Donna Orender
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Donna Geils Orender (born February 14, 1957) is a sports executive and a former collegiate and professional
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player. She was formerly president of the
Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...
(WNBA), and senior vice president of the PGA. Currently, Orender is the founder and CEO of Orender Unlimited, a Jacksonville, FL based advisory and consultancy firm. She travels the world as a motivational speaker and advocating for the empowerment of women and young girls through her non-profit organization Generation W.


Early life

Orender was born in
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
, New York, grew up in
Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long I ...
, and in Elmont, New York on
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
, and is Jewish. She belonged to a Conservative synagogue (the Elmont Jewish Center). She attended and played basketball for Elmont High School, in
Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City. The population was 35,265 at the ...
, and was a five-sport athlete in high school, also lettering in
field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...
,
volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
,
softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...
, and
tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
.What Makes Donna Run… and Jump, Shoot and Putt? , Women's League for Conservative Judaism – Jewish Women's Group
/ref> According to Orender, Elmont High School did not have a girls’ tennis team while she was attending, so she asked the coach to play for the boys’ team. The coach agreed to let her try out for the team, and in doing so she beat her opponent and became the first girl to play tennis for the high school, which gained little attention to her surprise.


College years

Orender turned down an academic scholarship to the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
to instead attend
Queens College Queens College (QC) is a public college in the Queens borough of New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system. Its 80-acre campus is primarily located in Flushing, Queens. It has a student body representing more than 170 ...
in New York City, New York to play basketball for Lucille Kyvallos.  Queens College was invited to play
Immaculata The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth wh ...
at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
on February 22, 1975.  The matchup was the first ever college women's basketball game in the arena. Orender graduated from Queens College in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in
psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...
. While at Queens College she was an
All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
n basketball player. In 2012 Orender was inducted into the Queens College Athletics Hall of Fame. After graduating from Queens College, Orender attended
Adelphi University Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York. Adelphi also has centers in Manhattan, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County. There is also a virtual, online campus for remote students. It is the oldest institution of higher ed ...
to pursue her master's degree in
social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...
. She dropped out of the program after one year to play professional basketball for the
Women's Pro Basketball League A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardle ...
(WBL). Adelphi University presented Orender with an honorary doctor of law degree in 2007.


Career


Women's Pro Basketball League (WBL) (1979–1981)

Under the name Donna Geils, Orender played three seasons in the
Women's Pro Basketball League A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardle ...
(WBL), where she was an All-Star, and one of only 20 women to play in all three seasons of the league. During that time, she played for the
New York Stars New York Stars could refer to: *New York Stars (WBL), a team that played two seasons in the Women's Professional Basketball League before disbanding in 1980 *New York Stars (WFL), a team in the World Football League that relocated in 1974 and becam ...
(1978–79),
New Jersey Gems The New Jersey Gems was a franchise that played in the Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL), one of only three teams in the league to survive through all three seasons, from 1978–79 to 1980–81. The team made the league playoffs once, lo ...
(1979–80), and
Chicago Hustle The Chicago Hustle was a team in the Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL) from 1978 to 1981. The team's colors were red and blue. History The Hustle played in all three WBL seasons and led the league in attendance each year. The WBL's ina ...
(1980–81). Orender's WBL career is featured in the book ''Mad Seasons: The Story of the First Women's Basketball League, 1978–1981'', by Karra Porter (University of Nebraska Press, 2006). The WBL was disbanded in 1981. Orender still holds two records for most field goals made, and is currently ranked 34th with 249 field goals made in the 1979–1980 season and ranked 7th for most turnovers in a single season, with 191 also in the 1979–1980 season. Both records were set as a part of the New Jersey Gems. When the league shutdown in 1981, Orender wrote an article for ''The Times'' called "Making a Dream Come True, and Watching it Fade Away." In 1985, she was the captain of the Team USA Women's Basketball Team at the
1985 Maccabiah Games The 12th Maccabiah Games brought over 4,000 athletes to Israel from 38 nations to compete in 28 sports. History The Maccabiah Games were first held in 1932. In 1961, they were declared a "Regional Sports Event" by, and under the auspices and super ...
in Israel.


