Indiana Wesleyan University selected Tamika Catchings, four-time Olympic gold medalist, WNBA legend, sports management executive and entrepreneur, as the 2020 inductee into the Society of World Changers(SOWC).
Catchings was scheduled to be inducted on March 25, 2020, but the convocation was cancelled due to the COVID-19 quarantine issued by the governor of Indiana. Instead, Catchings will be formally inducted into the SOWC during a special virtual convocation that will be held at 10 a.m. ET on March 17. https://www.indwes.edu/about/world-changers/catchings and https://youtu.be/Gqj6Geag66o.
“We congratulate a true world changer, Tamika, on her promotion to General Manager of the Indy Fever and we look forward to inducting her into the IWU Society of World Changers this March,” Dr. David Wright, IWU president, said. “There is no doubt that she will use this opportunity to further expand her world-changing influence.”
Catchings’ accomplishments are vast. Raised in a Christian home, Tamika became a Christian during college. While making her mark as a starter on the women’s basketball team that reached the NCAA Elite Eight during her tenure, Tamika graduated from University of Tennessee with a degree in sports management and a minor in business in 2001. She went on to complete a master’s in sport’s studies from the University of Tennessee in 2005.
Drafted by the Indiana Fever immediately following college, Catchings would go on to win four Olympic gold medals and play an instrumental role in helping the Fever advance to the playoffs 13 times in 15 seasons, capturing the WNBA title in 2012 and being named WNBA Defensive Player of the Year five times.
Throughout her basketball career, Catchings kept a watchful eye on the inner workings of the home office. Following her retirement as a full-time player, she was hired as Director of Player Programs and Franchise Development by the Pacers Sports & Entertainment Organization. She also began working as an analyst for college basketball games for ESPN’s SEC Network. In March 2019, she was promoted to Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Indiana Fever, only to be promoted again in November to General Manager.
Her path to stardom was not easy. Born with a significant hearing disability, Catchings dedicated herself to the sport of basketball as a way to overcome the challenges she faced during her youth. Impassioned to share this gift with others, Tamika founded the Catch the Stars Foundation whose mission is to empower youth to reach their dreams. Catch the Stars promotes fitness, literacy and youth development by holding camps, fitness clinics, back-to-school celebrations, mentoring programs, reading corners and scholarships in communities all over the USA.
As a tea-lover, Catchings developed a close relationship with the owner of her local tea shop. When the owner decided to retire, Catchings stepped into the entrepreneurship arena and purchased Tea’s Me Café, a premier tea bar and café located in Indianapolis, in February 2017.
In 2016, Catchings married Parnell Smith, a former basketball player from the University of Buffalo (NY). In 2016, Catchings published a book entitled Catch A Star: Shining Through Adversity to Become a Champion.
“She has been a vibrant witness throughout her professional basketball career and into her executive management role,” said Wright. “Her leadership within the Pacers organization, in her tea shop and the many ways she invests in the people of her community make her a genuine world changer. It is our honor to induct her into the IWU Society of World Changers–a truly fitting honor for Tamika.”
Catchings joins past inductees Ernie Johnson Jr., Bill and Gloria Gaither, Tony Dungy, and others as an Indiana Wesleyan World Changer.