Gold medal winning athletes highlighting Women's Philanthropy Board Spring Symposium and Luncheon

The Women’s Philanthropy Board, or WPB, at Auburn University is excited to present an event this April that’s sure to win gold. The 19th Annual WPB Spring Symposium and Luncheon will feature three amazing speakers from the competitive sports world. Scheduled for Friday, April 8, at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center, the event will feature symposium speakers Nick Sellers, CEO of the World Games, Rowdy Gaines, Olympic gold medal winning swimmer, and luncheon keynote speaker Dominique Dawes, Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast. The symposium sessions are free and open to the public and run from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. in the auditorium. The luncheon featuring Dominique Dawes will begin at 12 p.m. in the grand ballroom. Tickets and sponsorships are available for purchase here.

Dominique Dawes was a 10-year member of the U.S. national gymnastics team, a three-time Olympian and a member of the gold-medal-winning "Magnificent Seven" team at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. The first African American woman to win an individual Olympic medal in artistic gymnastics and the first Black person of any nationality to win an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics, she is also one of only three female American gymnasts to compete in three Olympics.

A 1982 graduate of Auburn, Gaines was the fastest swimmer on the planet throughout the 1980s. During his career he broke a total of 14 world records. Gaines has also been inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and International Swimming Hall of Fame. Known as the “Voice of Swimming,” Gaines has worked with CBS, TNT and ESPN as a regular announcer for swimming and other events. He works with many charitable organizations including the USA Swimming Foundation, Swim Across America benefiting research for cancer and Special Olympics.

Nick Sellers has deep roots in sports and service to the state of Alabama. He brings that experience and passion to his position on loan from Alabama Power as CEO of The World Games 2022. The World Games, held this year in Birmingham, Alabama, are an international multi-sport event comprising sports and sporting disciplines that are not contested in the Olympic Games.

The Women’s Philanthropy Board is the flagship division of the Cary Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies, housed within the College of Human Sciences at Auburn University. WPB is celebrating almost 20 years of inspiring, educating and enabling individuals to develop their full leadership potential, achieve independence as financial decision-makers and donors, and serve as mentors for future philanthropists. WPB also practices collective philanthropy through its support of student scholarships and programmatic grants to the College of Human Sciences.

To learn more about WPB and its educational programming, email wpb@auburn.edu or call 334-844-9156.