Laila Brock
Laila Brock is serving as the Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Community Impact at the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream. With more than 20 years of experience, Brock’s place at the head of both the Dream’s Corporate Partnerships and Community Impact vertical efforts puts her in a position to align the organization’s mission with its business development goals while also amplifying the values of the team.
Prior to joining the Dream, she served as a senior member of the JMI business development team, dedicated to driving efforts to grow JMI Sports’ business across all lines of services. In this role, Brock directed JMI Sports’ industry outreach and relationship development in the professional and collegiate markets.
Laila worked previously for JMI Sports as the Vice President, Sponsorship Sales & Operations on the Pitt Sports Marketing property, leading the on-site sponsorship team and working closely with Pitt Athletic Department staff to create partnerships that enhanced the Pitt Athletics brand.
Prior to joining JMI Sports, Laila was a member of the College Football Playoff’s senior staff, serving as the Senior Director of Operations and Logistics. With 15 years of experience in intercollegiate athletics, she is one of the original members of the CFP staff who created the events, programs, and strategic vision of the CFP. During her tenure at the CFP, Laila was responsible for creating innovative brand activations for CFP’s official sponsors through live events. Laila spent the early part of her career in various leadership roles at the Orange Bowl Committee, the host organization for the Discover Orange Bowl. While at the Orange Bowl, Laila created several hospitality programs that have become standard practices among post season bowl games and NCAA championships.
A Track & Field student-athlete, she received a Bachelor of Arts and a master’s degree from Pennsylvania State University. Laila is a native of Washington, PA and currently resides in Pittsburgh, PA.
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.
