AMHERST, N.Y. - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Olympian Elana Meyers Taylor will headline a pair of events on the campus of Daemen College during the Athletic Department's celebration of National Girls and Women In Sports Week set for April 4-10.  The 30th annual event commemorates the achievements of girls and women in sports across the country.

Gillibrand will be on hand for the week's kickoff event, slated for Monday, April 4 at 10 a.m. in the Premier Center Cabaret at MusicalFare Theatre, located on the college's campus at 4380 Main Street.  She will discuss the importance of advancing women in sports before a gathering of Daemen's female student-athletes and other invited guests, and will field questions from the audience at the conclusion of her remarks.

"We look forward to having Senator Gillibrand speak at Daemen during our weeklong celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports," said Bridget Niland, Daemen's Director of Athletics who will serve as an introductory speaker at the event on April 4.  "This is an important topic as the advancement of women is at all-time high across all levels of the sports industry, including our hometown Buffalo Bills appointing the first full-time female coach in National Football League history.  Sports are proving to provide long-lasting positive effects in the lives of women, and we're excited to celebrate that fact."

Meyers Taylor, who has won both bronze and silver medals as an Olympic bobsledder, will speak on Friday, April 8 in Lumsden Gymnasium.  Her remarks come as part of a discussion of "Women In Sport: Past, Present and Future".  There will be a recognition of Western New York Girls in Sports, an event founded in 2006 by Mary Wilson, the widow of former Buffalo Bills owner Ralph C. Wilson, Jr.

"We are also excited about having Elana Meyers Taylor here to speak in front of our female student-athletes and guests," Niland said.  "It will be a truly special experience to hear from an Olympian, someone who has climbed to the top of the mountain in her sport.  I'm certain that there will be much to learn from her remarks."

In addition to the two events on campus, Niland and several of Daemen's female athletics administrators will travel to New York City on Wednesday, April 6 for the East Coast Conference Senior Woman Administrator Professional Series.  The workshop begins that day at 1:30 p.m. on the Manhattan campus of N.Y. Institute of Technology at 16 West 61st Street, and it features Jill Wilson, President of Double L Consulting, Deborah Chin, Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics and Recreation at University of New Haven and Rick Cole, Jr., Director of Athletics at Iona College, as well as special guest Sue Rodin, President of Stars and Strategies, Inc. and the founder of Women In Sports and Events.  The theme for the event is "Creating A Pathway - Getting To The Next Level".

For 30 years, the National Girls and Women in Sports celebration has empowered women and girls to embrace physical activities and push past their limits in sports and life.  This year's theme is "Leading the Way", in recognition of individuals and organizations who are on the frontline for girls and women in sports, athletes who have overcome barriers, coaching and others who serve as positive examples.