Sports Envoy Program
Harlem Globetrotters Basketball
With a deep love for the game and its fans, Joey “Hot Rod” De La Rosa was born to be a Harlem Globetrotter.
The 7’1 forward is a force on the court, throwing up sky-high hook shots with ease. The former St. John’s D-1 recruit has dreamed of being a Globetrotter since he was 9 years old, when the team stopped by his elementary school for an inspiring demo.
Harlem Globetrotters Basketball
Sunshine West joined the Harlem Globetrotters as a rookie in 2024. Prior to the Harlem Globetrotters, Sunshine played for Coastal Carolina and Georgetown’s Women basketball teams. During her freshman year at Coastal Carolina, she averaged tied for the scoring lead among Coastal’s freshman class and scored in double figures in six games. Her hard work and persistence earned her a spot on the 2017-2018 Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s List– an honor that recognizes student-athletes with a 3.5 GPA or higher. While at Georgetown, she started in 17 games out of the 27 she played.
Sunshine is proud to join the Harlem Globetrotters and hopes to inspire girls around the world to dream big. “Being a female professional athlete makes me feel really proud. I want to continue to show little girls to dream big, work hard, and to always believe in themselves. I feel unstoppable, and I want to help empower them to always feel the same way.” When she’s on the court, Sunshine brings the energy and looks forward to seeing the smiles and laughter in the crowd.
Basketball
Jason Collins is a retired American professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Collins attended Stanford University, where he was an All-American in the 2000-2001 season. He was also named to the All Pac-10 First Team and awarded the NABC Pete Newell “Big Man of the Year” Award. He finished his college career ranked first in Stanford history for field goal percentage and third in blocked shots. Upon graduating with a B.A. from Stanford, Collins was selected in the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft with the 18th overall pick. Now a 13-year veteran, Collins has played center for six teams including New Jersey, Memphis, Minnesota, Atlanta, Boston, Washington and, most recently, the Brooklyn Nets (formerly the New Jersey Nets). Doc Rivers, who coached Collins during his time with the Boston Celtics, said of Collins: “He’s the best. He literally is one of the best guys I’ve ever had in the locker room, player or coach.” In his 13 years in the league, Collins’ teams earned 10 trips to the playoffs including 2 NBA Finals appearances.
After the 2012-13 NBA season concluded, Collins publicly came out as gay in a cover story for Sports Illustrated, becoming the first male active player in any of the four major American professional sports to announce that he is gay. President Obama expressed his gratitude to Collins for his courageous announcement and said he “couldn’t be prouder” of Collins, recognizing this as a point of progress for the LGBT community, and one more step in America’s goal to treat everyone fairly and with respect. Collins has traveled the country with the mission of empowering people to live their lives as their true selves, and has become an active member of numerous charities, foundations and organizations. In 2013, GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, honored Collins with the Courage Award at the GLSEN Respect Awards. In 2014, Logo TV honored Collins with its inaugural Trailblazer Award. Also in 2014, the Matthew Shepard Foundation honored Collins with its Making a Difference Award at its annual Honors Gala.
In April 2014, Collins was featured on the cover of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World.” He served on the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition, which works to motivate Americans to adopt a healthy lifestyle via physical activity and nutrition. Collins resides in Los Angeles, California.
Lacrosse
Karen is presently the Women’s Lacrosse Coach at Howard University. She brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience to the Sports Envoy Program. Karen has coached at the youth and high school levels, and also at UMass Amherst, Bryant University, and Wagner College. She represented Jamaica as a player/coach in the Women’s World Cup Championship tournament in 2022 and as a player in the PALA world championship qualifier in 2019. With a reputation as a leader and innovator, Karen’s commitment to lacrosse extends beyond the field. She has worked with non-profit organizations to provide free lacrosse and mentorship to under-resourced communities and has directed elite-level travel club programs. Karen was a member of the inaugural Syracuse University Women’s Lacrosse Team, where she earned 2nd team Regional All-American honors and Big East Honors. She lives in Maryland with her husband and son.
Lacrosse
Coach Ruppel has coached NCAA lacrosse for the past 8 years, most recently spending the last six years at Quincy University in Illinois. Coach Ruppel has a masters in exercise science with an emphasis in strength and conditioning from Concordia University Chicago, an MBA from Ottawa University in Kansas, and a bachelors in physical education with a minor in Athletic Coaching from The University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Surfing
Jack Van Wagoner is a nineteen year old surfer from Carlsbad, CA, studying architecture at Cal Poly SLO. Currently, Jack is ranked number 1 on the WSL North American Longboard Qualifying series after a recent win at the Morro Bay LBQS. Jack is also a two time NSSA interscholastic high school longboard champion and reigning NSSA college longboard champion. Jack has also had the honors to compete in the 2023 WSL US Open longboard classic and the 2021 Mexi Log Fest where he placed 1st. Not only does Jack longboard, but he also does shortboard, in which he competes for the Cal Poly surf team and the Carlsbad Boardriders Club. Jack has worked surf lessons with Eli Howard Surf School for 4 years now, giving him experience teaching others to surf. Jack volunteers with the Shine Project Foundation which we empowers teens with special needs by teaching them to surf as well as Best Buddies where they help special needs students feel included in school.
