Join us for a panel discussion with a handful of the women who have played a major role in designing the Kansas City Current Stadium, the first professional women’s soccer stadium in the world. These women have helped not only design and build this stadium, but to make an impact with this historic team. We will be discussing the process, from inception, to branding, the design and building challenges of the stadium, and finally, what it’s like to be a woman in typically male dominated industries.
This panel includes Allison Howard, President of the Kansas City Current; Courtney Kounkel, Founder & Owner of Monarch Build; Christina Franklin, Director of Interior Design at Generator Studio; Nicole Satterwhite, Principal at Willoughby Design; Ashley Loch, Creative Director at Dimensional Innovations, and moderator Jill Monaghan, Senior Project Designer at Generator Studio.
Allison Howard has a lengthy track record of success in the sports industry. As the former Vice President of Partnerships for the Los Angeles Lakers, she was instrumental in closing the team's most successful partnerships and led the organization's corporate partnership strategy that surpassed $450 million in revenue. Previously, as Vice President at Premier Partnerships, she sold and managed naming rights partnerships all over the country. She was recognized as a "Woman of Inspiration" from WISE LA (Women in Sports and Events, Los Angeles) after serving on the board for 10 years. At the Current, she oversees all day-to-day business operations for the club, including opening the first stadium purpose-built for a women's professional soccer team in the world.
Courtney Kounkel is a construction industry executive and entrepreneur who has founded, grown and successfully sold several companies. Currently she is the Founder + Owner of Monarch Build, a commercial construction company in the Greater Kansas City area.
Generator Studio’s hospitality-forward design thinking is propelled by Christina’s interior design leadership. As former Design Director for a boutique hotel design studio, she brings her hospitality industry expertise to bear on virtually all Generator projects – a secret weapon and major asset to clients. Her customer-first / client-first M.O. is natural and engrained as she designs environments not only proportionately accurate but visually stunning and inviting. She’s been recognized for her notable interior design work with many awards including Hospitality Design Awards and Gold Key Awards in 2020 for Best Emerging Concept.
Nicole Satterwhite is a Principal & design leader at Willoughby, a brand strategy & design firm in Kansas City. With more than 25 years in the design industry, she has guided the creative process for a large portfolio of clients in numerous categories from civic entities to financial services, fashion to healthcare and many beloved consumer brands in-between. Nicole excels at overseeing large-scale projects, complex brand architectures, environmental installations and stand-out packaging innovations. Her work has received more than 75 awards for excellence in design and been featured in publications such as Communication Arts, HOW Magazine, Print Magazine, International Logos and Trademarks and Women in Design.
Ashley Loch is a Kansas City-based designer active in the field of Experiential Design. Her recent work has centered primarily around the fan experience within sporting venues for both collegiate and professional clients.
Jill’s fan-centric design leadership continues to raise the bar on creating the next ultimate user experience with a focus on achieving clients’ goals. Jill believes in establishing long-term value through design. She executes complex projects from concept to completion, working closely with organizations to ensure the end product exceeds project goals. Her work shapes solutions that leave a meaningful, lasting impression.