Sports Envoy
Sports Envoy Program

Year: 2017

Luis Alicea

Baseball

Served as envoy

  • 2017  –  Ecuador

Born on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, one of baseball’s most prominent talent hotbeds, Luis began playing baseball from an early age which eventually led to him playing baseball at Florida State University in Tallahassee Florida. Where Luis set a school record with a 27 game hit streak earning him All-American honors. Luis was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 23rd overall pick in the 1st round of the 1986 amateur June draft. Luis played 13 seasons in the Majors with 5 teams which encompassed 1,341 total games and a career .260 batting average. Upon his retirement from the game in 2002 Luis began to coach and managed the Boston Red Sox affiliates, Lowell Spinners in 2004 and 2005 and in 2006 was back in the Majors when Boston hired him as a first base coach, then the Mets in 2009. Now Luis spends his days “learning as much as possible and to teach others about life after sport”. Luis also enjoys giving back to his community and teach youth about the game of baseball, and also recently created the “Luis Alicea Scholarship Fund to help raise money and help kids in need”.

Jeremy Guthrie

Baseball

Served as envoy

  • 2015  –  Panama
  • 2017  –  Nigeria
  • 2018  –  Brazil
  • 2020  –  Virtual

Beginning his baseball career as the starting pitcher at Stanford University, Jeremy Guthrie currently plays for the Eastern Reyes del Tigre of the Constellation Energy League, but played for 15 years in MLB for the Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, and the Washington Nationals.

Guthrie pitched for Team USA in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. During his time with the Kansas City Royals, he logged the most innings of his career during the 2013 season with 211⅔. He finished with a 15–12 record and a 4.04 ERA. The 2014 season Guthrie posted a 4.13 ERA over 202.2 innings and finished the regular season with a record of 13–11.

Guthrie is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and he served for two years as a missionary for the church in Spain. On February 1, 2018, Guthrie began a three-year assignment as president of its Texas Houston South Mission for the LDS church.

Stephanie Jallen

Para Alpine Skiing

Served as envoy

  • 2017  –  South Korea

When Jallen was nine years old, she was invited to the Camelback Adaptive Ski Camp in Tannersville, Pennsylvania, and was instantly hooked on the sport. While instructors initially wanted to put her in a bi-ski tethered to an instructor, Jallen insisted on learning to ski standing up. Jallen quickly developed as a ski-racer through the Pennsylvania Center Adapted Sports, a chapter of Disabled Sports USA. She was first named to the U.S. Paralympics Alpine National B Team in 2011 at only 15 years old. Jallen was born with a rare birth defect called CHILDS, Congenital Hemidysplasia with Ichthyosiform Erythroderma and Limb Defects Syndrome. CHILDS is a chromosomal disorder that affects the entire left side of the body, leaving Jallen with only one leg and one fully developed arm.

After the Paralympic Games Sochi 2014, Jallen received the Team USA ‘Best Paralympic Moment’ award from the United States Olympic Committee. She is a Two-time Paralympian (2014, 2018); Two-time medalist (2 bronze), PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, 5th (super combined), 8th (downhill), 10th (super-G, giant slalom), Sochi 2014 Paralympic Games, bronze (super-G, super combined)

Neftalie Williams

Skateboarding

Served as envoy

  • 2016  –  Netherlands
  • 2017  –  Cambodia
  • 2021  –  Virtual
  • 2023  –  Barbados
  • 2023  –  Grenada
  • 2024  –  France

Dr. Neftalie Williams is the Director of San Diego State University’s Center for Skateboarding, Action Sports, and Social Change. His work delves into global issues surrounding race, gender, diversity, and youth empowerment, using critical theory to examine power dynamics, identity politics, and social transformation through the lens of action sports. Dr. Williams focuses on the lives of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), as well as their non-BIPOC counterparts, to provide historical examples of challenges and solidarity that can guide us toward a more inclusive future.

With a background in both academia and a deep personal connection to skateboarding, writing, and photography, Dr. Williams has made significant contributions to the study of skateboarding culture. He has published scholarly works, written op-eds for mainstream publications, and provided commentary for various traditional news outlets and documentaries, including The New York Times, CNN, ABC, Forbes, and the documentary ‘Reaching the Sky’ featuring Olympian Sky Brown. His research on race and skateboarding, conducted as part of the 2019-2020 USC x Tony Hawk Foundation project, was prominently featured in The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.

