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Soccer legend, advocate, and broadcaster Julie Foudy to deliver PLU commencement address
Soccer legend, advocate, and broadcaster Julie Foudy to deliver PLU commencement address
Image: (Photo courtesy of Julie Foudy)
By Zach Powers
PLU Marketing & Communications
Pacific Lutheran University will welcome Julie Foudy to the Tacoma Dome on May 28 to deliver a commencement address to the university’s graduating class. Foudy will share reflections inspired by her iconic career as a member of the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team, award-winning storyteller, and dedicated proponent for women and girls.
“Julie Foudy is a proven leader on the field and in the fields of media, organizational leadership, and advocacy,” said PLU President Allan Belton. “We’re thrilled she will be joining us to celebrate PLU’s Class of 2022.”
Foudy is the former captain of the U.S. Women’s National Team and one of the most accomplished female soccer players in American history. In her 17-year national team tenure, the U.S. women won two FIFA Women’s World Cup titles (1991, 1999) and two Olympic gold medals (1996, 2004).
She joined ESPN as an analyst in 2005 and currently serves as one of espnW’s primary voices, providing commentary, reporting and digital features for ESPN’s women-focused brand. She appears regularly on ESPN flagship programs like SportsCenter and Outside the Lines and is the lead game analyst for ESPN’s U.S. National Women’s Team and college soccer coverage.
Foudy is also the co-founder of the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy, the author of “Choose to Matter: Being Courageously and Fabulously You,” and has served on the leadership boards of numerous organizations and initiatives. Foudy was a four-time All-American at Stanford where she majored in biology.
“Through her decades-long advocacy for gender equality and equal pay, international work fighting against child labor in manufacturing, and her Edward R. Murrow award-winning reporting, Julie’s career embodies PLU’s mission of thoughtful inquiry, leadership, service and care,” said Colleen Hacker, Ph.D., a PLU kinesiology professor who served as a performance psychology specialist and assistant coach for the U.S Women’s National team.
Commencement will be held at the Tacoma Dome on Saturday, May 28th at 2:30 pm. Additional details are available at plu.edu/commencement.
