// On Stage

Working Agenda

Take a look at the latest 2025 Sport Performance Summit Philadelphia working agenda.

// On Stage

Latest Working Agenda

Wednesday 30 July 2025
08:30 – 09:45
Welcome

Arrivals, Breakfast & Welcome

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08:30 – 09:45
Welcome

Arrivals, Breakfast & Welcome

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Welcome to the Wells Fargo Center, on behalf of our hosts the Philadelphia Flyers. This is where we’ll meet the key faces of the next two days and set the scene for this years Leaders Summit in the US.

08:45 – 09:30
Breakfast

Women’s Sport Breakfast

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Rachel Woodland

Leaders

Special Guest

08:45 – 09:30
Breakfast

Women’s Sport Breakfast

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A great way to kick off your time at the Summit with 45 minutes to hear from a woman in sport and an untold story, as well as explore 2 more of the habits we can fall trap to from How Women Rise. We’ll explore The Perfection Trap and The Disease to Please, in doing so you’ll meet fellow attendees and hopefully a new face or two.

Open to all but please register by writing to [email protected].

Rachel Woodland

Leaders

Special Guest

09:00 – 13:00
Workshop

The Fundamentals of Human Performance Series

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Bill Knowles

Knowles Athletic

Dr. Zach Cogen

New York Red Bulls

09:00 – 13:00
Workshop

The Fundamentals of Human Performance Series

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Private invite-only workshop, brought to you by Keiser and consisting of three presentation sessions and interactive roundtables discussions. Register to attend.

Bill Knowles

Knowles Athletic

Dr. Zach Cogen

New York Red Bulls

09:45 – 10:00
Roundtable

The Journey Ahead: Morning Reflections

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Host

Shona Crooks

09:45 – 10:00
Roundtable

The Journey Ahead: Morning Reflections

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  • A Welcome from Our Host, Shona Crooks.
  • We’ll start the day by reflecting on the core elements of our themes and findings from the ‘Winning Formula for the Future of Performance Sport’ Report.
  • This session will help you frame how you use the next two days. We’ll explore how each of these insights ties into the Summit’s content and discussions.

Host

Shona Crooks

10:00 – 11:00
Case Study

Beyond Instinct: How AI and Human Intelligence Powers Collective High-Performance Decisions

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Michael Jabbour

Microsoft

10:00 – 11:00
Case Study

Beyond Instinct: How AI and Human Intelligence Powers Collective High-Performance Decisions

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  • The smartest teams aren’t just relying on instinct, they’re leveraging the power of AI to enhance decision-making, collaboration, and risk-taking. We’ll explore how artificial intelligence can support but not replace human intuition. Learn where AI tools can strengthen team resilience, unlock innovation under uncertainty, and accelerate better group outcomes.
  • This session includes an interactive element where you’ll experiment with a cutting-edge decision-support tool and reflect on how your team approaches trust, risk, and collaboration in critical moments.
  • Theme: 🚀 Tech-Driven Intelligence: Using Risk to Drive Innovation

Michael Jabbour

Microsoft

11:30 – 12:15
Panel

Strategic Alignment: Uniting the Front Office and the Field

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Yael Averbuch West

Gotham FC

Li Li Leung

USA Gymnastics

11:30 – 12:15
Panel

Strategic Alignment: Uniting the Front Office and the Field

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Gotham FC and USA Gymnastics join us in conversation around organisational alignment, uniting on and off the field operations. There has been some exceptional leadership in this space from both which we are excited to unpack. From fostering cultures of flexibility and learning, we’ll uncover how they are aligning around shared intent to drive performance, connection, and sustainable success.

Yael Averbuch West

Gotham FC

Li Li Leung

USA Gymnastics

12:15 – 12:30
Roundtable

Between Instinct and Insight: A Pause for Perspective

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Host

Shona Crooks

12:15 – 12:30
Roundtable

Between Instinct and Insight: A Pause for Perspective

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  • Following a morning of exploration into AI transformations for your performance and psychological resilience, this moment before lunch offers space to connect the dots.
  • What instincts drive your role and leadership? What role does data and self-awareness play in your decisions? Through guided reflection, you’ll consider how technology and mindset combine in your world and where there’s space to evolve.

