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A four-year letter winner from 1974-1978, Stender was the first female student athlete to receive an athletic scholarship at the University of Richmond. She was a three-year basketball team captain and received state honors, while leading her team to a record equaling the most victories in school history at the time. She also played field hockey and lacrosse, and ran track.
Following her graduation from Richmond, Stender was a teacher, coach and athletic director at Norfolk Academy. She later received her Master's degree in business from the University of Virginia, and went on to lead two $500MM business units for PepsiCo as president of the juice drinks division and president of the cereals division.
In February of 2005, Stender reentered the sports world as part owner, president and chief executive officer of the Chicago Sky, the 14th team in the WNBA.
“One of the thrills of this job is being able to witness first hand the astonishing progress of women’s athletics since Title IX was passed,” said Stender. “In 1974 when I graduated from high school, one in 33 girls had the opportunity to participate in high school athletics. Now that number is one in three. These girls are learning the life lessons of sports and becoming a generation of women who believe they can do anything.”
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