Surfing
Courtney Conlogue is a professional surfer known for her powerful and dynamic style in the water. Hailing from Santa Ana, California, Courtney has been a prominent figure in women’s professional surfing, consistently ranked among the world’s top surfers. Her fierce competitive spirit, tenacity, athleticism, and commitment to excellence have earned her numerous accolades and victories on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour. Off the board and out of the water; Courtney is known for her dedication to fitness, mental strength, and inspiring a new generation of surfers, making her a true icon in the sport.
Courtney has been riding waves since the age of four. In 2004 when she was 11, Conlogue was the youngest athlete to be selected to the USA Junior Surf Team. She dedicated 7 years to the USA Surf Team as a competitor. By the time she was 14, she had won a surfing gold medal as a member of the U.S.A. Team at the X Games of Surfing against the World Team. In 2009, at the age of 16, she won the biggest competition in the USA at the Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing, held at her home break in Huntington Beach, California. That same year she immediately followed this with another win at the ISA World Surfing Games in Costa Rica earning an individual and team Gold Medal as a USA Surfing Team member.
In 2014, Conlogue suffered a major ankle injury while training before her heat at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach in Australia. She had to withdraw from the contest as well as the Rio Pro, Fiji Women’s Pro, and the US Open of Surfing. However, later she ranked in No. 2 place for two years in a row for the World Surf League. In the 2019 WSL WCT season; Conlogue suffered 3 consecutive concussions. She had to withdraw from the last event of the season: the Maui Pro. During 2020 the WSL WCT season was cancelled due to Covid. Due to the severity of Courtney’s concussions she underwent a tremendous amount of physical therapy to return to the WSL WCT 2021 season.
In 2015, she became a Surf Therapist working with the organization A Walk on Water. She brings all her knowledge of the ocean, the sport of surfing, and her athleticism to the process as she spreads confidence, strength, love, and levity to all the children that she works with.
In 2019, Courtney was inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame as the Woman of the Year in Huntington Beach, California. Courtney is known for her positive attitude, infectious energy, and commitment to inspiring the next generation of surfers. As a role model, she embodies the values of hard work, perseverance, and passion, inspiring fans worldwide both in and out of the water. Courtney is currently coaching the USA Junior Surf Team; sharing her knowledge, and love for the sport of surfing.
Courtney has many other athletic interests and is an avid snowboarder, prone paddler, golfer, rock climber. She also enjoys fishing, cycling, skateboarding, and hiking. She’s an all around outdoor athlete! Courtney has a very creative side and enjoys painting, designing and collaborating. She has a deep love for coffee, teas, and enjoys exploring culinary experiences around the world.
In 2020, Courtney created her own brand, Sea Tiger selling her coffee and clothing. In 2024, she launched her website to display and sell her fine art; originals and prints. Courtney’s artwork is on display in several galleries.
American Football
Brennan Scarlett is an 8-year NFL Linebacker who has played with the Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins. A graduate of both University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University, Brennan is a life-long learner with a breadth of business interests. When he’s not on the football field, Scarlett spends his time working in the community through his nonprofit, the Big Yard Foundation, and acting as Founder and CEO of his creative agency, Scarlett Creative. He is an opportunistic investor, advisor, and creator. He enjoys a cup of coffee in the morning and a neat glass of añejo tequila at night. He’s currently learning the play the piano and looking forward to playing Jingle Bells at the next Christmas party.
Flag Football
My name is Ashlea Klam. I am 19 years old and a freshman athlete at Keiser University and on the Women’s Flag Football U.S. National Team. Ever since I was a toddler, sports have always been a huge part of my life. I have competed competitively in flag football, basketball, volleyball, softball and track & field over the years. I started playing flag when I was 7 years old. Flag football was my love from the beginning and is now the sport that I am fortunate enough to get to play in college on a scholarship. My nickname on the field is “Hollywood” because I was a child actor when I was younger. I played for my youth club travel team, Texas Fury from 2018-2023. In 2022, I was named Co-Captain of the 17u U.S. National team where we were crowned the Jr. International Bowl Champions. This past year, I was the youngest member of the Women’s U.S. National Team, where we won the IFAF America’s Continental Cup in July 2023. It was an amazing honor to play and represent my country at that level. I am currently the youngest member serving on the USA Football Board of Directors. I am so excited and honored to have this amazing opportunity to travel to Brazil as a Sports Envoy for the United States to share my love for flag football to the world.
Triathalon
Chris Mosier is a trailblazing hall of fame triathlete, All-American duathlete, and a 6-time member of Team USA. In 2015 he became the first known transgender man to represent the United States in international competition, and was the catalyst for change for the International Olympic Committee policy on transgender athletes. He is also a 2x National Champion and the first transgender athlete to compete in the Olympic Trials in any sport in a category different than their sex assigned at birth.
In 2016, he was sponsored by Nike and featured in his own Nike commercial which debuted on prime time during the Rio Olympics. Chris was the first trans athlete featured in the ESPN Body Issue.
Chris is known as the go-to source for policy and information on transgender people in sport. In 2013, Chris created the site transathlete.com, a resource for students, athletes, coaches, and administrators to find information about trans inclusion in athletics at various levels of play. He has mentored transgender athletes around the globe, from high school and recreational to the professional levels, and helped teams, leagues, and professional sports leagues create gender-inclusive policies.