Wake Forest Athletics
NFL Invites Deacs’ Sports Performance Director to Women’s Forum
2/21/2019 4:56:00 PM | Women's Basketball
“If you can’t see her, you can’t be her”
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest director of sports performance (women's basketball), Jena Ready, has been selected to attend the third annual NFL Women's Careers in Football Forum in Indianapolis. The event is taking place in conjunction with the NFL Combine, Feb. 25-27 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The forum aims to assist the National Football League with identifying qualified women as part of its next wave of leaders. The NFL has remained committed to inclusion and expanding the opportunities for women in various roles.
Participants will sit in for panel discussions, presentations and breakout sessions. The goal is to educate, inspire and connect the female candidates regarding various positions in football as coaches, officials, scouts, trainers and more.
In her first year working with Wake Forest women's basketball, but no stranger to working in the industry, the Charlotte, N.C. native understands the significance of the event.
"It means the world to me to receive an invitation," Ready said. "But it means even more to me that the NFL is hosting something like this for women in sports. As a young girl, my dad never hesitated to take me to NFL games. He raised me to believe that I could be interested in the same things my brother was. I'm excited that the NFL understands and acknowledges that women can have dreams of working in football."
Ready has had the privilege of attending similar events in the past, including the Women's Leaders in College Sports National Convention last summer in Atlanta, Ga. Asked how she's used her platform over the years to encourage and motivate other women, her response stands out.
"I heard a quote that was constantly said during some of the key note speaker's presentations," Ready claimed. "If you can't see her, you can't be her".
"If I can be seen in different roles that are sometimes uncommon, then I believe I'm helping other women realize they're not crazy working long hours for six to seven days a week in a weight room."
No stranger to the playing field, Ready was a three-year starter for Queens University (Charlotte) women's lacrosse. She led the Royals with 163 goals, starting in all 55 games over that span. Prior to Queens, she appeared in 19 games for Presbyterian College, tallying eight goals and two assists. As a junior in 2014 at Queens, she was named the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Player of the Year.
Ready earned her undergraduate degree in exercise and sports science from Queens University. She went on to earn her master's in exercise and sports science from Lenoir Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C.
The forum aims to assist the National Football League with identifying qualified women as part of its next wave of leaders. The NFL has remained committed to inclusion and expanding the opportunities for women in various roles.
Participants will sit in for panel discussions, presentations and breakout sessions. The goal is to educate, inspire and connect the female candidates regarding various positions in football as coaches, officials, scouts, trainers and more.
In her first year working with Wake Forest women's basketball, but no stranger to working in the industry, the Charlotte, N.C. native understands the significance of the event.
"It means the world to me to receive an invitation," Ready said. "But it means even more to me that the NFL is hosting something like this for women in sports. As a young girl, my dad never hesitated to take me to NFL games. He raised me to believe that I could be interested in the same things my brother was. I'm excited that the NFL understands and acknowledges that women can have dreams of working in football."
Ready has had the privilege of attending similar events in the past, including the Women's Leaders in College Sports National Convention last summer in Atlanta, Ga. Asked how she's used her platform over the years to encourage and motivate other women, her response stands out.
"I heard a quote that was constantly said during some of the key note speaker's presentations," Ready claimed. "If you can't see her, you can't be her".
"If I can be seen in different roles that are sometimes uncommon, then I believe I'm helping other women realize they're not crazy working long hours for six to seven days a week in a weight room."
No stranger to the playing field, Ready was a three-year starter for Queens University (Charlotte) women's lacrosse. She led the Royals with 163 goals, starting in all 55 games over that span. Prior to Queens, she appeared in 19 games for Presbyterian College, tallying eight goals and two assists. As a junior in 2014 at Queens, she was named the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Player of the Year.
Ready earned her undergraduate degree in exercise and sports science from Queens University. She went on to earn her master's in exercise and sports science from Lenoir Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C.
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