Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator in the athletic department at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and has spent the last 10 years working in high school academic and athletic administration, and is currently serving as the District-Wide Athletic Director for Saint Paul Public Schools. While working at the collegiate level, she was an active member of the Women Leaders in Sports (formerly NACWAA), serving on multiple WLS committees and engaging in professional development opportunities via the organization. She currently serves as an advisor to the board members of the MNIAAA in respect to the work they’re doing to engage women coaches and administrators across the state. Andrea has been working diligently over the past few years to bring awareness to the lack of female representation in high school athletics and activities departments. She has a double BAS in Community Health Education and Secondary Health Education (U-MN Duluth), MS in School Counseling (Capella), MBA General Business (U-Alaska Fairbanks), EdS Principal License (Concordia St. Paul), and is completing her Superintendent License coursework this Spring 2026 (MN State-Mankato).

A staunch supporter of lifelong learning and modeling a healthy, active lifestyle, Andrea spends her time outside of the office giving it her best on the golf course, spending time at any body of water (open or frozen) with family and friends, and driving her kids from one activity to another. Of all the hats she wears, she most prefers that of “quiet mom who doesn’t bug her son’s coaches about playing time”. (She and her husband coach most of their sports.)

Jan Wilking

jwilking@gcwhss.com

Jan Wilking is a well-known and highly respected former athletic director in Ohio. In 2021, Wilking became a partner in an innovative startup organization called Coaches’ Tool Chest, an online certification and professional development platform serving more than 40,000 coaches nationwide.

Prior to launching Coaches’ Tool Chest, Wilking spent more than 18 years transforming high school athletic programs at several Ohio schools. With experience in business management and high school athletics, she oversaw facilities, operations, and dozens of sports programs at St. Ursula Academy, Oak Hills High School, and Wyoming City Schools in Cincinnati. She successfully earned the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Award of Merit, the National Federation of High Schools Citation Award, the Ohio High School Athletic Association Award of Excellence and was named Athletic Director of the Year by the Southwest District Athletic Board and Cincinnati.com. She is a graduate of the University of Charleston in West Virginia.

To Wilking, joining the Global Community of Women in High School Sports means participating in a community where members inspire and support one another, offer innovative solutions to challenges in sports, and champion equal opportunities for women. It’s an opportunity to honor and build upon a foundation set by female administrators who came before her in this profession.

Dr. Jacob Yorg

jyorg@gcwhss.com

The mental performance of athletes is crucial to their success on and off the field, and Dr. Jacob Yorg is a renowned expert in the field. With more than two decades of experience in psychology and coaching, he is the executive director of Elite Within Mindset.

Dr. Yorg’s commitment to supporting athletic development and mental health spans several decades. He has crafted and shared curriculum for high school and collegiate athletic departments on important topics ranging from anxiety to depression to eating disorders. Yorg earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Arts in Teaching Mathematics from Webster University, followed by a Master of Arts in Counseling from Missouri Baptist University. He further attained an Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership from Maryville University and is a candidate for a PsyD in Clinical Psychology. Dr. Yorg also has extensive experience supporting female athletes in the game. He served as the head women’s basketball coach at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, leading the team to significant achievements, including a program-record 12 consecutive wins in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and a return to the NCAA Division II Tournament.

Dr. Yorg brings a passion for integrating mental health and athletic performance into the executive council and believes in helping administrators provide opportunities for student athletes to achieve authentic, fulfilling lives.

Become a Global Community State Leader!

Are you passionate about advancing women in high school sports and building a stronger, more connected community of Athletic Administrators and Coaches? As a Global Community State Leader, you’ll play a vital role in shaping the future of our movement in your state.

What does being a State Leader involve?

Expand Our Network: Use your connections and influence to invite Athletic Directors, Coaches, aspiring leaders, and allies—both men and women—to join the Global Community. Your efforts will help grow our membership and amplify our mission.
Be the Voice for Your State: Serve as the primary liaison between your state and the Global Community. Share key updates, highlight needs, and keep the Executive Council informed of what’s happening in your region.
Innovate and Inspire: Bring fresh ideas to the table! Whether it’s creative recruitment strategies, collaboration opportunities, or ways to better serve our members, your input will help us continually improve and expand our reach.

Why become a State Leader?

Make a Difference: Help create meaningful connections and provide opportunities for others to grow and thrive in their careers.
Gain Recognition: Represent your state on a national level as a key advocate for the Global Community’s mission.
Join a Supportive Network: Work alongside a passionate team of leaders and gain access to unique resources, mentorship, and collaboration opportunities.

We believe every idea has value, and together, we can create lasting change. Ready to lead the way for your state? Join us as a State Leader today and help shape the future of women in high school sports!