Dr. Williams’ extensive experience also includes positions at the Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, as well as serving as a Yale Schwarzman Center Visiting Fellow in Race, Culture & Community. His scholarly expertise is complemented by his personal history as a skateboarder, writer, and photographer, which has led to features in publications like Transworld Skateboarding Magazine and Thrasher Magazine.

One of Dr. Williams’ pioneering concepts is using skateboarding as a tool for cultural diplomacy, both in theory and practice. He has spearheaded skate diplomacy initiatives for the U.S. Department of State’s embassies, engaging with youth globally and connecting them with their host country’s academic, sports, and cultural institutions. His work has taken him to countries such as Cambodia, The Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Barbados, and Grenada, aligning with his scholarly research in Brazil, The Netherlands, South Africa, Sweden, and Cuba.

In an effort to expand public discourse on skateboarding culture, Dr. Williams founded “The Nation Skate,” a series of public panels, lectures, skateboarding demonstrations, and photography and skateboarding media. This initiative explores the intersection of race, gender, diversity, and diplomacy through the mediums of skateboarding, academia, and popular culture. His photography and scholarly endeavors have been showcased at prominent institutions like the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and the Ford Theater in Los Angeles.

Currently, Dr. Williams provides consultation on skateboarding and action sports for Disney Studios and Burton Snowboards. He is also a co-founder of the College Skateboarding Educational Foundation (CSEF), a non-profit organization dedicated to providing scholarships for young skateboarders pursuing higher education. Furthermore, he serves on the boards of the Tony Hawk Foundation/The Skatepark Project, Skateistan, McKinnon Center for Global Affairs, and chairs the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for USA Skateboarding.

Lia Neal

Swimming

Served as envoy

  • 2017  –  China
  • 2017  –  Hong Kong
  • 2017  –  Singapore

Lia Neal was born in Brooklyn, New York on February 13, 1995. She is of African-American and Chinese-American descent — Neal’s father, Rome, is African-American and her mother, Siu, is Chinese-American. Thanks to her mother, Neal is fluent in Cantonese. Neal began swimming at the age of 6 and two years later, she joined New York City’s Asphalt Green Swim Team and was soon awarded a Swim for the Future scholarship. The Swim for the Future scholarship was started in 2001 in memory of Asphalt Green masters swimmers Doug Irgang and Andrew Fisher who tragically died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. According to Asphalt Green’s website, the scholarship has allowed the New York City-based swim team to become the most diverse team in the United States.

As the second African-American female to make a US Olympic swim team, Lia is committed to bringing more diversity to the sport. She is part of USA Swimming’s Make a Splash initiative, inspiring kids to swim via Swim Brooklyn.

As one of the most coveted high school recruits, Neal chose to make the cross-country move to swim for Stanford University. Coach Greg Meehan dedicated the success the Stanford women’s team had starting in 2014, in part, to Lia deciding to give Stanford, and himself as a coach, a chance. It didn’t take long for Lia to make her mark as a cardinal. At the 2014 NCAA’s, Neal finished 10th in the 50 free, second in the 100 free, and ninth in the 200 free individually. She gained her first NCAA Champion status as a member of the winning 400 medley relay and 400 free relay, and finished third on the 800 free relay and ninth on the 200 medley relay.

Neal excelled as an age group swimmer, competing at the 2008 US Olympic Trials in the 100 free at

the age of 13. She had qualified for those Olympic Trials when she had broken the 11-12 national age-group record in the 100 free.

She debuted on the international scene in 2010 at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Maui, Hawaii. Neal won gold medals as part of the 400 free, 800 free, and 400 medley relays. She also took home a silver medal in 100 free and a bronze medal in the 50 free.

At the 2011 World Junior Championships in Lima, Peru, Neal was a gold medalist in the 100 free and a silver medalist in the 50 free. She also helped Team USA again to relay golds in the 4x100m and 4x200m free relays, and silver in the 4x100m medley relay.

Shannon Rowbury

Track & Field

Served as envoy

  • 2017  –  Morocco

Shannon Rowbury is a three-time Olympian, two-time World Championships Bronze medalist, six-time United States champion, and the American Record Holder at 1500m, 2 miles, and 5000m. At the time, her 6th and 7th place finishes at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing were the highest finishes ever by an American woman at that distance. In August of 2016, she finished 4th place at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In June 2009, she won the US Championships at 1500m for the second time and shortly thereafter, she earned a Bronze medal at the World Championships in the same distance. Despite all of her achievements, Shannon’s most impressive performance to date came in July of 2015 when she broke the American 1500m record that stood for nearly 32 years, running a blistering fast 3:56.29. She is also the second fastest miler in American history.

