Kristina Southam Townsend is a strategic and thoughtful leader with more than 15 years of experience at the intersection of sport, social impact, and international relations. She has consulted with senior executives, curated strategic partnerships, and collaborated with some of the most influential brands, sports leagues, and international organizations in the world.

Her career spans across sport, philanthropy, higher education, and international relations. At Sports Innovation Lab, Kristina contributed to women’s sports initiatives and delivered market intelligence and fan behavior insights to help industry leaders identify opportunities for growth and innovation. She has also directed global networks, managed philanthropic programs, and overseen multimillion-dollar grant portfolios that supported humanitarian efforts in partnership with major international NGOs and UN agencies. As co-founder and race director of the Saints and Sinners Half Marathon for a decade, she led all aspects of operations, partnerships, and growth, attracting participants from across the U.S. and abroad.

Kristina holds an Executive Master’s in Public Administration from the Marriott School of Business, with her Bachelor's of Art in Latin American Studies and Communications, she is also fluent in Spanish. With a passion for exploration, she has lived in Spain, Paraguay, Belize, and spent time studying and serving in the mountains of Guatemala and remote areas of Mexico; including spending time with the Tarahumara people in 2008 (pre-dating the book, Born to Run). Her global citizenship has taken her across 40+ countries, and can often be found adding new places to her bucket list. An accomplished adventure athlete, she has completed multiple marathons, including the Everest Marathon — while pregnant, and summited Mt. Kilimanjaro.