The Association for Women in Sports Media kicked off its regional events schedule with a tour of and panel discussion at Chesapeake Energy Arena, home of the Oklahoma City Thunder, on January 24.

After a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the 'Peake, more than 20 students and media professionals gathered in the postgame press conference room to hear a panel of women who work in and around the NBA. Oklahoman columnist Jenni Carlson moderated a discussion featuring Washington Post sports reporter Candace Buckner, Fox Sports reporter Lesley McCaslin and Thunder communications director Karina Henderson.

On February 7, Houston-area members and the city's Women in Sports and Events (WISE) chapter met at the Four Seasons for a networking happy hour. The groups’ presidents, Carrie Potter (WISE) and Jenny Dial Creech (AWSM), addressed the crowd, and the two have talked about getting together again.

“Spending time with other women in the sports community is beneficial not only for networking but also for making friends and creating a broader support system,” Creech said. “I’m so glad our two groups got together, and hope we can continue to grow our relationship.”

Thank you to everyone who came out for both events, and we hope to see you soon at an AWSM regional event near you! Other regional event locations for 2018 include: Atlanta, Charlotte, Denver, Hartford, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Portland, Tampa & Washington, DC. More details to come!