Kerri Walsh Jennings and Tara VanDerveer

Continuing a weeklong celebration of “Icons and Instigators: Women Who Change History,” Chautauqua welcomes two Olympic gold medalists for a conversation on the state of women’s sports, and the outlook for emerging generations of women and girls in amateur and professional athletics. Kerri Walsh Jennings is a five-time Olympian, three-time gold medalist, and one of the most accomplished athletes in beach volleyball history. A standout at Stanford, she was a four-time First Team All-American and helped lead the team to two NCAA championships, before making the jump to the U.S. indoor Olympic team in 2000. After that, Jennings shifted to beach volleyball — and the game shifted with her. Partnering with Misty May-Treanor in 2001, the duo went on an unprecedented run: three Olympic gold medals, three World Championships, and a 112-match win streak that set a new standard for excellence in the sport. Though she stepped away from Olympic competition in 2023, Jennings’ commitment to the sport is far from over. As a co-founder of Platform 1440 and a key stakeholder in the launch of Major League Volleyball, she’s working to grow the game and expand opportunities for athletes at every level. She is deeply invested in creating systems that push people to grow — on the court and beyond. Tara VanDerveer is the second-winningest coach in NCAA basketball history, having cemented herself over a 45-year career as one of the top coaches in the sport, both collegiately and internationally. She is a member of both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. An ambassador for both Stanford University and the sport of college basketball, VanDerveer enjoyed an unprecedented level of success through an energetic and positive approach to the game. Prior to coming to Stanford, she served as head coach for Idaho and Ohio State. Perhaps one of VanDerveer’s most notable attributes was her ability to connect with student-athletes and adapt to the ever-changing landscape of college athletics. Considered one of the nation’s premier recruiters, VanDerveer and her staff routinely brought top classes to The Farm. VanDerveer led her Stanford teams to three NCAA Championships. She built Stanford into a national power almost immediately upon arrival and maintained an unparalleled level of success for over three and a half decades. Many of her players went on to have success at the professional level, winning numerous games and awards while playing in the WNBA. In 1995–96 VanDerveer served as head coach of the USA Basketball National Team, leading the team to a 52-0 exhibition record and then to the Olympic gold medal with a perfect 8-0 run at the 1996 Atlanta Games. In 1997, she released her book Shooting From The Outside, which chronicled her 1996 Olympic and National Team experience. VanDerveer is a graduate of Indiana University and held one of the starting guard positions for three years on the women’s basketball team.