Meet our team

Play Gap® is backed by volunteer professionals in a variety of fields, including physical therapy, mental health, sports administration, social work, marketing, coaching and more. We use this expertise to analyze the intersectionality of factors that impact adult women in sports so we can best support them and their unique goals.

Six women standing together on a basketball court posing for a group photo inside an Arena. The court has green and yellow markings, and there are spectators seated in the background.
EXPLORE OUR MISSION

Founders

Through conversations with Cleveland-area women’s sports teams and their own first-hand experiences, Barb and Elise recognized a consistent gap in resources and support for adult women in recreational sports.

Together they decided to create a one-of-a-kind organization dedicated to empowering women in the underrepresented realm of community-based sports.

CONTACT US
A woman with wavy brown hair, wearing glasses and a black sleeveless top, smiling at the camera, standing against a wooden and gray wall.

Barb Anthony, MSSA, LISW-S

Co-Founder and Executive Director
barb@play-gap.org

A young woman with long brown hair, wearing a sleeveless patterned top, smiling in front of a gray background.

Elise Vue

Co-Founder and Director of Marketing
elise@play-gap.org

Board of Directors

Contact our Board President, Darlene Gordon, with any questions or to discuss open positions at dgordon12365@gmail.com.

Portrait of a woman with curly black hair, wearing a black top, gold chain necklace, and earrings, against a neutral background.

Darlene Gordon
Athletic Administrator, Board President

Headshot of a woman with long brown hair, smiling, wearing a blue shirt and tan blazer, against a plain light gray background.

Carol Mack
Owner, CLE Sports PT & Performance, 
Board Vice President

A smiling middle-aged man with short gray hair, wearing a green sweater, sitting at a desk in an office.

Sheri Slater
Plant Controller, Marlowe Appraisal Inc, Board Treasurer

A woman with long dark hair smiling against a white brick wall.

Lisa Thuer
Director of Development, Women's Sports Foundation

A woman with long dark hair wearing a red zip-up jacket with a patch that reads 'EMPOWEr' and has a soccer ball logo, standing outdoors in front of a light gray wooden fence.

Ramona Paul, Founder/Coach of AFC Empower, Board Volunteer Coordinator, volunteer@play-gap.org

A woman smiling outdoors, standing in front of a wooden fence, wearing a blue blazer and a black top.

Lena Harris, LPC, NCC
Athletic Counselor - Cleveland State University

A woman with short gray hair, black glasses, and green earrings, smiling and wearing a red blouse, standing with arms crossed near a white wall.

Elizabeth Emery
Host/Producer of Hear Her Sports podcast

Close-up of a green grass field with a white painted line, likely a sports field.

Gardenia Hardee

contributors

A woman with blonde hair wearing a navy T-shirt with yellow text that says 'WE ARE BIRDTOWN', standing in a gym with gymnastic rings and workout equipment in the background.

Sam Husted
Content Marketing Specialist 

A smiling woman in a bright orange sleeveless shirt and matching shorts with a graphic that says 'Trash Pandas' sitting on grass next to a white dog with brown patches, wearing a harness. They are outdoors in a park or event area with people in the background under a pavilion and parked cars.

Katie Markielowski
Member Relations Coordinator
outreach@play-gap.org

Young woman with dark, wavy hair smiling, wearing a septum ring, layered necklaces, white shirt, and brown sweater vest, in front of a black textured background.

Adriana Viana (She/They , Ela/Eles)
Social Justice Volunteer

Advisors

  • Silhouette of a person running on a mountain trail during sunset.

    Mark Starkey

  • A black and white graphic design with stylized text spelling out 'VANITY' arranged artistically.

    Maggie Keenan

  • White lowercase letters "j", "g", and "h" on a black background, with a small white circle above the "j" and a vertical ruler next to it.

    Johanna Henz

  • Telos Leadership Foundation logo with text in black on a white background

    Ron Soeder

  • Cleveland Pro Soccer logo with a stylized font, a soccer ball graphic, and black text on a white background.

    Michael Murphy

  • Metro Health logo with a dotted cross symbol and the text 'Metro Health' in black.

    Dr. Laurel Beverley

  • julie billiart schools logo

    Leslie Masterpaul

PARTNERSHIPS

Logo for Women's Decathlon World Championships featuring bold navy blue text and design elements.
Cleveland professional soccer logo with a black and white soccer ball.
Logo for the Alliance of Social Workers in Sports, featuring an abstract figure in motion.