Italian American Heritage Month: Donna Lopiano

Donna Lopiano is a pioneering American sports executive, advocate, and educator best known for her groundbreaking work in advancing gender equity in athletics. Born in 1946, she was a standout softball player who went on to become one of the leading voices for women’s sports in the United States. Lopiano served for 18 years as the Director of Women’s Athletics at the University of Texas at Austin, where she built one of the most successful women’s athletic programs in the nation.

Lopiano later became the Chief Executive Officer of the Women’s Sports Foundation, founded by Billie Jean King, where she worked to expand opportunities for girls and women in sports at all levels. Lopiano has also consulted widely through her organization, Sports Management Resources, advising universities and athletic programs on gender equity and compliance.

Throughout her career, she has been recognized with numerous honors, including induction into multiple halls of fame and being named one of the “Most Powerful Women in Sports.” Her lifelong advocacy has helped shape the landscape of modern women’s athletics and ensured lasting progress toward equality on and off the field. 

She received her bachelor’s degree from Southern Connecticut State University, her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Southern California and is the recipient of five honorary doctoral degrees. She has coached men’s and women’s volleyball, women’s basketball and softball and the Italian national women’s softball team. As an athlete, she participated in 26 national championships in four sports and was a nine-time All-American at four different positions in softball, playing on six national championship teams. She is a member of the National Sports Hall of Fame, the National Softball Hall of Fame and the Connecticut and Texas Women’s Halls of Fame, among others