Dr. Ashleigh Huffman
Vice President, Global Engagement
Dr. Ashleigh Huffman will spearhead international initiatives for The Institute as the Vice President for Global Engagement. Prior to joining our team, Ashleigh was the Chief of Sports Diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State based in Washington, DC. She partnered with governments, sports leagues, organizing committees, nonprofits, educational institutions, and businesses to tackle global issues and advance foreign policy priorities such as gender equity, diversity and inclusion, disability rights, climate change, mental health, and racial justice. She was also a leading advisor on international sport policy and international exchange opportunities, including world championships, the Olympics and Paralympics, and the World Cup.
Before joining the State Department, Ashleigh was a professor at the University of Tennessee and co-founder of the Center for Sport, Peace, and Society. In that role, Ashleigh worked closely with the State Department and espnW to launch the Global Sports Mentoring Program, which was awarded in 2018 with the ESPN Stuart Scott Humanitarian Award and the Peace and Sport “Diplomatic Action of the Year” Award.
Ashleigh has worked with professional, university, and amateur athletes and coaches from 150 countries, including the United States, on leadership development, DEIB, and systemic change. She frequently leads workshops and keynotes on women’s empowerment, sports diplomacy, mentorship models, and public-private partnerships. Ashleigh earned her PhD at the University of Tennessee in Sociocultural Studies and was the co-captain of her basketball team at Eastern Kentucky University.
Kaia W. Forget
Kaia W. Forgét is the Vice President of Community Impact & DEI for Orlando City SC and Orlando Pride. She joined the front office of the Club in 2015 as the former USL franchise played their first season in Major League Soccer, added a NWSL professional women’s team in 2016, and built a downtown soccer-specific stadium in 2017. She currently leads the Club’s corporate social responsibility strategy which is focused on creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture of belonging across the enterprise and beyond. She also serves as the Executive Director of Orlando Soccer Foundation, Inc., whose mission is to leverage the popularity and reach of professional soccer to support efforts that advance the well-being of youth, promote health and wellness, and assist, encourage, and enrich the lives of those in need in the Central Florida community.
Originally from New Hampshire, Kaia attended Canisius College in Buffalo, NY on a Division I soccer scholarship where she earned a B.A. in Communication Studies. After graduation she played one year for the Buffalo FFillies USL W-League team while completing an AmeriCorps service year working in the Buffalo community. Kaia moved to Orlando to attend the University of Central Florida where she earned an M.A. in Mass Communication. She spent seven years working for Orange County Public Schools, three years with the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce, and seven years at the Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership (EBI), a Center of Excellence at Rollins College’s Crummer Graduate School of Business.
In addition to serving on the Board of Directors for The Institute, Kaia is a Member of the Institute for Diversity Certification (IDC), serves on the Corporate Equality Council for The Pride Chamber, is a Special Olympics Florida – Race For Inclusion Committee Member, 100 Women Strong – Central Florida Member, Heart of Florida United Way – Women United Member, and a WISE – Women in Sports & Events – Member & Mentor. Outside of her professional commitments, Kaia has two daughters, enjoys sports and the outdoors, and loves to travel.
