During Women’s History Month, supporters of WHM recognize Val Ackerman, standout athlete, sports executive and former lawyer.
A graduate of Hopewell Valley Central High School, Ackerman set the school’s varsity basketball career record for points scored, 1,466, a record by any basketball player, male or female.
Among her list of accomplishments on and off the court, is that she was the first president of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the first female president of USA Basketball for the 2005–2008 term. During her term, she oversaw a restructuring of the USA Basketball Board of Directors, and gold medal performances by the men’s and women’s basketball teams at the Beijing Olympics. Ackerman was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.
In a 2022 Sports Illustrated column, Ackerman said, “When I reflect on the story of women’s sports in our country, I sometimes think about my grandmother, Barbara Radecky Voscek, who immigrated to the U.S. in the early 1900s from what is now Slovakia. She raised seven children (including my mom, the youngest), first in western Pennsylvania, where my grandfather worked as a coal miner, and then in a row house in Trenton, N.J., after Grandpop found work in an auto factory instead. Grandmom didn’t speak English, so I never really got to know her, but I’m mesmerized—and inspired—to this day by her courage, her resourcefulness and the many sacrifices she made in search of a better life for herself and her family.”
“Women’s sports have an analogous narrative—they’ve been propelled by people courageous enough to take chances and break down walls, who’ve been relentless in their quest for equality and respect and who were willing to be the first so that others could later reap the gains. To those who fought for Title IX and for every milestone since: I can hardly put into words my gratitude for your vision and determination. To the next generation of women athletes and leaders: Carry on, ladies. You’ve been given a start, but there’s still plenty of groundbreaking, leading and fighting left to be done,” she said.