Sports Envoy
Sports Envoy Program

Region: Africa

Crystal Dunn

Soccer

Served as envoy

  • 2023  –  Cote d'Ivoire

The No.1 pick in the 2014 NWSL College Draft out of the University of North Carolina, Crystal Dunn is a NWSL MVP, 3-Time NWSL Champion, and FIFA World Cup Champion. Versatile and ruthless, Dunn became the youngest player to win the NWSL MVP (at age 23) in the same season she won the NWSL Golden Boot and led her team to a championship.

Dunn is a flat-out winner. As a senior in high school, Dunn won five separate Player of the Year awards including the New York Gatorade Player of the Year award. Along with winning the 2012 NCAA Championship with UNC, Dunn was named the country’s best collegiate player as the winner of the prestigious Hermann Trophy. Additionally, she was named the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Defender and Player of the Year. And it wasn’t just collegiate awards in 2012. Dunn helped lead the U-20s to a world title at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Japan.

As a professional, Dunn is a star in the NWSL for the Portland Thorns and on the USWNT. Dunn is one of only nine USWNT players ever with 100+ caps, making 104 appearances to date and tallying 24 goals and 17 assists. She was instrumental in helping the US win the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, starting and playing 90 minutes of six of the team’s seven matches.

Dunn most recently co-founded the NWSL’s Black Women’s Player Collective. She resides with her husband, Pierre, and her one-year-old son Marcel, and their three chickens and two cats in Portland, Oregon.

Lisa Leslie

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2023  –  Cote d'Ivoire

When the “face” of your sport is a Wilhelmina model, you know you’re off to a good start. Lisa Leslie is undoubtedly the most-recognized player of both the WNBA and Team USA, who brought considerably more than a stunning visage and statuesque body to the court. Throughout her storied career Leslie was the absolute most dominant player in the women’s game.


Leslie carried the gold-winning Team USA in 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008. With the 2008 gold medal, she became the first team sport athlete to win four consecutive Olympic Gold Medals. In 2001, Leslie was the first WNBA
player to win the regular season MVP, the All-Star Game MVP and the playoff MVP in the same season. That same year she also led the Los Angeles Sparks to their first WNBA Championship. In 2002, she became the WNBA all-time
leading scorer, was named MVP of the regular season for the second year in a row in leading the Sparks to their first their first back-to-back championship, and shocked the world with the first slam-dunk in WNBA history.
Leslie would go on to win her third MVP trophy of the WNBA in 2006. Leslie is the first woman to slam-dunk in a professional game. Leslie was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and the
Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, in 2015.

Leslie became a commentator for ESPN in 2004, and has since been an in-studio sports analyst for ABC, Turner, Fox Sports Net, Fox Florida, and NBC. She is currently a co-host of CBS Sports’ “We Need To Talk”, and the
reigning Coach of the Year of the BIG3. Lisa also starred in the Lionsgate film “Uncle Drew” alongside NBA superstar Kyrie Irving and NBA legends Shaquille O’Neal and Reggie Miller, released in June 2018.

Leslie authored her own book “Don’t Let the Lipstick Fool You” in 2008, and in 2010 became the first WNBA player turned Co-Owner of the Los Angeles Sparks. In 2012, she both received her Masters in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and launched the Lisa Leslie Basketball & Leadership Academy.

Leslie resides with her husband, Michael Lockwood, and two kids Lauren Jolie and Michael Joseph, in Boca Raton, Florida.

Sylvia Fowles

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2023  –  Ethiopia

Sylvia Fowles, or “Mama Syl,” as she is endeared by many, is a WNBA MVP, 2x WNBA Champion and Finals MVP, 4x Defensive Player of the Year, 8x WNBA All Star, 4x Olympic Gold Medalist, and icon; she owns the record for the first goaltending call in the WNBA and First Dunk by a woman in international competition, as well as a lengthy list of athletic accolades. But post-2022 retirement, she continues to pour into extracurricular passions and philanthropy.

Sylvia Fowles is one of the game’s All-Time Great centers, well known for her warmth and heart. Loved and respected by all, she is a study in opposites – a balance of intensity on the court with an easygoing and fun-loving personality off of it. She is an avid outdoorswoman and plant lover, as well as a mortuary scientist who can sew, cook, draw, and play the saxophone. A true renaissance woman, she works hard to support the youth and families in the communities she loves—a mark of her giving heart and lasting legacy.

Ann Shiraishi

Judo

Served as envoy

  • 2023  –  Benin

Ann Shiraishi, a 3rd degree black belt, began studying judo at the young age of 4. She is a two-time Senior National Champion and represented the United States at 2 World Championships (2010 & 2011). In addition, Ann was the 2008 Olympic Alternate in Beijing & was selected as a training partner to accompany the team. After graduating from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in Anthropology, Ann began a career in law enforcement. She is currently a Senior Inspector (sworn) at the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office. She, her husband (Joseph) and twins (Jacob & Emma) live in the east bay.

Sayaka Torra

Judo

Served as envoy

  • 2023  –  Benin

Sayaka Torra began studying judo at the young age of 5 and is currently a sixth degree black belt. She is a 7-time Senior National Champion, represented the United States at 3 World Championships (2001, 2003, 2005), and was a member of the 2008 Olympic Team in Beijing. Sayaka also won a silver medal at the 2000 Junior World Championships in Tunis, Tunisia. She graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a B.A. in Mass Communications and a minor in Japanese. Since retiring from competitive judo, Sayaka now leads the competitor’s classes at the East Bay Judo Institute and works as a business operations manager for Humintell, a psychology-based company out of El Cerrito, CA. She, her husband, and son live in the east bay with their two cats, and multiple beehives.

