WNBA Toronto president Teresa Resch to speak at tech conference on rapid rise of women's pro sports

Teresa Resch likes to put her time and energy into organizations that go beyond the surface level.

Resch was officially named the president of Toronto's new WNBA expansion team in May and will be one of the keynote speakers this week at Elevate, a Canadian tech conference that emphasizes using innovation to better the world.

The parallels she saw between WNBA Toronto and Elevate are what led her to agreeing to speak at the conference on Thursday.

"Ultimately, this team, WNBA Toronto, yes, it's a basketball team, but we are about way more than basketball, and I think in the same way that's Elevate," she said last week. "So yes, it's a technology conference, but it's about way more than that.

"You look at all the different speakers, it's really a gathering of people who are passionate, who are innovative, who are really game changers. You want to surround yourself with people like that."

Resch and Jayna Hefford, the senior vice-president of hockey operations for the Professional Women's Hockey League, will be speaking at Toronto's Meridian Hall in a panel moderated by TSN's Kayla Grey on Thursday afternoon.

They will be discussing the rapid rise of women's professional sports over the past three years.

"More than anything, there's so much excitement in this marketplace for basketball," Resch said in a video call from her office. "I can't wait to share that with some of these people that are maybe new to the game, who are just starting to pay attention and be able to share our story in a more robust way.

"I'm really looking forward to speaking to this audience."

WATCH | What a Toronto WNBA team means for the city, players and fans:

Resch is also looking forward to building her front office.

Whitney Bell was named WNBA