Television production (1981–1987)

Orender's television production career began as a production assistant at
ABC Sports ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
and continued at the
Sports Channel Sports channels are television speciality channels (usually available exclusively through cable and satellite) broadcast sporting events, usually live, and when not broadcasting events, sports news and other related programming. The first sport ...
. Orender also owned her own production and marketing company, Primo Donna Productions.


Professional Golfer's Association (PGA) Tour (1987–2005)

In 1987, Orender started working for the
PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...
, where she oversaw their global television and production businesses.  By 1989, she was the original producer of ''Inside the PGA Tour'', a half-hour highlights show. In 1997 she negotiated a $400 million TV contract with the networks for the PGA Tour. In 2001, she became the senior vice president of strategic development in the Office of the Commissioner.  Orender spent 17 years with the PGA.


Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) (2005–2011)

In February 2005, Orender was named the new WNBA president, succeeding
Val Ackerman Valerie B. Ackerman (born November 7, 1959) is an American sports executive, former lawyer, and former basketball player. She is the current commissioner of the Big East Conference. She is best known for being the first president of the Women's Na ...
. Her responsibilities included the oversight of all league operations including both the business and competitive aspects of the league. During her tenure, she negotiated an eight-year contract extension with Disney/ABC/ESPN which, for the first time, included broadcast rights fees and a six-year Collective Bargaining agreement. On December 3, 2010, it was announced that Orender would be stepping down from her post effective December 31, 2010. NBA Vice President Chris Granger was tabbed to replace her on an interim basis until Laurel Richie was the named the new president. During her time with the organization Orender notes attendance growth, development on ESPN, and broadcast development are all highlights that she is proud to have played a role in. In an interview with Jackson Daily Record Orender discusses her decision to step down as president was in part due to her twin sons. She wanted to be around for them as they were growing up, and as they needed her more.


Advocacy and entrepreneurship (2011–present)


Generation W

In 2011, Orender registered and launched a 501c3, non-profit organization called Generation W. This non-profit organization is used to provide a platform to bring women together to educate, inspire, and connect through mentor-ship and national events. Orender became the CEO of Generation W when it was founded in 2011. Generation W is Orender's proudest professional accomplishment.


Orender Unlimited, LLC.

In the same year, Orender also launched Orender Unlmited, a consulting and advisory firm based in Jacksonville, Florida.  This organization focuses on marketing, media, and diversity strategies for its clientele. She has been the CEO since it launched in 2011. Through both of her organizations, Orender has been invited to be the keynote and motivational speaker for many events around the nation.  She has also been a global ambassador for Vital Voices, traveling to India to help mentor young women entrepreneurs. In 2016, she gave a
TEDx Talk TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...
presentation in Jacksonville, FL. In July 2018, Orender published a book titled ''WOWsdom! The Girl's Guide to the Positive and the Possible'' (Mascot Books, July 10, 2018). Donna Orender has been appointed and elected to serve on several organizations' executive board committees: * Monique Burr Foundation for Children (board member) * V Foundation for Cancer Research (board member) * United Jewish Appeal (UJA) Sports for Youth Initiative (co-chair) * Brooks College of Health at the University of North Florida (advisory board) * DeVos Graduate Sports Business Management program at the University of Central Florida (advisory board) * World Surfing League (WSL) (founding board member, 2013)


