Nichelle Gainey is the President of SilverStone International, LLC, a full-service international consulting firm specializing in creating value by connecting business with sports. She created SilverStone International in 2004 to develop synergies between international interests and the United States around her passion for sports, international and community relations.

Ms. Gainey has a 15-year track record in sports as an athlete, teacher and business professional. Her background includes serving as a liaison for community, corporate and governmental affairs, and providing leadership to secure sports funding from local, state and federal agencies in the United States. In addition, Ms. Gainey coordinated communications for collegiate women's and men's sports programs, sports conferences, and championship games for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

She also worked with National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to establish soccer programs at HBCU's. She also served as a member of the NCAA Site Selection Committee for Division I for soccer championships.

Prior to starting her company, Ms. Gainey developed the marketing and strategic development plan for Southwestern Athletic Conference as an assistant commissioner. Her work increased revenues by $2 million over eight years. She also developed strong relationships with local governments and major Fortune 500 corporations.

Ms. Gainey is the youngest woman to be appointed to serve on the World Cup Planning Committee for the 2010 games in South Africa. Her appointment in that country came through relationships she formed and maintained four years ago as a delegate of the Birmingham International Festival, one of the oldest U.S. cultural relations organizations. The committee had a chance to view and follow her skill sets that will help in preparations for 2010 games

Before joining SWAC staff in 1999, Ms. Gainey taught advanced placement chemistry and was the head volleyball coach at Fort Myers High School in Florida; she received the Coach of the Year Award from the Florida Athletic Association.

She graduated from Alabama A&M University, where she was also a member of the swim team for two years and a prestigious MARC fellow, with a bachelor's degree in chemistry. She has an advanced degree in Chemistry.

She is president of the Birmingham Women's Golf Association, and an advisor for NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program for HBCU's. She is a member of: the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics; Marketing Opportunities in Business Entertainment (MOBE); the Executive Women's Golf Association (EWGA); the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO); and a charter member of the National Council of Negro Women Birmingham Chapter.

Ms. Gainey is also a board member of the Police Athletic Team and of First Tee, both organizations that cater to young people, and a graduate of Leadership Birmingham's Class of 2004. She is committed to mentoring women in business and sports and has been selected to serve on the board on Girls Inc. She is also a board member of the Birmingham's Sister Cities Commission, which cultivates economic, social and cultural cooperation between the people of Birmingham and the people of select cities around the world.

An accomplished speaker, she has lectured on topics of HIV and AIDS, women in sports, and professional ethics. At NFL's Superbowl XXL, Ms. Gainey was a panelist for ESPN's televised broadcast Career in Sports.

Ms. Gainey's commitment is to create economic opportunities -connecting business with sports across all segments - all sectors.