NEW YORK – Cassidy Lichtman has been named the winner of the
2022 Athletes Unlimited Civic Leadership Award presented by EY. The award, which
was presented to Lichtman during last night’s Athletes Unlimited Basketball games,
recognizes the breadth and depth of her 2022 civic leadership activities within and
beyond Athletes Unlimited, her dedication and passion for civic leadership activities,
and the degree to which she embraces the opportunity to be both a professional athlete
and civic leader. Lichtman is the second recipient of the award, following inaugural
winner Jazmyn Jackson.
Lichtman was selected by a voting committee including: EY Americas Financial
Services Strategic Relationships Leader Sarah Francis; CEO of vote.org Andrea
Hailey; Co-Founder and CEO of Sports Innovation Lab, Athletes Unlimited Advisory
Board Member and four-time ice hockey Olympian Angela Ruggiero; Creator of Vote
by Design and #AllVoteNoPlay, and Designer in Residence at Stanford Lisa Kay
Solomon; and, Founder of Natasha Watley Foundation and two-time softball Olympian,
Natasha Watley.
Lichtman was a founding member of Athletes Unlimited’s professional volleyball league,
competing in its first two seasons and serving as Chairperson of the Player Executive
Committee. She now serves in a professional capacity with Athletes Unlimited as
Director of Volleyball, and was the first active athlete to be named to a governing board
of a pro sports league when she joined the Athletes Unlimited Board of Directors. She is
also the founder of P/ATH, an organization that harnesses the power of professional
athletes to teach the next generation skills around empathy, equity and empowerment.
Cassidy is a former member of the USA Volleyball Women’s National Team and was a
two-time All-American and an Academic All-American at Stanford. She previously
worked at shift7 with former Chief Technology Officer of the United States, Megan
Smith, on projects focusing on inclusion and economic inequality. Cassidy also sits on
the Board of Directors for USA Volleyball and was named one of AdWeek’s Most
Powerful Women in Sports in 2022.
Lichtman said: “I’m honored to receive this award and grateful to both EY for their
partnership and to Athletes Unlimited for their commitment to not only providing us the
opportunity to play but to elevating our athletes beyond our sport, giving us a platform
and encouraging our development as civic leaders.”
The other finalists for the 2022 Civic Leadership Award presented by EY included
Molly McCage (Volleyball), Haylie McCleney (Softball), Mira Shane (Lacrosse), and
Gwen Svekis (Softball).
The Civic Leadership Award is presented by EY, which joined Athletes Unlimited as a
sponsor in 2022. As part of the award, EY will be providing a contribution to Cassidy’s
charity of choice. Additionally, EY will be providing resources to help athletes achieve
success off the field of play through the Athletes+ program.
Kate Barton, Global Vice Chair, EY, said: “It is incredibly important for us to create and
champion an inclusive culture that enables every woman’s full potential – including
current and former athletes who bring key leadership skills to the workplace –
dedication, resilience, teamwork and civic involvement – critical traits for building strong
teams and solving clients increasingly complex issues. This is why we’re proud to have
the opportunity to recognize Cassidy for demonstrating outstanding civic leadership
contributions and being an example for other women athletes.”
Andrea Hailey, CEO of Vote.org and a member of the voting committee said: “Cassidy
embodies the ideals of civic leadership and is an active and engaged citizen — on and
off the court. She is dedicated to building community and using her platform to create
change. Her dedication has been especially apparent in her work to help create the
Power In My Voice campaign in Texas. She continues to use her voice to fight policies
and rhetoric that limit participation in our democracy. I’m so proud to honor her for her
important work and commitment to nurturing the leaders of tomorrow.”
About Athletes Unlimited
Athletes Unlimited is a new model of pro sports, where athletes are decision-makers and
individual players are champions of team sports. Athletes Unlimited operates a network of
professional women’s softball, lacrosse, volleyball and basketball leagues featuring world-class
competition and fan experience, and stands out as an organization driven by the athletes that
play in the leagues, with athlete representation on the company’s board of directors, each
league led by a Player Executive Committee, and players sharing in long-term profits of the
company, all while being proactive in shaping policies supporting the mothers that play in the
league. Athletes Unlimited is the first professional sports league to be organized as a Public
Benefit Corporation and the first U.S. based pro sports league to be committed to
carbon-neutrality. Season two of Athletes Unlimited Basketball tipped off in February 2023,
followed by new seasons of Softball, Lacrosse and Volleyball later in the year. For more
information, visit AUProSports.com.
About EY
EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and
quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in
economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises
to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for
our people, for our clients and for our communities.
