Chicago Red Stars Executive Chair Laura Ricketts will jointly accept the 2024 World Business Chicago (WBC) Innovation Award (Women’s Sports) with Chicago Sky Co-owner and Operating Chair Nadia Rawlinson at WBC’s 2024 Chicago International Gala, according to a press release.
The gala will take place Thursday, Nov. 7, at the Field Museum of Natural History. The event will bring together nearly 700 distinguished guests, including international diplomats, business leaders and cultural figures to honor those shaping Chicago’s global legacy.
Regarding the Innovation Award, the release stated that the honor “highlights their leadership in advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in professional sports while raising Chicago’s profile on the national and global stage.” Ricketts is also known for her LGBTQ+ activism.
Also, Ariel Investments founder and Chair John W. Rogers Jr. is slated to receive the 2024 Global Citizen Award; PsiQuantum will receive the 2024 Rocky Wirtz Corporate Ambassador Award; Chicago Council on Global Affairs Vice Chairman and Distinguished Fellow on the Global Economy Michael Moskow will receive the 2024 DuSable Chicago Legacy Award; and Hamburg Committee Co-Chair J. Christoph Lichtenfeld will be honored as the 2024 Chicago Sister Cities International Volunteer of the Year.