ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell's Big Red Leadership Institute will hold a special event this weekend, "Channeling Your Inner Leader," at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 28 in Gates Auditorium. The panel will feature Big Red Athletics alumni Tobe Attah '17 and Hayley Paige '07, as well as Cornell Industrial and Labor Relations Professor Emily Zitek.
 
The speakers will share their own background in athletics and discuss how the leadership skills that they gained through playing a sport translated to their roles in the workplace. A question and answer period will follow.
 
This event is free for Cornell student-athletes and breakfast will be catered.
 
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Tobe Attah '17
Tobe V. Attah is a multimedia entrepreneur with a mission to innovate in today's new media landscape while making a meaningful impact in the world. He was a student-athlete studying communications with a minor in business at Cornell University and pursued a graduate degree in Media & Education at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. He founded Doodle the News in October 2017, a multiplatform hub for people to have their voices heard and help them become more civic minded through bite-sized journalism. He has been published across a wide variety of media outlets, including Sports Illustrated, the Cornell Daily Sun, Newhouse Insider, and many more.
 
He was a varsity track and field team captain at Cornell his senior year and a proud first-team All-Ivy selection. At Syracuse, he pioneered the first podcast and animated series for the Orange Television Network, the #1 college TV station in 2017 (New York Festivals). With a strategic alliance formed with the Young Global Leadership Foundation, Tobe hopes to continue engaging more people with Doodle the News, as both organizations take pride in shining a light on global issues that deserve more attention.
 
Hayley Paige '07
Hayley Paige is a bridal and bridesmaid designer for five different collections at JLM Couture Inc. She graduated from Cornell University in 2007 with a bachelor's degree from the College of Human Ecology in Fiber Science and Apparel Design. During her time at Cornell, she was a member of the varsity gymnastics team and contributed greatly on the uneven bars and balance beam.
 
While attending Cornell, Hayley began her fashion career with an internship for Nina Garcia at ELLE. After the debut of her 10-piece bridal collection during a Cornell runway show, Jill Stuart, who was in the audience, hired Hayley on the spot. Hayley established herself as an integral designer for the Melissa Sweet Bridal and Bridesmaid Collections and was the primary designer to help launch the first Marchesa Eterna bridal collection at Priscilla of Boston. JLM Couture brought her on as head designer in 2011 and was responsible for funding and backing the launch of her namesake collection at age 25.
 
Hayley's dresses can be seen in elite bridal publications such as Brides, The Knot and Martha Stewart Weddings, as well as television programs like The Today Show, Good Morning America, E! News and Say Yes to the Dress. Her red carpet pieces have been worn by musicians, influencers and trend-setters such as Carrie Underwood, Chrissy Teigen, Olivia Wilde, and Aly Raisman, among others. Hayley's personalized approach to social media has built a community of brides on Instagram at more than 687K followers. Collections under the Hayley Paige umbrella are available in 26 countries and nation-wide bridal boutiques including the JLM Couture Flagship Salon in West Hollywood, CA.
 
In February 2017, Hayley launched the first wedding-focused emoji app of its kind, HOLY MATRIMOJI, which she hand-illustrated herself. Hayley's most recent endeavor was the launch of a digital series with TLC and Facebook Watch, Hayley Ever After, and broadcast special on TLC, Hayley Ever After: The Dress.
 
Emily Zitek
Emily Zitek joined the School of Industrial and Labor Relations as an Assistant Professor in 2012. She received her B.A. in psychology from Rice University in 2003 and her Ph.D. in social psychology from Stanford University in 2010.
 
Her research and teaching interests include attitudes and behavior in sport settings. She teaches a course entitled "Sport Psychology" and authored, with Alexander H. Jordan, a paper entitled "Technical fouls predict performance outcomes in the NBA" that was published in Athletic Insight. Zitek also conducts research on gender issues, social hierarchy, stereotyping and prejudice, justice and morality, and psychological entitlement.