Will John

Soccer

Served as envoy

  • 2023  –  Eswatini

Professional football player William Oluremi John was born on June 13th, 1985 in Overland Park, Kansas. William started playing soccer at the age of three following in the footsteps of his father, Emilio John, who played professionally in the U.S. and also represented the Nigerian national team.

In 2016, Will started his own YouTube channel that now has over 915,000 subscribers worldwide and 90 million views. His 21-day challenge has now been viewed by over 12 million people and marked his initial popularity.

Alysha Clark

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2022  –  Tanzania

Alysha Angelica Clark is an American-Israeli professional basketball player for the Washington Mystics of the Women’s National Basketball Association. She was drafted in the second round of the 2010 WNBA draft by the San Antonio Silver Stars.

Louise McGirt

Soccer

Served as envoy

  • 2022  –  Benin

Louise McGirt is a French and American citizen who started her passion for soccer at the age of 3. She led her high school team at Chamblee with 22 goals and 12 assists as a junior. After leading Atlanta International School in scoring (12 goals) as a freshman. She captured the Soccer Bulldog Award in 2013 after an All-Star Game selection for 2 years running and a spot on the All-Region 6 AAAA team. She captained the Chamblee Charter team in 2014 and also helped club teams, Chiefs FC Elite 96 and the Georgia Olympic Development Program to a slew of championships, including three USYS Region III Premier League titles.

Jaimel Johnson

Soccer

Served as envoy

  • 2022  –  Benin

Jaimel Johnson’s illustrious coaching career has allowed her the opportunity to interact with players on various levels of age, ability, and acumen over the last decade. Jaimel spent 4 years as an assistant coach at The University of Texas. During her tenure she was instrumental in helping both the Longhorns and former Utah Royals goalkeeper, Abby Smith, to a record 30 shutouts and a .82 goals against average. Before joining the UT staff, Jaimel spent 2 years at the University of Iowa as an assistant coach. Jaimel was drafted in the inaugural season of the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) league to the Boston Breakers, and she was later traded to the Chicago Red Stars. Her professional career also boasts time with the Washington Freedom.

Not only a standout in the coaching arena, Ms. Johnson was a 3-year starter at the University of Tennessee where she was an NSCAA All-American and 3-time All-SEC First Team honoree. Jaimel made 4 consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament with the Volunteers, won 2 SEC Championship titles (one being a Triple Crown), and she still holds the record as the only Tennessee Lady Vol soccer player to receive the SEC Tournament MVP Award.

As a Lady Vol, Jaimel was nominated as the NCAA Woman of the Year and placed on the Herman Trophy Watch List. Jaimel played club and academy soccer with the Dayton Soccer Academy (DSA) and the Ohio Elite Soccer Academy. Recognized as one of the premier goalies during her playing days, Jaimel spent time with the US National Teams on the u17, u19, and u20 teams. She earned a Bachelors Degree in Sports Management with a minor in Business from the University of Tennessee.

Jaimel currently resides in the Atlanta area where she is president and CEO of “The Goal Standard”, her private goalkeeper training academy. Additionally, Jaimel is the ECNL goalkeeper’s coach at Concorde Fire Soccer Club in Atlanta. She serves as an assistant coach for field players, the goalkeepers coach for the entire club, and she also is responsible for directing the majority of the club’s fitness training. Jaimel places an emphasis on overall health and wellness for her players, and she dedicates much of her down time researching methods in which an athlete’s performance can be enhanced. When Jaimel is not on the soccer field she continues to work in the fitness arena as a personal trainer specializing in sports performance, weight loss, and weight gain.

Kei Kamara

Soccer

Served as envoy

  • 2021  –  Sierra Leone
  • 2021  –  Virtual

To Kei Kamara, his home country of Sierra Leone means everything to him. Born in Kenema on Sept 1, 1984, he spent his childhood days like most African youngsters – playing soccer/football. By 1990, his mother left for the US and the country was in the middle of a bloody civil war that lasted 12 years. Fearing for their lives, Kamara and his family fled their home, eventually seeking refuge with his mom in 2000 in Los Angeles, California.

As a 16-year-old refugee Kamara, quickly found the structure and support he needed to graduate high school, and soon developed into a top goal scorer at nearby California State University Dominguez Hills. By 2006, he garnered attention from Major League Soccer and was drafted 9th overall by the Columbus Crew.

Over the past 15 years Kei has had an illustrious professional career that has included stints in the English Premier & Championship Leagues, and Veikkausliiga, the top division in Finland. He currently ranks 5th on the all-time MLS goal scorers list and is one of only 10 players to score over 100 goals. Kei has also represented Sierra Leone (Leone Stars) on the national stage for 12 years and helped lead the team to the 2021 African Cup of Nations Tournament for the first time since 1996.

While he’s enjoyed success on the field, Kei holds Community works close to his heart. In 2012, The Kei Kamara HEARTSHAPEDHANDS Foundation was founded with the sole purpose of providing scholarships to schools and students in Sierra Leone, West Africa. The foundation, named after his signature goal celebration, has allowed Kamara to follow his heart and use his hands to give back to the place he loves.

When the Sierra Leone government recently created free education for all, Kamara shifted the focus of his Foundation to help students earn an education through sports to study abroad. In the Fall of 2021, HSH helped its first-ever student athlete secure a scholarship to a prestigious Waldorf boarding school in New England and is currently working with other students for the same potential opportunities.

In addition, Kei has also been an active board member of the Black Players for Change (BPC) organization “committed to tackling racial injustices that have limited Black people from an equitable stake in the game of soccer and society.”

When he’s not playing soccer, Kei likes to spend time with his wife Kristin and three children – Kierin, Kendrick, Kaelan, and dog Chelsea (affectionately named after his favorite soccer team). If you know him you will know that family is his number one priority whether in Sierra Leone or in America