This year, nVent joined the Minnesota Lynx as a Changemakers inaugural partner. Changemakers is a first-of-its-kind venture focused on building the next generation of female leaders and elevating women’s sports in Minnesota. On August 26, nVent participated in the Changemakers Summit at Target Center alongside fellow inaugural sponsors Target and Pentair, first Changemakers impact partner Girls Taking Action, current and previous Minnesota Lynx players and other community members.
Maya Moore Irons was the summit’s keynote speaker. Moore Irons, a 4-time WNBA champion with the Minnesota Lynx and one of the game’s most prolific players, talked about her journey from the WNBA to a social justice advocate and the “changemakers” that influenced her along the way.
“The things you are doing now are for the future. Who you are now is because of what you did.” she said in her keynote address. “It was always about how am I going to thrive and how are my people going to thrive? Those are the questions that I am always thinking myself as my priorities are being set.”
We are excited to partner with other organizations that share our values to help foster gender equity and women’s leadership through the power of sports. The Changemakers platform combines purpose-driven activation with direct financial support of local organizations such as Girls Taking Action™, working to empower and educate girls to succeed in school and life.
“Our goal as an organization is to focus on mentorship, developing young women and letting them know that anything is possible.” said Martha Bennett, nVent Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer and nVent Executive Sponsor of the Changemakers platform. “All of us have an opportunity to be a changemaker and show up for young girls. I think it is important that all of us do that.”
“I think the thing we need to look at for women in sports is that we are in the same trajectory as men's sports.” said Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota Lynx Head Coach and USA Basketball Women’s National Team Head Coach. “Every time we played [in the Olympics], we played in front of crowds of 27,000 people. We saw a level of passion for the game. The globalization of women’s basketball was on display in France.”
The Lynx will also celebrate nVent and the other Changemaker partners on ‘Changemaker Night’ on Friday, Sept. 13 when Minnesota hosts the Chicago Sky. All partners and Girls Taking Action™ will be recognized with a special on-court ceremony. We hope to see you there. Go Lynx!