Episode 90: Advocating for Gender Equity with Terri Lakowski

Terri Lakowski is the CEO of Active Policy Solutions and an expert on youth sports policy in the United States. In her role at Active Policy Solutions, Terri has created and implemented strategic policy planning, lobbying, coalition building and education and outreach to renown organizations working on issues relating to sport, youth development, health and fitness, Title IX and gender equity, and civil rights.

Terri has worked with her clients to educate the government about the important role that sports plays in youth development, such as helping kids to lead healthier lifestyles, improve access to sports for underserved populations like girls and students with disabilities, and using sports as a platform to advance educational outcomes for youth.  She was instrumental in orchestrating a Youth Sports Demo for the National Council of Youth Sports (NCYS), as well as hosting a number of other briefings including a Youth Sports Safety briefing and assisted in formulating the recently introduced Youth Sports Concussion Act. She also secured a GAO study on youth sports to highlight the linkage between physical activity participation and increased rates of academic and personal success later in life.

By conducting both a national and state level campaign, Terri orchestrated passage of a new directive from the Department of Education in January of 2013 and the Fitness and Athletic Equity Act for Students with Disabilities in Maryland, groundbreaking legislation and guidance that for the first time clarified the obligation of schools to provide sports and physical activity opportunities for students with disabilities. Terri has been featured for her leadership on this guidance in national outlets, including the New York Times and NPR’s On Point. Terri has been featured as an industry leader in assisting schools and athletes understand regulations surrounding physical activity for individuals with disabilities. She recently hosted a webinar with the Office for Civil Rights and the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA), providing resources to athletic directors across the country on making their sports programs accessible to individuals with disabilities.

Prior to starting Active Policy Solutions,Terri served as the Public Policy Director for the Women’s Sports Foundation, where she was responsible for the operation of the Foundation’s Public Policy Department, which provides education and advocacy to combat discrimination in sport.  In this capacity she oversaw the execution of all of the Foundation’s advocacy and public policy projects, participated in press conferences and Congressional lobbying activities to advocate on behalf of Title IX and other gender discrimination laws, and developed state and local education and advocacy initiatives to improve athletic opportunities for girls and individuals with disabilities in both school and community recreational athletic programs.

Before working at the Foundation, Terri developed and spearheaded a Title IX education and advocacy program at the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri (ACLU-EM). As part of this effort, she worked with administrators from school districts in Missouri to improve their compliance with Title IX and performed educational workshops for more than 1,000 individuals, including administrators, students, parents, teachers and coaches.

Terri earned her Juris Doctorate from American University-Washington College of Law, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. Terri received her bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis where, she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Social Thought and Analysis with a concentration in Women’s Studies. While at Washington University, Terri wrote an honors thesis “Title IX & High School Athletics: An Introspective Look Into Compliance Practices” and participated on the women’s varsity basketball team for three years. Terri has taught as an Adjunct Professor in the School of Continuing Studies: Sport Management Program at Georgetown University, Diversity & Social Responsibility in Sport and in the Department of Exercise Science at George Washington where she taught Sports Law.

Terri is on the Board of the American Association of Adapted Sports Programs, which works in partnership with educational agencies in the U.S. to establish programs, policies and regulations in interscholastic adapted sports for students with physical disabilities to enhance educational outcomes and Baseball for All, an organization dedicated to helping girls and women play baseball.  Terri also coaches a fourth grade AAU girls’ basketball team and serves as a mentor with Capitol Partners for Education, a nonprofit that works with DC youth to support their transition from high school to college.

Website: activepolicysolutions.com