Designing the Moment: How the Golden State Valkyries Are Shaping Culture Through Fan Experiences

​Tuesday, July 21st

​6 pm EST  / 3 pm PST

​What fans experience inside an arena is never accidental. From music and storytelling to cultural moments and halftime shows, every detail is designed to create connection.

​Join Kavita Dhillon, Zina Patel, and Sabrina Ellison for a behind-the-scenes conversation, moderated by Ashmere Prasad, on how sports experiences are designed, why representation matters in shaping fan culture, and how women's sports is creating new opportunities for diverse talent to lead.

​Panelists:

​Kavita Dhillon is currently the Executive Producer of Game Experience for Golden State Warriors, and Golden State Valkyries. She has been working in the Game Experience/ Game Presentation space for about 10 years; and grew into the space because of a yes mentality, while navigating the sports industry through entry level roles. Kavita had previously gained experience in other areas of the sports industry, such as youth sports, ticket sales, and account management.

​Zina Patel has spent the past two years as one of the first 10 employees at the Golden State Valkyries. As an Account Executive of Ticket Sales, she helped the team establish a 10K+ season ticket holder base and break WNBA revenue records by selling out all 23 inaugural season home games. Transitioning to her most recent role as an Account Manager of Ticket Services, Zina maintained a 90% retention rate across her season ticket holder base—securing recurring revenue that helped fuel the franchise's historic $1 billion valuation. This fall, she will continue her women's sports journey as an MBA Candidate at Harvard Business School.

​Sabrina Ellison started her career in pro sports as an NFL dancer which opened doors to a coaching career beginning in 2006 with the Seattle Supersonics where she was asked to relocate to Oklahoma City in 2008 to start their NBA dance program from the ground up. In 2011 she moved back to California and took over the Golden State Warriors Entertainment teams’ program and has been with the organization for 15 seasons. In her time with Golden State, she has had so many amazing experiences from being part of 4 NBA championship runs to starting six entertainment teams from scratch at every age level from youth dancers to senior-aged dancers. Sabrina’s role has grown in her time with the organization, and she is now the Sr. Director of Entertainment Teams for the Golden State brand and responsible for seven entertainment performance teams and a mascot program across the NBA Warriors and WNBA Valkyries.

​Moderator: Ashmere Prasad is a passionate sports journalist and content creator with a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oregon. Her professional background spans live television production, social media strategy, and digital content creation, including roles with NBC Sports. Known for her dynamic storytelling and ability to engage audiences new to sports, Ashmere specializes in making the games more accessible and compelling for all fans. She currently works with Team NBS Media, where she produces and hosts a weekly NFL show, Moving the Chains, and covers Bay Area women’s teams, including Bay FC and the Valkyries.

​About South Asians in Sports (SAIS)

​South Asians in Sports is the premier network of professionals across the sports industry. From the field to the front office, we're building a global community that connects, amplifies, and elevates South Asian excellence in sports. Learn more at sainsports.com.