About Girls With Grit

Statistics show that girls who play sports have higher self-esteem, better grades, higher graduation rates, and are less likely to be depressed. But even with these great benefits, participation in sports is declining year by year.  We know that these benefits are crucial at a young age, which is where Girls With Grit comes into the playing field.

The non-profit started in 2016 and was designed to be accessible to all girls at a low cost. The programs are formatted in a way to build new relationships, teach new things, and foster personal and emotional growth.  We focus on helping each girl set her own goals, create plans to improve, and learn from teammates as each girls pursues being their very BEST!

Our Objectives:

Our ultimate goal is to foster confidence in girls through sports within our community by providing low-cost options that ensure every girl has the opportunity to participate.

From our staff, you can expect:

• To teach every girl to give her BEST effort in everything she does, both on and off the court and playing field.

• To build fundamental sports skills.

• To promote life skills development, including teamwork, respect, and responsibility.

• To cultivate diverse relationships through positive words and actions.

• To ensure everyone has FUN and smiles!

I have had the opportunity to be my BEST in many areas because my parents got me in sports. Currently I serve as the Chief HR Officer of the Hillman Group and spent several years working in human resources at Procter and Gamble prior to my current position. The skills I learned both on and off the court helped me build confidence and diverse relationship that lasted a life time.

In 2016, a group of us coaching basketball at Withrow High I noticed a decrease in girls sports participation, especially in basketball and started to research the statistics. The decrease in participation was wide spread but in certain communities kids were never starting. However when we dug further the countless benefits from being in a physical activity, away from social media and video games is proven to be positive for a girls development. From this data, I was inspired to start a camp more focused on the fundamentals of girls basketball. I grew up in Albany, NY and started playing basketball at a park with primarily boys (I grew up with three brothers) without any real instruction. I didn't start learning the true fundamentals of the game until I attended my first camp at 11 years old.  As a former college athlete and coach, playing basketball helped me find a career in business. Basketball taught me responsibility, teamwork, commitment and built my confidence as a woman. The commitment of coaches who donated their time to let a kid like me have a chance will never be forgotten.  

While we started with basketball after our first year we knew that we wanted to expand into other team sports and as a result we’ve added track, soccer and volleyball. This organization was created to INSPIRE girls to learn and grow on and off the playing field. We are focused on creating a diverse organization where students meet new friends, learn from positive mentors, have fun and grow with our program over time. We aim to help them develop the key fundamentals of respect, responsibility, confidence and team work.  If you're passionate about our mission please come volunteer to be apart of the change! #IAMMYBEST

Coaching History:

• Cincinnati Public Schools - Basketball Director: 2017- Present

• USA Basketball - Certified Coach: 2016- Present

• Withrow Girls Basketball Coach - Head Coach: 2012-2016.
  Coach of the Year in 2013 & 2014 

• Mount Notre Dame High School: 2009-2010​

• Purdue University - Graduate Assistant: 2007-2009

• University of Maine - Assistant Coach: 2005-2006