Tulane’s School of Liberal Arts announces Colie Edison of WNBA as 2024 alumni award recipient and graduation speaker
The Tulane University School of Liberal Arts announced that Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Senior Vice President and Chief Growth Officer Colie Edison will receive the school’s Distinguished Alumni Award and deliver the keynote address at this year’s undergraduate diploma ceremony.
The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes notable achievement or career distinction in promoting positive social change. Established as an annual honor by Dean Brian Edwards in 2021, the award highlights the Tulanians who inspire new graduates, demonstrate the value of a liberal arts education and further the mission of the School of Liberal Arts.
Edison, a transformative leader, became the WNBA's first-ever Chief Growth Officer in January 2022. Reporting directly to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, Edison oversees league business and strategy functions and leads revenue-generating efforts, from the globalization of the WNBA brand to enhanced social and digital media content and fan engagement.
“I look forward to returning to my alma mater for such a meaningful occasion, to share some of what I’ve learned since my time as a student, and hopefully to motivate the Class of 2024 to head boldly towards whatever is next—unafraid to try everything.”
- Colie Edison
"An education in liberal arts gives you the ability to play in multiple spaces, and my degree in communication came with critical insight into marketing, rhetoric, and leadership,” said Edison, who graduated from Tulane in 2006. “I look forward to returning to my alma mater for such a meaningful occasion, to share some of what I’ve learned since my time as a student, and hopefully to motivate the Class of 2024 to head boldly towards whatever is next—unafraid to try everything.”
Her participation in Tulane’s graduation ceremony will close a historic season of women’s college basketball. Following record-breaking viewership of this year’s Women’s March Madness, the national reckoning with ceiling-shattering female sports fandom reflects the impact women continue to make in sports, business and society. The announcement also comes on the heels of the selection of Tulane’s new Women’s Basketball Head Coach, Ashley Langford, whose tenure as a Tulane student athlete overlapped with Edison’s.
"We are thrilled to welcome Colie Edison to our graduation ceremony," Edwards said. "Her energy and success at the WNBA demonstrate tremendous creativity and superlative acumen. The way she summons up and deploys a wide range of talents and insights in forging new connections between media, communication and sports reflects the power of a liberal arts education. Colie’s career is an example of what we mean when we say that a liberal arts education provides the best training for the careers of the future.”
Prior to the WNBA, Edison served as the first female chief executive officer in the history of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). She also served as chief customer officer for Bowlero Corp., the world's largest owner and operator of bowling centers. Edison graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in communication from Tulane.
The School of Liberal Arts 2024 undergraduate diploma ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 17, in Yulman Stadium, on Tulane’s Uptown campus. Visit https://liberalarts.tulane.edu/commencement for more information.