Personal life

In 1990, Orender moved from New York to
Jacksonville Beach Jacksonville Beach is a coastal resort city in Duval County, Florida, United States. It was incorporated on May 22, 1907, as Pablo Beach, and would later change its name to Jacksonville Beach in 1925. The city is part of group of communities col ...
, Florida, where she resides with her husband. She is a member of the Jacksonville Jewish Center. She is a member of
Sigma Gamma Rho Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority, international collegiate, and non-profit community service organization that was founded on November 12, 1922, by seven educators on the Irvington campus (1875–1 ...
. Orender met her future husband Carnace (MG) Orender while both were working for
PGA of America The Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA of America) is an American organization of golf professionals that was founded in 1916. Consisting of nearly 29,000 men and women members, the PGA of America's undertaking is to establish ...
. MG has held several professional roles in the golf community such as president of Hamilton Golf, Inc. and many positions within the PGA America organization including PGA President from 2003 – 2004. The two were married in 1994 and have two children together, twin brothers Jacob and Zachary. Jacob is a guard for the
California Golden Bears The California Golden Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Berkeley. Referred to in athletic competition as ''California'' or ''Cal'', the university fields 30 varsity athletic programs and various club te ...
basketball team. Zachary is completing his bachelor's degree at
Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...
. During her time as president of the WNBA, Orender lived and worked in New York, while her husband stayed in Jacksonville with the couple's children. From her marriage, Orender is also mother to two stepchildren, Morgan and Colleen Orender.  Morgan is an associate attorney practicing law in Jacksonville, Florida, and Colleen is a singer based in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
. Orender is friends with
Ann Meyers Drysdale Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
, whom she met in 1979 while playing in the WBL. The two played together for the New Jersey Gems.


Honors and awards

*
Fox Sports Network Fox Sports Networks (FSN), formerly known as Fox Sports Net, was the collective name for a group of regional sports channels in the United States. Formed in 1996 by News Corporation, the networks were acquired by The Walt Disney Company on Mar ...
ranked Donna Orender in the top ten most powerful women in sports (2005) *Sporting News's annual "Power List" in 2005 * Inducted into the
National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame The National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, in Commack, New York, is dedicated to honoring American Jewish figures who have distinguished themselves in sports. Its objective is to foster Jewish identity through athletics, and to commemo ...
(2006) * March of Dimes Sports Leadership Award (2006) * Women in Sports and Events (WISE) Woman of the Year Award (2007) *
Queens College Queens College (QC) is a public college in the Queens borough of New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system. Its 80-acre campus is primarily located in Flushing, Queens. It has a student body representing more than 170 ...
Athletics Hall of Fame (2012) * Elected to the
International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame ( he, יד לאיש הספורט היהודי, translit=Yad Le'ish HaSport HaYehudi) was opened July 7, 1981 in Netanya, Israel. It honors Jewish athletes and their accomplishments from anywhere around ...
(2015) *Business Week's Power 100 Sports issue *Honored by the UJA-Federation of New York's Entertainment, Media and Communications Division ** Youth for Sports, Chair ** Entertainment, Media & Communications Division Executive Committee, Vice Chair *Newsweek 100 Most Influential People in Sports


Writing

During an interview in 2011 with
Athlon Sports Parade Media (previously known as AMG/Parade and Athlon Media Group) is a publisher founded in 1967 that is based in Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville's Spencer Hays was its majority stockholder. It was purchased by The Arena Group in 2022 and now ...
following her announcement that she would be stepping down as President of the WNBA, Orender mentioned writing a book among her professional goals. Orender has several writing credits to her name: * ''My Dad and Me'' by
Larry King Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American television and radio host, whose awards included 2 Peabodys The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program ...
, contributor * ''WOWsdom! The Girl's Guide to the Positive and the Possible'', author * ''Barnstorming America Stories from the Pioneers of Women's Basketball'', co-author * ''The Leaderboard: Conversations on Golf and Life'', contributor * Articles published with ''Sports Illustrated'', ''Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal'', and ''The Times''


See also

* List of select Jewish basketball players


Notes


References


Generation W


{{DEFAULTSORT:Orender, Donna 1957 births Living people 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women Women's National Basketball Association commissioners Basketball players from New York (state) Jewish American sportspeople Jewish women's basketball players People from Long Island Queens College, City University of New York alumni Adelphi University alumni Women in American professional sports management American women's basketball coaches Women basketball executives Women's Professional Basketball League coaches Women's Professional Basketball League players