Four women honored by Sun as Women of Inspiration

Ester Wallace, far left,  talks during a reception for four Women of Inspiration who were honored by the Connecticut Sun. (Photo courtesy Connecticut Sun)

Four women were recognized by the Connecticut Sun as Women of Inspiration earlier this month at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

Teresa Velez, Dina Sears-Graves, Esther Wallace, and Lisa Salters were recognized at a reception before the Sun’s game with Chicago Sky.

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Officer Theresa Velez is a mental health advocate, a beacon of compassion, and a pillar of support to her community.

Officer Velez has served as the Crisis Intervention Team coordinator for the Hartford police department, providing crucial support and resources to officers and their families during times of need. Buying clothes for victims and lending a helping hand to push cars out of the snow are just two examples of how Officer Velez has gone above and beyond to make a positive impact in the lives of others.

Theresa’s dedication to promoting mental health and well-being within the police department highlights her commitment to protecting the community as well as caring for her fellow officers.

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Esther Wallace is an artist, turned athlete, turned entrepreneur who founded the brand Playa Society in 2018. She grew up not wanting to play basketball as a 6’1 kid in the city where the game was invented, Springfield, Mass.A, until she fell in love with the sport as a sophomore in high school. Wallace earned a Division I scholarship after her first two years of basketball, then went on to play, coach, and earn a master’s degree in marketing while overseas in England.

Before basketball, her dream was to design apparel, so after she retired from the game, Esther went back to creating. Playa Society began in a basement apartment in Boston – made to bridge the gap and establish culture for women’s sports.

Today, Esther is known best for her WNBA merch collaborations, often featuring sketches of the players throughout the league that are worn by athletes and sports fans around the world.

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Dina Sears-Graves has over 30 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector and is currently the President & CEO of United Way of Southeastern Connecticut. She is committed to finding solutions for the betterment of all residents of New London County. At the heart of this work is her belief that no one organization can accomplish this work alone; it takes diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and talents to achieve the greatest outcomes, a community where all can thrive.

Under her leadership as President & CEO at United Way, she has guided the creation of a new strategic vision for the organization – driving impact through innovation, creativity and leadership bringing ideas, new resources, and creating equitable, lasting solutions. The organization has not only seen revenue increase each year under her leadership but has more than doubled the amount of dollars invested in the local community, $5.23 million this past year. These investments provided over 89,900 services to individuals and families, to ensure that children enter school ready to learn and are successful in primary school, youth gain the knowledge, skills, and credentials to be prepared for the workforce and obtain family-sustaining employment, individuals and families have their basic needs met, improve their health and have access to healthcare, and achieve financial stability.

Dina is a lifelong resident of New London County and has a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Relations from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in Business Management from Albertus Magnus College

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Lisa Salters is a versatile, accomplished, Sports Emmy-winning reporter with more than three decades of experience. She is a sideline reporter for two of ESPN’s biggest sports properties – the NFL’s Monday Night Football and NBA games on ESPN and ABC, as well as a co-host of the company’s award-winning E:60 film and documentary series.

In May 2023, at the 44th Annual Sports Emmy Awards, Salters won her first Sports Emmy in the ‘Outstanding Personality/Reporter’ category.

Beyond covering high-profile events, Salters is co-host of ESPN’s acclaimed E:60 series alongside Jeremy Schaap. She helped launch the series in 2007 as a featured correspondent before her promotion to co-host in 2019. Before arriving at ESPN, Salters worked for ABC News from 1995-2000. Based in Los Angeles, she was named the first West Coast correspondent for the ABC affiliate news service, NewsOne, in February 1995.

A native of King of Prussia, Pa., Salters graduated from Penn State in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism. She played guard for the women’s basketball team from 1986-87.

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