FIERCE Women in Sports

Date: Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Location: MSUFCU Headquarters Building 1
Time: 8:30 - 11:30 a.m
Registration Fee: $25

FIERCE Women in Sports was created on the principle that Females Ignite Empower Respect Collaborate and Engage with one another to expand our networks and strengthen relationships. In its inaugural year, FIERCE Women in Sports is a day of celebration!

In honor of National Girls & Women in Sports Day, we invite women from across the Greater Lansing region to come together and celebrate the power of sport to unlock potential, foster community, and inspire greatness. This event will feature inspiring women leaders who will share their insights on the power of mentorship and how sport can serve as a universal language to bring people together.

FIERCE is a chance to connect, learn and be empowered by the incredible achievements of girls and women in sports. Don’t miss this opportunity to honor the trailblazers and role models who are shaping the future and paving the way for the next generation.

Join us as we showcase the transformative power of sport to elevate individuals and communities alike!

Group photo of sponsors, speakers, and the LSC team at the FIERCE event

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

8:30 am - Registration, Meet & Greet, light breakfast provided

9:00 am - Welcome Remarks - Meghan Ziehmer, Executive Director, Lansing Sports Commission

9:15 am - No Permission Needed: Women Who Lead Boldly - Dr. Jen Fry

10:00 am - Full Circle Moments: From Athlete and Coach to Colleagues - Fireside Chat w/ Cathy George, Head Coach & VP of Operations for Grand Rapids Rise and Kristen Kelsay, Head Coach Michigan State Women's Volleyball

10:45 am - Closing Remarks

11:00 am - Networking

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Jen Fry - No Permission Needed: Women Who Lead Boldly

Leadership is built, not handed over. It comes from the small, daily choices to speak up, show up, and stand alongside other women.

In this keynote, Dr. Jen Fry brings energy, honesty, and real-world tools to help women and girls lead with purpose. She explores what it means to support one another through both celebration and conflict, to name tension rather than avoid it, and to use those moments to build trust rather than fear.

Jen will challenge you to step outside your comfort zone and own your role in shaping the culture around you. You’ll leave with strategies for leading through discomfort, holding space for others, and recognizing that resilience grows in community, not isolation.

This session is both a celebration and a call to action: to lead boldly, to lift each other up, and to remember that there is room in sport for every voice, every story, and every kind of leader.

Fireside Chat with Cathy George & Kristen Kelsay - Full Circle Moments: From Athlete and Coach to Colleagues

Cathy George, Head Coach & VP of Volleyball Operations for the Grand Rapids Rise, joins us alongside Michigan State University's Head Women's Volleyball, Kristen Kelsay for a powerful fireside chat. They will share the evolution of their relationship from coach and athlete to respected colleagues in the coaching world. Their conversation will explore the impact of mentorship and the importance of women uplifting women in sports and in life.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Dr. Jen Fry

Dr. Jen Fry (she/her) is a conflict literacy expert, Sports Geographer, tech founder, TEDx speaker, and international speaker. She owns JenFryTalks, an organizational change firm that sits at the intersection of conflict and culture. She specializes in transforming organizational dynamics by addressing how conflict and culture shape leadership and overall business outcomes.

As a veteran volleyball coach with over 15 years of experience coaching at the collegiate level, Jen understands how conflict within athletics, corporate, or professional settings can impact a team. Jen wants to help you build the skills you need to navigate those hard but essential conversations and come out on top. She received her PhD in Sports Geography from Michigan State University (GO GREEN!). She just released her first book, I Said No: How to Have a Backbone and Boundaries Without Being a Jerk.

Kristen Kelsay

Kirsten Kelsay, a former Michigan State volleyball standout, was named the eighth head coach in program history on Dec. 22, 2024.

Kelsay returned to MSU after two seasons as Minnesota’s associate head coach, where she led recruiting efforts and worked with setters. She helped the Gophers to their 10th straight NCAA Tournament in 2024 and guided setter Melani Shaffmaster to All-Big Ten and AVCA honors. Her 2025 recruiting class was ranked among the nation’s top 10.

Before Minnesota, Kelsay coached at Northwestern (2019–21) and Michigan State (2015–18), helping the Spartans to an 85–48 record and an Elite Eight appearance in 2017. She also held roles with Volleyball Club Nebraska and USA Volleyball’s National Team Development Program.

As a player (2010–13), Kelsay was a two-time captain, ranking fourth in MSU history in sets played and seventh in assists. She led the Spartans to consecutive Sweet 16s and earned multiple academic and leadership honors, including CoSIDA Academic All-America recognition.

A Wheaton, Illinois native, Kelsay earned her bachelor’s in psychology from MSU (2014) and a master’s in sports administration from Northwestern.

Cathy George

On March 13, 2023, the Grand Rapids Rise announced Cathy George as the team’s head coach and director of volleyball operations. Six months later, she transitioned to the role of VP of volleyball operations. In her 36th season as a head coach, George guided the Rise to the Major League Volleyball championship match in the franchise’s inaugural 2024 season.

The winningest coach in the history of Michigan State’s volleyball program, George led the Spartans for 17 seasons (2005-21) and totaled 35 years as a collegiate head coach, including 11 seasons (1994-2004) at Western Michigan. Upon her retirement from MSU in January 2022, her 667 career wins ranked 15th among active Division I coaches and third in the Big Ten.

George began her DI coaching career at UT-Arlington in 1989, reaching the Final Four in her first season at the helm and winning three Southland Conference titles (1989, 1990 and 1992) in five years. She was the first female head coach to lead a team to the NCAA Division I Final Four. George got her start as a collegiate head coach at the NCAA DII level at North Dakota State, serving from 1987-88.

George, with her husband Jerry, have two sons, T.J. and Conner, both of whom are MSU graduates.

FIERCE Girls in Sports

FIERCE Girls in Sports is a dynamic, empowering clinic designed to ignite confidence and connection in young female athletes. At the heart of our program is the belief that Females Ignite, Empower, Respect, Collaborate, and Engage through sport.

Learn more about the 2026 FIERCE Girls in Sports.