Host

Shona Crooks

12:30 – 14:00
Masterclass

Beyond the Headlines: Athlete Integrity & The Leadership Response

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Dr. Brian Selman

EPIC Global Solutions

Stevin ‘Hedake’ Smith

EPIC Global Solutions

12:30 – 14:00
Masterclass

Beyond the Headlines: Athlete Integrity & The Leadership Response

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  • Explore the psychological, ethical, and leadership challenges surrounding athlete integrity in high-performance sport, including the impact of NIL (Name, Image & Likeness) and mental health pressures.
  • Gain insights from Stevin ‘Hedake’ Smith and Dr. Brian Selman through real-time case studies and open discussion.
  • Learn practical strategies to foster trust and accountability, address integrity breaches, and navigate role-related tensions within elite teams and organisations.

Open to all but please register by writing to [email protected]. 

Dr. Brian Selman

EPIC Global Solutions

Stevin ‘Hedake’ Smith

EPIC Global Solutions

* Lunch Break *
14:00 – 14:05
Roundtable

Welcome Back

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14:00 – 14:05
Roundtable

Welcome Back

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  • Our host will set the scene for the afternoon. Time for some lessons in strategic alignment and exclusive stories behind the most extreme performers.

14:05 – 14:45
Workshop

From Challenge to Choice: Positive Psychology in Action

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Gloria Park

The HJF for the Advancement of Military Medicine

Karen Reivich

University of Pennsylvania

14:05 – 14:45
Workshop

From Challenge to Choice: Positive Psychology in Action

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  • When pressure peaks, mental resilience is the foundation of great decision-making. We will uncover how leaders and high-performance teams can systematically build resilience using evidence-based techniques. Drawing on approaches from the fields of positive psychology and human performance, Gloria and Karen will show how to cultivate skills like cognitive flexibility, realistic optimism, and self-regulation, all of which are essential traits for risk-taking and leadership under uncertainty. Expect strategies that can be immediately applied to enhance individual resilience, strengthen team collaboration, and create high-trust environments where better decisions thrive.
  • Theme: 🎲 Risk and Resilience: The Psychology of High-Performance Decision-Making

Gloria Park

The HJF for the Advancement of Military Medicine

Karen Reivich

University of Pennsylvania

15:05 – 16:00
Panel

Performance Programming in Philly: Meeting the Needs of Modern Day Athletes

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Simon Rice

Philadelphia 76ers

Ian McKeown

Philadelphia Flyers

15:05 – 16:00
Panel

Performance Programming in Philly: Meeting the Needs of Modern Day Athletes

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  • In this unique session, we will hear from three of the leading professional teams situated here in Philadelphia, welcoming their respective performance leads to join us for a punchy session exploring how they are continuing to strategise, adapt and evolve their programmes to provide leading support for their athletes. We’ll be looking to glean honest insights into what is working, what is challenging, and what is on the horizon to keep at the pace of performance.
  • Theme: ♻️ Athlete-Centric: Designing Athlete Environments for Adaptability/ 🤝 The Power of Collaboration: Tackling Through Interdisciplinary Approaches

Simon Rice

Philadelphia 76ers

Ian McKeown

Philadelphia Flyers

16:00 – Close
Drinks

Close, Connection Time & Drinks

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16:00 – Close
Drinks

Close, Connection Time & Drinks

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  • We’ll finish the day with some drinks, giving you the opportunity to connect and reconnect with peers and friends at the end of the afternoon and into the evening.
  • Keep your eyes peeled, more details coming.

Thursday 31 July 2025
08:30 – 09:30
Breakfast

Arrivals, Breakfast & Welcome

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08:30 – 09:30
Breakfast

Arrivals, Breakfast & Welcome

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We return for the second day of our summit at the Wells Fargo Center, on behalf of our hosts the Philadelphia Flyers.

09:30 – 09:45
Welcome

Welcome Back: Morning Reflections

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Host

Shona Crooks

09:30 – 09:45
Welcome

Welcome Back: Morning Reflections

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  • We’ll start the day by reflecting on the core elements of our themes and findings from the ‘Winning Formula for the Future of Performance Sport’ Report.
  • This session will help you frame how you use the rest of the Summit to build on the themes and insights from this Summit’s content and discussions.

