WISE Twin Cities Women of Inspiration
Date: Thursday, November 7th, 2024
Time: 11:00 am - 1:30 pm
Location: The Mosaic - 817 5th Ave S, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55404
Join WISE Twin Cities as we celebrate the female leaders in our community who are making HERstory in the Twin Cities sports and events industry.
Each year, WISE Twin Cities recognizes women who have inspired us! Our WISE Women of Inspiration Awards ceremony is dedicated to celebrating their accomplishments over a lunch of innovation and ambition. There will be great networking opportunities pre- and post-function, as well as a mixture of attendees at your table. Women of Inspiration will be Thursday, November 7, 2024 from 11am-1:30pm at Mosaic in downtown Minneapolis.
The Women of Inspiration Awards recognize women leaders in the business of sports and events who serve as role models and mentors for other women in the Twin Cities community. Join us as we celebrate the many inspiring women in sports and events in the Twin Cities!
Check out WISE Twin Cities Women of Inspiration's past winners and event recaps here.
Program Timeline
- 11:00 - Check In & Networking
- 11:30 - Lunch
- 12:00 - Program, Fireside Chat & Award Presentations
- 1:00 - Program Concludes & Networking
- 1:30 - Event Concludes
Registration
To RSVP, click here and login to your WISE membership account. In order to secure your spot at this highly attended event, please RSVP by midnight on Thursday, October 24th.
- $20 for members
- $45 for non-members
If you would like to register a group, please fill out the form here.
Your ticket for entry includes lunch and NA beverages. Please reach out to info@wisetwincities.net with any food restrictions.
Meet our honorees:
Emerging Professional of the Year
Madeline Mims, Social Media and Digital Marketing Manager, ASM Global/Target Center
Madeline Mims is currently the Social Media and Digital Marketing Manager at Target Center in Minneapolis. Her role encompasses creating engaging photo and video content, managing brand identity, executing backstage and fan activations, and providing creative and administrative support across various departments.
Madeline’s professional career began in 2022 working as a Marketing & PR Intern at NRG Park in Houston Texas. At NRG Park, she starred alongside farm animals on TikTok during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, braved a confetti shower to capture the final moments of the 2023 NCAA Men's Final Four Tournament, and made history by renaming the stadium to NRG Stadium (Taylor’s Version) for Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour’. At Target Center, she’s gotten to market events such as blink-182, Megan Thee Stallion, U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Gymnastics, Doja Cat, Men and Women’s Big 10 Basketball Tournaments and more. In the summer of 2024, Target Center was recognized by ASM Global with the 'Like, Comment & Share Award’ for the highest engagement, interaction, & follower growth on a venue’s social media account within the company.
When she isn't filming and editing videos in the pit, she enjoys discovering new recipes, facetiming friends and family in Houston, playing bingo, and taking long walks along the Mississippi.
Changemaker of the Year
Jillian Hiscock, Owner, A Bar of Their Own
Jillian Hiscock (she/her) is the owner of A Bar of Their Own, the Midwest's first sports bar to exclusively show women's sports. Jillian graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in 20024 with a degree in Vocal Music Performance and earned her M.Ed in Higher Education from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2009. After years working in higher education and nonprofits for 16 years, Jillian opened A Bar of Their Own in March of 2023 because she was tired of feeling like her fandom didn't matter to traditional sports bars. Earlier this year, she was named a Women in Business Honoree by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Jillian is a lifelong learner, community builder, and eternal optimist excited to elevate and amplify women's sports to the level they deserve.
Executive of the Year
Sandy Sweetser, Executive Director, Local Organizing Committee for Gymnastics City USA, Minnesota Sports and Events
From the time she was in the fifth grade Sandy Sweetser was driven by her passion for sports. She knew then what she wanted her career path to be - she would attend The Ohio State University, work toward a Bachelor’s degree in business, pursue her Master’s degree in Sport Management, then secure an exciting position with a professional sports franchise! Thanks to guidance from legendary mentor, Dr. Bill Sutton, lots of hard work, and a little bit of luck, that dream became a reality.
Following college graduation, Sweetser packed all of her belongings into her car and headed north to Minnesota. And as they say, the rest is history. She has been a fixture in the Twin Cities’ sports and entertainment industry for more than three decades spending the majority of her career with high profile organizations including the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves, Mall of America/Knott’s Camp Snoopy, and Target Center arena.
In 2019, Sweetser founded her own consulting company, Cardinal Resources LLC, with the mission of helping organizations develop, market and execute successful events. Cardinal Resources’ very first client was North Country Region-USA Volleyball, followed shortly thereafter by Minnesota Sports and Events (MNSE). As MNSE has grown, so has Sweetser’s role within the organization. She serves as Event Marketing and Management Consultant focusing on world-class events that positively impact the state and region’s economy, image, and quality of life.
Most recently, Sweetser served as the Executive Director of the 2024 Gymnastics City USA Local Organizing Committee overseeing the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, USA Gymnastics Championships, and numerous ancillary events. For 10 days in June 2024, Minneapolis became “Gymnastics City USA” and Minnesota became “the state of Gymnastics” with the Trials setting all-time attendance and ticket sales records. Sweetser’s next assignment with MNSE is to serve as Co-Executive Director of the Local Organizing Committee for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, the world’s premiere junior hockey event, which will take place in Saint Paul and Minneapolis in late December 2025/early January 2026.
Sandy Sweetser is still passionate about sports, especially the Ohio State Buckeyes, any Minnesota team (the MN Timberwolves top that list), any Cincinnati team, and Team USA. But the career path that she chose so many years ago, actually led her to find her real true passions: Wes - her husband of 31 years, two wonderful children - Ren and Macy, and the many incredible friends who each came into her life at just the right time.