As part of the festivities surrounding the 11th annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney in Orlando, Fla., ESPN Events will present its annual high school career panel, including noted names from the Central Florida community, at 8:30 a.m. ET Thursday, Sept. 3, at Evans High School. ESPN SportsCenter anchor Jay Harris will once again emcee the event.
 
Now in its eighth year, the MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney's high school career panel provides Orlando-area high school students the opportunity to hear from and interact with a full gamut of professionals whose careers and families are cultivated and thriving within the Central Florida community. Through the panel's presentation, the teenagers in attendance are offered ideas and inspiration to help craft their goals for the future, as well as opportunity to ask myriad questions.
 
"Walt Disney World Resort is committed to investing in meaningful opportunities for kids to be inspired by influential adults," said Nancy Gidusko, director of corporate citizenship. "Each year, this event ignites a spark in young people, opening up a whole new world of educational and career opportunities for them to consider."
 
The 2015 career panel will feature:

• Lynn Thompson, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, Bethune-Cookman University: Thompson, a Central Florida native, joined B-CU as the youngest NCAA Division I athletic director in the nation. Now considered the senior statesman among MEAC and Historically Black Colleges & Universities athletic directors, he shepherds 17 Division I sports programs. Thompson was the first African-American to chair the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee, and has served as chairman of the MEAC basketball and baseball tournaments. Under his guidance, the Wildcats athletic teams have brought home 64 championships, and, in 2014, every Bethune-Cookman program registered a score of at least 960 in the NCAA Academic Progress Rate report.

• Latonya Johnson, Disney Sports Senior Event Manager: Johnson leads a team of event managers and interns responsible for the planning and execution of more than 40 events annually, which include more than 50,000 participants and 75,000 spectators at the Walt Disney World Resort. She got her start with the Walt Disney Company as a management intern in the college program while studying – and lettering for four years in basketball – at the University of Central Florida. She was selected as a Central Florida YMCA Adult Achiever through the Disney Company, where she serves as the co-chair for the Central Florida YMCA Teen Achievers Program Post Secondary Seminars, which helps teens prepare for college and career/technical education. In 2011, she was named a Central Florida YMCA volunteer of the year.
• Latria Leak, Assistant Director of Community Relations and Cause Marketing, Orlando Magic: Recently nominated for the Orlando Business Journal's 2015 "Women Who Mean Business," Leak oversees the Orlando Magic's community outreach and corporate responsibility initiatives. She also is responsible for developing relationships with community leaders and multicultural chambers, and developing strategies to maximize corporate partnerships through cause-related marketing. Her implementation of the team's Magic Fit Program and the Dream Big Orlando Youth Male Summit, in partnership with the NBA and White House MBK initiative, have earned the NBA league recognition of "Best in Class."
• Jhamie Chin, Communications Coordinator, Orlando City Soccer Club: Chin began his career with the Lions as an Operations intern in 2012, the year he graduated from college. Now, as Communications Coordinator for Orlando City, he is responsible for media relations for the team's players, coaching staff and Club executives. He is also a contributing writer for www.OrlandoCitySC.com. An avid contributor to the Club's successful push to acquire an MLS franchise, Chin has been instrumental in securing significant media coverage for the Club's milestone events, including the unveiling of the team's MLS logo, the signing of international superstar Kaká and groundbreaking for the team's downtown soccer stadium.
• Corey Wynn, Director of Sales, Daytona International Speedway: Wynn leads the DIS sales team in revenue generation and pursuing and developing partnerships and generating business opportunities for International Speedway Corporation properties across the United States. Previously, as part of the highly successful NASCAR team Roush Fenway Racing, Wynn served as a PR Representative for several top NASCAR drivers, and advanced to Director of Sponsorship Marketing Operations and then Senior Director of Business Development. He also spent eight years with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox Triple-A baseball team in community relations and as assistant general manager overseeing business development.

 
This year's MEAC/SWAC Challenge kicks off at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 6, on ESPN from the newly renovated Orlando Citrus Bowl. The season-opening game, which annually puts the spotlight on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, will feature the MEAC's South Carolina State against the SWAC's University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Several additional events take place around the game, including a band showcase at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom; the career panel; a tailgate and pep rally; and the halftime Battle of the Bands.
 
Tickets for the game are available via Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or www.ticketmaster.com. Special packages for the MEAC/SWAC Challenge and Walt Disney World Theme Park admission can be purchased via this link. For travel packages that include resort accommodations, game tickets, theme park tickets and much more, visit AnthonyTravel.com/MEACSWAC or call 1-888-632-6951. The MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney is owned and operated by ESPN Events, a subsidiary of ESPN. For more information, visit meacswacchallenge.com.
 
ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games, 13 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 250-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Boca Raton, Boise, Birmingham, Dallas-Fort Worth, Albuquerque, St. Petersburg and Las Vegas, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.