August 9th, 2025
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
The Westin Center
Lombard, IL
Empowering Girls for Life is committed to shifting the perception that women do not have the ability or opportunity to achieve as much as their male counterparts.
By creating channels to meet, interact with and learn from diverse, high profile women, EGFL aims to inspire and enable personal and professional success for girls and women everywhere.
Each year, EGFL hosts an event where we invite speakers from various industries and backgrounds to share their barrier-breaking stories and inspire young girls and women that anything they dream of, they can achieve – no matter the obstacles.
Our 2018 – 2025 events hosted Olympic gold medalists, businesswomen, entrepreneurs, educators, national championship coaches, athletes, and more. To learn more about the EGFL alumna, keep scrolling!
Together, we will create the female leaders of tomorrow by empowering girls today.
Experience the epic girls’ empowerment event that will leave you inspired!
Next Event: August 9, 2025
Tickets for the Empowering Girls event are free with required registration thanks to our generous sponsors. 2025 ticket details are below!
Bonnie Tholl
Coaches Corner - 10am Kate Drohan, Caryl Drohan Carol Hutchins, Bonnie Tholl
Bonnie Tholl is in her third season as head coach of the University of Michigan softball program in 2024-25. She was named the fourth head coach in Michigan softball program history on August 24, 2022, after spending 29 years as the Wolverines’ top assistant, including the previous 20 as associate head coach.
Tholl led the Wolverines to a 43-18 record in 2024 — the program’s most wins in five seasons — behind a remarkable second-half turnaround, which featured wins in 33 over their final 42 games. Michigan captured the Big Ten Tournament title after taking second in the conference’s regular-season standings and led all teams with four All-Big Ten first team honorees. U-M also returned to the NCAA Tournament, reaching the regional championship against No. 5-seeded and eventual WCWS participant Oklahoma State. Tholl and her assistants were named the NFCA’s Great Lakes Region Coaching Staff of the Year.
Carol Hutchins
Coaches Corner - 10am Kate Drohan, Caryl Drohan Carol Hutchins, Bonnie Tholl
Carol Hutchins served 38 seasons at the helm of the University of Michigan softball program (1985-2002) and retired as the winningest coach in NCAA softball history with a career record of 1,707-555-5 (.755). Hutchins is also the winningest coach — male or female — in Michigan Athletics history.
“Hutch” led Michigan to the NCAA Women’s College World Series 12 times, and, in 2005, the Wolverines became the first program east of the Mississippi River to claim the NCAA national championship when they defeated UCLA in the championship series. Hutchins’ squads also captured 22 Big Ten regular-season titles, 10 Big Ten Tournament championships and qualified for the NCAA Tournament 29 times (1992-93, ’95-2022). Inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2006, Hutchins earned 18 Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year honors, eight NFCA Regional Coach of the Year awards and a pair of NFCA National Coach of the Year honors.
Caryl Drohan
Coaches Corner - 10am Kate Drohan, Caryl Drohan Carol Hutchins, Bonnie Tholl
Caryl Drohan has been a vital part of the Northwestern staff, spearheading the Wildcats’ offensive attack since she was hired as an assistant coach in 2002. She was promoted to associate head coach in 2005 and alongside her twin sister, Kate has helped lead the Wildcats to 17 NCAA Tournament appearances during her tenure. Northwestern has advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals seven times under the Drohans and made three trips to the Women’s College World Series in 2006, 2007 and most recently in 2022. Drohan and the NU coaching staff have been named the NFCA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year four times (2005-06, 2022-23), also won the NFCA National Staff of the Year award in 2006.
On March 27, 2021, Caryl and Kate became Northwestern softball’s all-time wins leaders with a 15-7 win over Wisconsin for their 641st career win with the Wildcats. Entering the 2025 season, the Drohan’s 780 career wins ranked fourth-most in conference history, while their 327 career conference victories ranked third-most in Big Ten history.
Primarily responsible for hitting, Drohan has led the Wildcats into the offensive upper echelon of the nation, breaking and re-breaking school records in the process. Under Drohan, the Wildcats have set school records in every hitting category: batting average (.332) and on-base percentage (.432) in 2014, runs scored (380) and runs batted in (335) in 2022, hits (484) and home runs (85) in 2007, and slugging percentage (.542) in 2009.
During her tenure, seven Wildcat batters have earned 14 All-American accolades, including three-time Big Ten Player of the Year Garland Cooper (2005-07), two-time player of the year Tammy Williams (2008-09), and the Wildcats’ all-time home runs leader Rachel Lewis (2022 Big Ten Player of the Year). Cooper and Williams both earned U.S. National Team selection camp invitations. Williams became the first NU hitter to ever make the U.S. National Team in 2010, and she is the only four-time NFCA All-American in school history.