Host

Shona Crooks

10:00 – 11:00
Case Study

The Leader’s Brain: Enhancing Leadership, Decision-Making & Innovation

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Michael Platt

The Wharton Neuroscience Initiative

10:00 – 11:00
Case Study

The Leader’s Brain: Enhancing Leadership, Decision-Making & Innovation

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Michael Platt

The Wharton Neuroscience Initiative

11:30 – 12:15
Case Study

Holistic Development of the Modern Day Performer: School of American Ballet

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Aesha Ash

School of American Ballet

Katy Vedder

School of American Ballet

11:30 – 12:15
Case Study

Holistic Development of the Modern Day Performer: School of American Ballet

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In this engaging conversation, leaders from the Aesha and Katy (SAB) will share how they design a high-performance environment that supports the full spectrum of student development artistically, physically, and emotionally. Set within the uniquely demanding context of elite classical ballet, this session explores SAB’s holistic, multidisciplinary approach to training modern-day performers. Through visuals and real-world examples, we’ll show how SAB builds adaptable, resilient dancers by placing people, not just performance, at the center.

Aligned with key summit themes, this session will cover:

  • Athlete-Centric Design: How SAB structures daily life around the performer
  • Collaboration Across Disciplines: How wellness staff, artistic faculty, and academic advisors work as a unified support system
  • SAB’s Holistic Talent Model: What this looks like in action, from screening and injury prevention to emotional support and mentorship

Aesha Ash

School of American Ballet

Katy Vedder

School of American Ballet

12:15 – 12:45
Panel

Data-Driven Intelligence: Bridging Infrastructure, Implementation & Innovation

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Sam Gregory

US Soccer

John Boyles

Philadelphia 76ers

Andrew Murray

National Basketball Association

12:15 – 12:45
Panel

Data-Driven Intelligence: Bridging Infrastructure, Implementation & Innovation

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In this forward-looking conversation, we’ll be joined by two leaders influencing data, analytics and R&D in their respective organisations. We’ll garner insights around how we generate insights, use data effectively to support decision-making and build robust infrastructures and strategies to take advantage of the opportunities technological developments are presenting and turn visions into realities.

  • Infrastructure First: How organisations need robust data systems, clean infrastructure, and clear usage guidelines before intelligence can deliver value.
  • Strategic Intelligence vs. Tactical Tools: a organisational strategic approach to enhance decision-making and uncover patterns we might miss.
  • The Path Forward: where are the opportunities and how are we best preparing ourselves to take advantage of these?

Sam Gregory

US Soccer

John Boyles

Philadelphia 76ers

Andrew Murray

National Basketball Association

12:30 – 13:45
Masterclass

Masterclass: State of Play in Leadership Development: What Skills are Emerging as Critical for Modern Day Leadership?

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Ben Baroody

Abilene Christian University

12:30 – 13:45
Masterclass

Masterclass: State of Play in Leadership Development: What Skills are Emerging as Critical for Modern Day Leadership?

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Sport Performance Summit lunchtime masterclass sessions allow you to hear from an industry peer or expert around a specific performance topic. The session, which starts off with lunch in a private room, provides you with an opportunity to share experiences and ideas with others to form solutions to a challenge, performance question or problem.

In this session, we will explore:

  • Why is leadership stagnating? In our recent Trends in Performance Sport report, data showed that 57% of participants felt that leadership has stagnated in their environments over recent years.
  • Evolving leadership skills. We will discuss which leadership skills we feel are becoming increasingly important in the modern sporting landscape.
  • Improving our impact as leaders. What role can we play in bringing these leadership skills to life to elevate the quality of leadership in our organisations?

This Session is Now Fully Booked.

Ben Baroody

Abilene Christian University

* Lunch Break *
14:30 – 14:45
Roundtable

From Insight to Action: What is Your Commitment to the Winning Formula?

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Host

Shona Crooks

14:30 – 14:45
Roundtable

From Insight to Action: What is Your Commitment to the Winning Formula?

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  • As we wrap up our summit, we invite you to take a moment to reflect on the key insights you’ve gained from all the different voices on the stage and in the room. Instead of simply sitting and listening, we’ll be making this session interactive and energising with your Leaders Performance Institute peers. This is your chance to solidify your learning, make it actionable, and leave with a renewed sense of purpose.

Host

Shona Crooks

15:00 – Close
Close

Close & Connection Time

15:00 – Close
Close

Close & Connection Time

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Members Registration

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