A recognized world-class runner with a tremendous range from 800m to 5000m, Shannon’s story is as much about strength and perseverance against odds as it is about speed. In 2007, while a film student and athlete at Duke University, Shannon won the mile race at the NCAA Indoor Championships and then placed second in the 3000m an hour and a half later. Shortly after that indoor season, her collegiate career was abruptly cut short due to an injury that could have permanently sidelined her from her sport. This major setback forced Shannon to evaluate her physical limitations and challenged her emotional strength and passion for running. Through diligent rehabilitation, determination and an unfailing resolve to resume the sport that she loves, Shannon emerged stronger than ever and was back training for the 2008 Olympics within six months.

Running is Shannon’s second sport; Irish Dancing was her first. Beginning at the age of six, Shannon competed in Irish Dancing competitions throughout the country and twice at the World Championships in Ireland. She was ranked 7th nationally, before retiring at the age of 16 to focus on the sport she was introduced to just before her freshman year of high school—running. Shannon believes Irish Dancing was the foundation for her successful running career, preparing her mentally for competition and developing her coordination, balance and speed.

Kenyanna Wilson

Track & Field

Served as envoy

  • 2017  –  Uganda

Kenyanna Wilson, running track and field at LSU from 2008-2011, was one of the team’s lead sprinters. During her career, she was a NCAA Champion, 8-time All-American, 2-time NCAA Mideast Regional Champion, 2-time SEC Champion, and 3-time All-SEC. In her senior year, Wilson’s personal best of 7.18 in the 60-meter dash ranked in a tie for number three on LSU’s all-time performance list. Following college, Wilson ran at Californian indoor and outdoor venues such as Los Angeles, Pasadena, Sacramento, and Norwalk.

Anjali Forber-Pratt

Track & Field Paralympics

Served as envoy

  • 2017  –  Zambia

Anjali is an elite wheelchair racer, Paralympic ambassador, public speaker and Assistant Professor at Peabody College in the Department of Human & Organizational Development at Vanderbilt University. She is a 2011 World Champion in the 200m and holds two bronze medals from the Paralympic Games in Beijing, China in addition to representing Team USA in London at the 2012 Paralympic Games. She is currently focusing her research on disability identity, inclusion, disability sport and work related to disability activism. Anjali is a born fighter and strives for athletic excellence and leading a life filled with integrity.

Joe LeMar

Track & Field Paralympics

Served as envoy

  • 2017  –  Zambia

Joseph LeMar is a paralympic athlete that has competed mainly in the T44 400 Meter events. LeMar competed in the TS2 400m at the 1992 Summer Paralympics in Barcelona winning the gold medal. He then missed his home games in Atlanta in 1996 but did return for the 2000 Summer Paralympics where as well as competing in the T44 400m and T46 4 × 400 m he won a bronze medal in the T44 800m. He now coaches high school track and field and cross country.

Patty Dodd

Volleyball

Served as envoy

  • 2017  –  Marshall Islands
  • 2019  –  Honduras

Patty Dodd was a 2 time ALL- American at UCLA. After competing professionally in Italy and the United States Patty made the transition to beach volleyball. Patty won 15 Opens, including the Manhattan Beach Open. Along with her professional volleyball career, Patty taught Elementary School for 18 years. In 2015, Patty founded MBsand Volleyball Club where the club has earned over 1500 medals in youth Beach Volleyball.

MBsand has won Gold in all the major events, AAU Nationals, USA HP Championships, AVPFirst Nationals, BVCA Nationals, Rise P1440 and CBVA Cal Cup. In 2018 and 2019, MBsand Volleyball club earned Best Club in the country out of 90 clubs at the BVCA Championships in Hermosa Beach, 2018 and 2019.

Patty Dodd is part of USAV BCAP Cadre, Master Coach and Founder of Beach Nation, HP USAV Coach for 9 years and Assistant to the US National Team 2017-2020. Patty lives in Hermosa Beach with her husband of 34 years, Mike Dodd. They have 2 daughters Dalas, Dominique and granddaughter Dustin. She speaks Spanish and Italian.

Playing Career:
Colombian National team 1978, 1979
UCLA 1980-1984, 2 time All-American
USVBA National Champion, Open, 1980
Major League Volleyball, 2-time champion with L.A. Starlites
Italian professional indoor league, 1985
Forum Team Coed Professional Cup, 1987-1988
Professional Beach Volleyball, WPVA and AVP, 16 years
15 Career Beach Open wins, including Manhattan Open, 1989
1997 FIVB World Tour
Beach Volleyball Hall of Fame, 2013 induction.