NCGS and Girls Prep Announce Billie Jean King to Appear at the Global Forum on Girls’ Education

NEW YORK, NY — On Wednesday, June 20, tennis legend and social activist Billie Jean King will be interviewed by Girls Prep CEO Ian Rowe in front of an audience of 1,000 educators, researchers, and advocates for girls’ education representing over 20 countries and six continents. King will take the stage in Washington, DC, during the three-day Global Forum on Girls’ Education® II hosted by the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools.

“A trailblazer and changemaker on and off the tennis court, NCGS, with thanks to Girls Prep, our strategic partner for the Global Forum II, are thrilled to have the legendary Billie Jean King at the conference,” saidNCGS Executive Director Megan Murphy. “The educators attending the Global Forum II are committed to best practices in girls’ learning and their healthy development. The skills girls and young women gain from girls’ schools – challenging limits, building confidence, taking healthy risks, developing resilience, engaging in teamwork – are the same critical life-skills Ms. King has proven are learned from participating in sports.”

Named one of the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century” by Life magazine and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the U.S., King has dedicated her life to creating new inroads for girls and women. During her career, King won 39 Grand Slam singles, doubles, and mixed doubles tennis titles, including a record 20 titles at Wimbledon. In 1974, she founded the Women’s Sports Foundation only one year after defeating Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes” match—a moment among the greatest in sports history that empowered women and is remembered for its effect on society and contribution to the women’s movement.

King has long been a champion for social change and equality. Among her many accomplishments, King has been named a Global Mentor for Gender Equality by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and received the NCAA U.S. President’s Gerald R. Ford Award recognizing her contributions to improving higher education and intercollegiate athletics.

In addition to using her voice as a social activist on the world stage, King lends her time and talents by working with girls enrolled at Girls Prep. Classrooms on Girls Prep campuses are named for famous women who serve as influential role models, reminding the students that hard work can lead to magnificent outcomes. At the Lower East Side Elementary campus, the first-grade students are treated to an annual visit by their classroom “Namesake,” Billie Jean King.

“Girls Prep is committed to developing the next generation of female leaders. As a classroom Namesake and an inspiration to our scholars and females (and males!) around the world, I am thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to host an intimate conversation with Billie Jean King at the Global Forum II,” stated Girls Prep CEO Ian Rowe.