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Lesa France Kennedy

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Cbochicchio NASCAR (talk | contribs) at 15:05, 3 January 2023 (Hello, I am a NASCAR Communications employee making several factual updates to this page on behalf of the subject herself, Lesa France Kennedy. The changes were updates to her professional title and title of her son, Ben Kennedy, as well as an update to her spouse information, as she remarried in 2019 following the death of her first husband. I also added and sourced another third-party accolade. Please, please let me know if there is something else we need to do to get these changes published.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Lesa France Kennedy
Born
Lesa Dawn France

(1961-05-24) May 24, 1961 (age 63)
EducationDuke University (BA)
OccupationExecutive Vice Chair of NASCAR
Spouse(s)Bill Christy (married 2019-present); Bruce Kennedy (deceased 2007)
ChildrenBen
RelativesBill France Jr. (Father)

Lesa France Kennedy, (born Lesa Dawn France on May 24, 1961) is an American businesswoman and Executive Vice Chair of NASCAR.[1]

Education and career

Kennedy received a B.A. in Economics and a B.A. in Psychology from Duke University in 1983.[2]

Kennedy joined ISC in 1983 and was named to the board of directors one year later. She served as ISC's secretary from 1987–96 and as its treasurer from 1989-96.[3] From that point until April 2003, Kennedy was the company's executive vice president.[4] She was then appointed president of ISC after her father, Bill France Jr. stepped down. Most recently, Kennedy was named chief executive officer in April 2009.[5]

Kennedy has been ranked as one of the most influential women in sports by numerous publications.[6] Forbes called her "The Most Powerful Woman in Sports" in 2009.[7] In 2006, she was listed as one of the "25 Most Influential People in NASCAR" by the Charlotte Observer, "Most Influential Woman in Sports Business" by Volusia Flagler Business Report,[8] and was "Female Sports Executive of the Year" according to SportsBusiness Journal.[9] In 2016, Adweek named her one of the "30 Most Powerful Women in Sports".[10] In 2022, she was named one of Sports Business Journal's "Most Influential Property Pacesetters."[11]

Personal life

Kennedy is married to Bill Christy, CEO of CLASH Endurance, an event endurance sports media company. [12]

Kennedy's first husband, Dr. Bruce Kennedy, was killed in a plane in Sanford, Florida on July 10, 2007.[13] Five people were killed, including two small children.

She is the mother of former NASCAR driver and current SVP of Racing Development & Strategy Ben Kennedy.

See also

References

  1. ^ "NASCAR closes merger with ISC | NASCAR.com". Official Site Of NASCAR. 2019-10-18. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
  2. ^ "Lesa France Kennedy". International Speedway Corporation. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
  3. ^ King, Bill (2001-10-15). "Executive VP named Female Sports Executive of the Year". SportsBusiness Daily. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
  4. ^ "Stocks". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
  5. ^ "Lesa France Kennedy". Geni. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
  6. ^ "Lesa France Kennedy Named Most Influential Woman in Sports Business". Truckseries.com. Retrieved 2014-03-10.
  7. ^ "The Most Powerful Women In Sports". Forbes,com. 2009-10-14.
  8. ^ "Lesa France Kennedy". The Business Journals. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
  9. ^ "2006 – Lesa France Kennedy – International Speedway". American Marketing Association. 2 July 2006. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
  10. ^ Meet the 30 Most Powerful Women in Sports Adweek, June 26, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  11. ^ "Most Influential: Property Pacesetters". www.sportsbusinessjournal.com. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  12. ^ Magazine, Triathlon (2021-12-01). "Ready to Clash? The story behind the new multisport series and its speedway thrills". Triathlon Magazine Canada. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  13. ^ 2019 married Bill Christy, CEO CLASH USA a sports event media company. [1] Archived October 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
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