This past 2024 season, with a lineup that replaced six of its nine starters in the lineup from the previous year, Drohan led the Wildcats to a 35-13 record and a 19-3 record in conference play en route to Northwestern’s third-straight Big Ten regular season title and its sixth-consecutive berth to the NCAA Tournament. The 1-2 punch of Kansas Robinson and Kelsey Nader atop of the Wildcats’ lineup each were named All-Americans.
Drohan came from Hofstra University after spending five years on the coaching staff. During her time at Hofstra, the Pride won four-consecutive America East championships (1998-2001) and advanced to the NCAA Championships three straight times (1999-2001). In 2000, the Hofstra coaching staff was a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) regional staff of the year Prior to her arrival at Hofstra, Drohan spent a year at Providence as an assistant coach. She also played at Providence from 1992-95, during which she was named second- team All-ECAC in 1994 and second- team All-Big East in 1995.
Active on the camp circuit, Drohan has traveled all over the nation to work with high school, club, ASA and fellow collegiate coaches, lecturing on hitting and offensive technique and strategy.
Kate Drohan
Coaches Corner - 10am Kate Drohan, Caryl Drohan Carol Hutchins, Bonnie Tholl
Kate Drohan has led Northwestern since 2002. In 2025, she began her 24th season as the Wildcats’ head softball coach, passing the legendary Sharon Drysdale for the longest tenured coaching stint in program history. Alongside her twin sister, Caryl, Drohan is the program’s all-time wins leaders. The Wildcats have made 17 NCAA Tournament appearances during her tenure, including nine in the past 10 tournaments. Northwestern has advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals seven times under the Drohans and made three trips to the Women’s College World Series in 2006, 2007 and most recently in 2022.
Drohan has won five Big Ten titles with the Wildcats, including each of the last three seasons. Her five conference championships are tied with Drysdale for the third-most in Big Ten history, while her career wins (780 entering the 2025 season) rank fourth-most. Her 327 career conference victories entering 2025 rank the third-most in Big Ten history, a mark which nearly doubles the next highest total among active coaches, while her .675 winning percentage in conference play trails only Carol Hutchins for the highest in Big Ten history.
The Providence College alum has won six Big Ten Coach of the Year awards, including three years in a row and four of the past five seasons the award was handed out. Her six Big Ten Coach of the Year awards rank second-most in Big Ten history, and are tied for second among active Power-5 coaches in their respective conferences. In her 23 seasons, Drohan has seen her players earn 107 All-Big Ten awards and 19 NFCA All-American nods.
This past 2024 season, with a lineup that replaced six of its nine defensive starters from the previous year, Drohan led the Wildcats to a 35-13 record and a 19-3 record in conference play en route to Northwestern’s third-straight Big Ten regular season title and its sixth-consecutive berth to the NCAA Tournament.
In March of 2024, Northwestern University announced plans to construct a new Softball Stadium, with construction expected to begin in the summer of 2025 and anticipated completion by the start of the team’s 2026 home season. The project will increase the stadium’s seating capacity, create new spaces for the student-athletes (including a team clubhouse, a players’ lounge, a new locker room, centrally located training and team development spaces), a fully renovated press box for TV and radio coverage, and elevated fan experience amenities including a new courtyard entrance to accommodate tailgating. The lead gift for the project was a $5 million contribution from former Northwestern basketball player, Kip Kirkpatrick (Class of 1994) and his wife, Sara. The new facility will be named ‘Kip and Sara Kirkpatrick Stadium,’ while the playing field within the stadium will retain the name ‘Sharon J. Drysdale Field.’
NiJaree Canady
Rising Star - 1045am NiJaree Canady
NiJaree Canady is a Stanford Softball Student-Athlete, Softball America NCAA Freshman of the Year, Three-Time Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week, and WCWS All-Tournament Team. She has earned many accolades through her time in Division I Softball as a student-athlete at Stanford and now Texas Tech University:
TUCCI/NFCA Freshman of the Year (2023)
D1Softball Freshman of the Year (2023)
Softball America NCAA Freshman of the Year (2023)
D1Softball Freshman All-American (2023)
USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top-25 Finalist (2023)
Women’s College World Series All-Tournament Team (2023)
All-Pac-12 First Team (2023)
Pac-12 All-Freshman Team (2023)
Pac-12 All-Tournament Team (2023)
Three-time D1 Softball Freshman of the Week (Mach 2, 2023, March 7, 2023, May 2, 2023)
Three-time Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week (Feb. 20, 2023, March 6, 2023, May 1, 2023)
Three-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week (Feb. 20, 2023, April 24, 2023, May 1, 2023)
Jackie Geraci Barbanente
League of Lady Leaders - Jenna Lilley, Mimi Morris, Jackie Geraci Barbanente and Rachel Becker
Jackie Geraci Barbanente, a Chicago native, is a first-generation college graduate who attended Loyola University, where she excelled both academically and athletically. A four-year captain of the softball team, she played shortstop and catcher while earning degrees in Marketing, Information Technology, and Italian. She later earned an MBA in Marketing and Management.
