To celebrate National Girls and Women in Sport Day, Houston Dynamo FC and the Houston Dash hosted its inaugural National Girls and Women in Sport Day Networking Summit. The summit featured women employees of many different departments in the organization, as we as well Dash players Katie Lind and Julia Ashley. College students were invited to network and hear more about women working in sports from the Houston Dynamo FC and Houston Dash employees.
Here are a few of the women who took part in our first summit.
Valerie Holland, Vice President of Community Engagement
A member of the Club since 2016, Holland oversees the organization’s community efforts and has spent her tenure piloting the success of Dynamo Charities, the Club’s charitable arm. An alumna of the University of Colorado in Denver, Holland had previously spent eight years working at Kroenke Sports & Entertainment.
Lana Ramirez, Vice President & Assistant General Manager, Shell Energy Stadium and Houston Sports Park
Ramirez oversees the operations for the Club’s two facilities – Shell Energy Stadium in East Downtown, as well as the Club’s training facility at Houston Sports Park. An experienced events professional Ramirez began her tenure in Houston as an Event Services Manager for the venue in 2015.
Jessie Lantz, Event Manager
An Event Manager since the summer of 2021, Lantz is essential to the success of game day at Shell Energy Stadium. Previously, Lantz spent four seasons in downtown Houston as an Event Services Coordinator at Toyota Center.
Yamilex Garza, Senior Manager of Group Sales
An essential member of the UNIDOS Hispanic Employee Supporters Group, Garza heads the Club’s group sales efforts. A native of Chicago, Garza came to the Club in 2019 following a stint in sales for the Chicago White Sox.
Julia Bilbao, Event Services Coordinator
A graduate of Texas Southern University and a Houston native, Bilbao joined the Club on a full-time basis in May 2022 following a successful internship at Shell Energy Stadium the previous season. A decorated softball player during her time at TSU, Bilbao is now pursuing her master's degree in Sports Studies and Leadership.
Macy Wagner, Junior Content Designer
Wagner returns to Houston following a stint at Utah Tech University as an Athletics Graphic Designer, a role that saw her lead the redesign of Greater Zion Stadium, the football facility on campus. A photographer in her free time, Wagner is a graduate of Sam Houston State University.
