Full Name
Odessa Jenkins
Job Title
Founder
Company
Women’s National Football Conference (WNFC)
Speaker Bio
Odessa ‘OJ’ Jenkins is a successful tech & sports executive, founder of the Women’s National Football Conference (WNFC), and CEO of Bonfire Women.
Jenkins is an in-demand global speaker/coach and the founder of multiple nonprofits, including, Got Her Back. As a disrupter in tech, Jenkins was a member of the Executive team for YourCause, a Texas-based tech company that exited to Blackbaud for $157M.
In addition to her tech background, Jenkins has built one of the premier emerging sports leagues in the country, creating opportunities, inclusion, and financial equity in football for women and girls. She was an inaugural participant in the NFL’s first Women’s Career in Football Forum and is one of the first women to obtain the coveted Bill Walsh Diversity Internship in an on-field position.
Featured in Black Enterprise, CBS Sports, NBC, Sports Illustrated, Essence, The Gist, Yahoo Sports, NFL Network, The Undefeated, and more, Jenkins was recognized as one of the most influential and powerful women in sports by Sports Illustrated, voted as Culture in Sports 2022 Sports Leader of the Year and is a 2023 Recipient of The 2023 Leigh Steinberg Denicola Humanitarian Award. In 2024, she was recognized by Essence as one of the top 25 Black women changing the world of sports.
At 86-4, Jenkins is the winningest Head Coach in women’s tackle football history. She is a Hall of Famer, a 7x National Champion, a 2x USA Football Team captain, and a 3x Team USA Gold Medalist.
Heralded as one of the top inclusive leadership experts in the country, Jenkins is determined to create equity in the world for all.
Jenkins is an in-demand global speaker/coach and the founder of multiple nonprofits, including, Got Her Back. As a disrupter in tech, Jenkins was a member of the Executive team for YourCause, a Texas-based tech company that exited to Blackbaud for $157M.
In addition to her tech background, Jenkins has built one of the premier emerging sports leagues in the country, creating opportunities, inclusion, and financial equity in football for women and girls. She was an inaugural participant in the NFL’s first Women’s Career in Football Forum and is one of the first women to obtain the coveted Bill Walsh Diversity Internship in an on-field position.
Featured in Black Enterprise, CBS Sports, NBC, Sports Illustrated, Essence, The Gist, Yahoo Sports, NFL Network, The Undefeated, and more, Jenkins was recognized as one of the most influential and powerful women in sports by Sports Illustrated, voted as Culture in Sports 2022 Sports Leader of the Year and is a 2023 Recipient of The 2023 Leigh Steinberg Denicola Humanitarian Award. In 2024, she was recognized by Essence as one of the top 25 Black women changing the world of sports.
At 86-4, Jenkins is the winningest Head Coach in women’s tackle football history. She is a Hall of Famer, a 7x National Champion, a 2x USA Football Team captain, and a 3x Team USA Gold Medalist.
Heralded as one of the top inclusive leadership experts in the country, Jenkins is determined to create equity in the world for all.
Speaking At