Jackie began her career at Kraft Foods, where she gained experience across multiple functional areas after starting in IT. She then joined US Foods, leading the development of their retail grocery strategy and ultimately serving as both CMO and CIO for the retail division. Today, she is the Vice President of Retail Sales for North America at NCR Voyix, a leading retail technology firm.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Jackie is passionate about mentoring female athletes, helping them navigate both their collegiate journeys and careers beyond sports. As a proud mother, she supports her daughter’s academic and athletic pursuits. Cassi, a former gymnast at Arizona State is now pursuing her MBA at Penn State and competing her 5th as a gymnast. Michela, a sophomore softball player at Penn State, is pursuing a degree in Broadcast Journalism. An athlete at heart, Jackie still enjoys competing and playing sports whenever she gets the chance.
Jenna Lilley (Weisberg)
League of Lady Leaders - Jenna Lilley, Mimi Morris, Jackie Geraci Barbanente and Rachel Becker
Former Beverly Bandits and Oregon great with a track record of success at University of Oregon, the USA Women’s National Team, and now in her career:
- University of Oregon Softball 2014-2018: Honored as two-time NFCA All-American, 2015 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Top 3 Finalist for National Freshman of the Year, three-time All-Pac-12 Selection and three-time WCWS participant
- USA Women’s National Team (2016-2018) and USA Junior Women’s National Team (2015): Junior WBSC Champion (2015), World Cup Bronze and Silver Medalist (2016, 2018)
Current Investment Banking Analyst at Greenwich Capital Group, a leading middle-market investment bank, where she is responsible for supporting the execution of Mergers & Acquisitions transactions, capital raises, and financial advisory servicesce.
Mimi Morris
League of Lady Leaders - Jenna Lilley, Mimi Morris, Jackie Geraci Barbanente and Rachel Becker
Mimi then became a Partnerships Manager at Motorola Mobility, www.motorola.com where her role is to manage sports sponsorships by tapping into the passion and loyalty of sports fans at Motorola’s partners, including the Cubs, the Padres, the Yankees in the MLB; the Bucks and the Bulls in the NBA; and in College sports partnerships with Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas. From logo placements on uniforms to in-venue branding and digital engagement, Motorola’s sports sponsorship strategy has significantly boosted brand recognition, and its brand visibility has increased dramatically in the last three years. Mimi’s role is to drive product awareness and brand consideration for Motorola through sports marketing by identifying teams who have a fanbase that aligns with Motorola’s target demographic and to negotiate and implement contracts with their partners. This also includes managing NIL deals with their brand ambassadors, including Samantha Landry (OU softball) and Abby Duchscherer (AL softball).
She graduated from New Trier HS in Winnetka, Il., where she was an All-State softball player, played travel ball with the Illinois Chill Gold, and was a softball scholarship recipient from James Madison University during the years that her team was consistently ranked in the top 20, and as high as #8, in the NCAA rankings.
Rachel Becker
League of Lady Leaders - Jenna Lilley, Mimi Morris, Jackie Geraci Barbanente and Rachel Becker
Project Manager for Curve Test Centers. Associate Consultant for CEO.works. Professional Softball Player for the OKC Spark – Entering my 2nd season with the Spark. ESPN+ Analyst for Oklahoma State Softball. Former. 1 season at Athletes Unlimited. 2-time All-American at Purdue University & Oklahoma State University.
BA in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University; MBA, with a concentration in Entrepreneurship from Oklahoma State University
Leah Amico
Legend - 12:15pm Leah O'Brien-Amico
Leah Amico is a three-time Olympic gold medalist with USA Softball, a two-time World Champion, a National Softball Hall of Fame Inductee in 2009, and a three-time national champion at The University of Arizona. At Arizona, Leah was also honored as a three-time First Team All-American and a three-time First Team Academic All-American for her excellence both on the field and in the classroom. Known for being one of the most clutch hitters of all time, Leah still holds the record for highest batting average in the Women’s College World Series. Leah is also a college softball analyst with ESPN and Westwood One Sports, where she imparts her love and knowledge of the game to many fans across the world. Experiencing triumphs and overcoming trials taught Leah how to perform in pressure situations and helped her climb to new heights of success. The lessons she learned during her collegiate and Olympic journeys have helped Leah to pass on knowledge that can be applied in any career field.
