Val Ackerman: A Woman Whose Name You Should Know

Val Ackerman, President of USA Basketball and former President of the WNBA, is one woman who has rubbed shoulders with the best of the good ole boys in the sports world.

When she returned from the Olympics in China, she found out that she'd been selected as the recipient of the 2008 Hall of Fame John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award. Take the time to read the article, and then scroll down to the very bottom of the page to see all the former recipients. Then tell me how many of them are women...

Ackerman seems to be one of those people who is blessed with natural executive and business acumen, but she has also worked hard to get where she is today. She dominated the New Jersey high school athletics scene, captured a few All-American titles playing basketball at the University of Virginia, and then headed to law school and worked for a huge firm for a few years before she found her way back to basketball. She got to know David Stern and some other NBA big wigs before being appointed to run the new WNBA venture. She guided the WNBA through its first eight seasons and then became the first female President of USA Basketball.

Now that's a resume.

Congratulations, Val! You've inspired us all.