Michele Kang | |
---|---|
Born | June 1959 (age 65) South Korea |
Occupation(s) | CEO and Founder of Cognosante |
Known for | Majority owner Washington Spirit Majority owner OL Lyon Féminin (pending approval) Contents |
Yongmee Michele Kang [1] [2] (born June 1959) [2] is a Korean-American businesswoman, philanthropist, investor and professional sports team owner. She is the founder and CEO of Cognosante, a medical technology company, [3] and Cognosante Ventures, a venture capital firm. [1]
Kang is the majority owner of Washington Spirit, which competes in the United States National Women's Soccer League, and is in the process of becoming the owner of Olympique Lyonnais Féminin, which competes in the French Division 1 Féminine. [4]
Kang was born in South Korea and immigrated to the United States on her own as a student. [5] She earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Chicago and a master's degree in public and private management from the Yale School of Management. [5] [6]
The problem was that I have never been very good at accepting what I “should” or “should not” do, especially when it came to what a woman can or cannot do. With my father’s reinforcement, I believed I could do anything a boy could do. I wanted something different from the future than what was expected of me.
— Michele Kang [7]
Kang was a partner with Ernst & Young specializing in the high-tech and telecommunications industries. [8] She joined Northrop Grumman in 2000 as vice president of their e-Business unit. She later worked as vice president and deputy general manager of the Global Information Technology Division. In 2003, she became vice president of their Health & Science Solutions unit. [8]
In 2008, Kang founded Cognosante "to disrupt and challenge the status quo in the U.S. healthcare system". [9] The corporation works with federal and state health agencies to "expand access to care, improve care delivery, address social determinants of health, and ensure safety and security through multi-faceted technology and customer experience (CX) solutions." [10] Kang has said that she is focused on developing a pipeline of opportunities that "will directly improve the lives of veterans, military spouses, persons with disabilities, seniors and residents in underserved communities." [11]
On April 15, 2024, Cognosante announced that it signed an agreement to be acquired by Accenture Federal Services.
On December 29, 2020, Washington Spirit announced that Kang had joined the club's ownership group. [12] Later reports confirmed that the stake was 35 percent, equal to former majority owner Steve Baldwin's stake though Baldwin retained control over the team. [3] Following Spirit coach Richie Burke removing himself from coaching duties in August 2021 and subsequent media reports alleging abusive behavior by Burke toward players, Kang began pursuing majority and controlling ownership of the club. [13] [14]
After a protracted negotiation process, [15] [16] Baldwin and minority owner Bill Lynch agreed to sell the club to Kang. [14] Following league approvals, Kang officially became majority owner on March 30, 2022. [17] [18] Kang became the first woman of color to be the majority owner of an NWSL club. [13]
During the negotiations, the Spirit won the 2021 NWSL championship on November 20, 2021, defeating the Chicago Red Stars 2–1. [19]
On May 24, 2023, Kang's acquisition of the Spirit was named the Sports Business Journal 2023 deal of the year. [20]
Kang is an OL Groupe board director and a director in Eagle Football Holdings, the investment vehicle of OL Groupe chairman John Textor. [2] On May 13, Olympique Lyonnais Féminin won the Coupe de France féminine 2–1 over Paris Saint-Germain, its 10th victory in the competition, on a brace by Ada Hegerberg. [21] Kang attended the match and raised the trophy with Lyon. [22]
On May 16, OL Groupe and Kang announced the formation of a separate entity that would be composed of her stake in the Spirit and OL Groupe's Olympique Lyon Féminin. OL Groupe would retain a 48% stake in the resulting new entity, and Kang would become the club's majority owner and CEO, pending regulatory approval. [23] [24] [25] [26] [4]
On December 15, 2023, London City Lionesses announced that Kang had acquired the club. [27]
Kang is part of the ownership group that bought the Baltimore Orioles in January 2024. [28] [29]
Also a philanthropist, Kang created the Cognosante Foundation and is an active supporter of The Kennedy Center, [34] [35] which also was a front-of-jersey sponsor of the Washington Spirit in 2022. [36] She has served on the boards of the American Red Cross, Washington National Opera, Northern Virginia Technology Council, and Palm Beach Symphony. [37] She has served as Co-chair of the American Enterprise Institute National Council. [9]
In 2019, she was awarded the American Free Enterprise Medal by Palm Beach Atlantic University. [34]
Kang's $15 million sale of her condominium in Palm Beach, Florida was the third largest in Palm Beach history for an oceanfront apartment. [1] [38]
Kang is an investor in Just Women's Sports, an American media company dedicated to women's sports. [39]
Kang announced a donation to the USA Women's Rugby Sevens team of $4 million over 4 years on July 30th, 2024. [40] [41]
Olympique Lyonnais, commonly referred to as simply Lyon or OL, is a French professional football club based in Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. They were founded in 1950 and compete in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. The club won its first Ligue 1 championship in 2002, beginning a national record-setting streak of seven successive titles. Lyon has also won eight Trophées des Champions, five Coupes de France, and three Ligue 2 titles.
Olympique Lyonnais Féminin is a French women's professional football club based in Lyon. The club has been the female section of Olympique Lyonnais since 2004. It is the most successful club in the history of the Première Ligue, with seventeen league titles as Olympique Lyonnais and four league titles as FC Lyon before the acquisition.
Eugénie Anne Claudine Le Sommer-Dariel is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for French club Lyon and the France national team. She primarily plays as a creative attacking midfielder and left winger, but has also played as a second striker for her country.
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a professional women's soccer league at the top of the United States league system. Headquartered in New York City, it is owned by the teams and, until 2020, was under a management contract with the United States Soccer Federation.
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The 2020 OL Reign season was the team's eighth season of play and their eighth season in the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. It is the team's first season under new majority owner OL Groupe, the parent company of French soccer clubs Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique Lyonnais Féminin, and the resultant new team name.
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Trinity Rain Moyer-Rodman is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team.
The 2022–23 Olympique Lyonnais Féminin season was the club's nineteenth season since FC Lyon joined OL as its women's section. Olympique Lyonnais finished the season as Champions of the Division 1 Féminine, Coupe de France and Trophée des Championnes, whilst they were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Chelsea in the Quarterfinals.
The 2019–20 Olympique Lyonnais Féminin season was the club's sixthteenth season since FC Lyon joined OL as its women's section. Olympique Lyonnais retained their Division 1 Féminine, Coupe de France Féminine and UEFA Women's Champions League titles.
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OL Groupe is a French holding company created in 1999 primarily known for its ownership and management of the Olympique Lyonnais professional men's and women's association football clubs and their stadium, Parc Olympique Lyonnais. Since June 2022, OL Groupe is primarily owned by Eagle Football Holdings, which is controlled by American businessman John Textor.
The OL Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Décines-Charpieu in the Metropolis of Lyon, France. Owned by OL Groupe, the arena opened in November 2023 and is mainly used for sporting events and concerts. It is located near the Parc Olympique Lyonnais stadium and training complex.
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