Leah Amico is a professional and inspirational speaker with over 25 years of national speaking engagements. She empowers people with the tools needed to have a strong mindset and apply the daily discipline needed to be successful. Leah relates to others with her stories that are engaging and inspiring. She shares keys to unlocking your potential that can help you thrive in any situation. Leah leaves people believing they can and will conquer their personal and career goals if they will apply the core principles she speaks about. She is also passionate about being able to enjoy a healthy balance between work and personal life. Leah helps people determine their own views of success and to set goals to rise to the top of their expectations.
Emcee - Sydney Supple
Sydney Supple is a color analyst and PXP for ESPN+, BIG Ten+, ACC Network, and FloSports. A former student-athlete from Northwestern University, she played softball at the highest level, winning three Big Ten titles, and started at the Women’s College World Series in 2022. At Northwestern, she discovered her love for Journalism, chronicling behind the scenes of the softball team and broadcasting sporting events.
After completing her degree in Journalism from Medill at Northwestern, she obtained her Master’s in Broadcast & Digital Journalism at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
She is a contributing member of Softball America, a play-by-play, color analyst, and sideline reporter for Power Four football, softball, volleyball, soccer, basketball, and baseball.
Achievements:
- 2023, BigTen Distinguished Scholar
- 2021, 2022, 2023 BigTen Academic All-American
- 2023 Big Ten Softball Conference Tournament Champion
- 2022, 2023 Big Ten Softball Conference Champion
- 2022 Participant in the Women’s College World Series
- 2019, 2018, and 2017 Wisconsin Softball Gatorade Player of the Year
10 Speakers
Join us August 9th for a day of inspirational keynotes and fireside chats from current and former student-athletes, executives, broadcasters, and more. We can’t wait to host a power-packed lineup of speakers for our 8th Annual Empowering Girls Event!
Hear from two coaching duos who have changed the standard of the game of softball at Northwestern University and helped pave the way for future generations of coaches and student-athletes.
Kate Drohan & Caryl Drohan – Northwestern Softball Head Coaches and all-time wins leaders
Bonnie Tholl & Carol Hutchins – Michigan Softball Former Head Coach who is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA softball history and Current Head Coach
Hear from one of the rising stars in the game of softball who has earned the largest Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deal for softball to date.
NiJaree Canady – 2024 NCAA Player of the Year, 2 time All-American, Softball Student-Athlete at Texas Tech (formerly at Stanford)
Hear from a group of former softball student-athletes who used their time as student-athletes to shape their lives in different ways today.
Rachel Becker – Former two-time All American Purdue/Oklahoma St. Division I softball student-athlete; current Project Manager for CURVE Test Centers at Diamond Allegiance
Mimi Morris – Former James Madison Division I softball student-athlete; current Brand Partnership Manager at Motorola
Jackie Barbanente – Former Loyola Division I softball student-athlete; current Area V.P. of Sales for NCR Corporation; mother of two Division I softball and gymnastics student-athletes
Jenna Lilley-Weisberg – Former Bandits and Oregon two-time All American Division I softball student-athlete; former Team USA National team softball player; current Investment Banking Analyst at Greenwich Capital Group
Hear from an Olympic softball legend as she shares her story of her time at Arizona and on the USA Softball National Team.
Leigh O’Brien-Amico – Three-time Olympic Gold medalist (1996, 2000, 2004) and three-time NCAA National Champion Division I softball student-athlete at University of Arizona.
Sydney Supple – ESPN and BIG 10 Sports Broadcaster
In partnership with you, our goal for this event is to give our speakers a stage to educate, inform and inspire the personal, social and athletic leadership skills necessary for our future leaders. Our speakers’ will motivate and inspire everyone to help make the future a better, more encouraging and equal opportunity space.
Showcase your support for the EGFL conference with a tax-deductible sponsorship and be a part of empowering women and girls everywhere. By providing a space for female leaders to share their stories, we empower girls and women to use their stories as catalysts to dream big and dream fearlessly.
By participating as a conference sponsor, you’re demonstrating your corporate support for diversity and equality in all facets of life, while also providing valuable opportunities for community outreach and recruitment.
Together, we will create the leaders of tomorrow by empowering girls today.
If interested in becoming a sponsor of Empowering Girls for Life, please fill out our contact form, or call 708.927.8193 – Bill Conroy, founder of Empowering Girls for Life.