Change the Game

Nzinga “Zing” Shaw joined ZRG in 2021, serving as the first President of TurnkeyZRG, the sports & entertainment search firm acquired by ZRG in 2020. Additionally, she is Managing Director, Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer (for internal ZRG talent) and Global Head, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Practice.

Zing is an experienced C-suite executive with extensive hands-on experience and knowledge spanning change and crisis management, human capital management, employee relations, talent acquisition, organizational and strategic planning, branding, community engagement, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I). She is known for her pioneering DE&I work with the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, launching the MOSAIC symposium (Model of Shaping Atlanta through Inclusive Conversations) and making the Hawks the first professional sports team to celebrate the LGTBQ community.

Notably, Zing was the first Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer at four blue chip organizations: Edelman, Starbucks, Marsh McLennan, and the NBA. She has been recognized with numerous “40 Under 40” awards from the likes of Sports Business Journal, Atlanta Business Chronicle, The Network Journal, and PR Week. In addition to serving on the Board of Trustees of Fisk University, the Board of Directors of ColorComm, and the Board of Advisors of Arctos Sports Partners, she was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to serve a six-year term on the Board of Councilors of The Carter Center.

Zing received her MLA from the University of Pennsylvania and her BA from Spelman College. She was a study abroad scholar at Oxford.

In her free time, Zing enjoys interior design, international travel, cooking and spending time with her husband Keith and three children, Lacy, Hudson and Trey.

Collin Martin is a midfielder for the San Diego Loyal soccer team, a member of the United Soccer League. Prior to joining the Loyal, Martin played for Major League Soccer’s D.C. United and Minnesota United FC, and for the USL’s Richmond Kickers and Hartford Athletic. 

Martin enjoyed a very successful youth soccer career, joining the D.C. United Academy as a 14-year-old in the under-16 category. In his second season with the U16s, he led the team in scoring. The following season Martin was promoted to the under-18 category where he again led the team in scoring. He impressed the coaching staff enough that season to earn playing time with the D.C. United Reserves in Major League Soccer’s Reserve League action. 

This past year Martin was named the USL’s 2021 Impact Player of the Year in recognition of his leadership on and off the field. He has teamed with Common Goal, an organization uniting the global football (soccer) community in tackling the greatest social issues of our time, to help promote social change, and has pledged a percentage of his annual salary to their mission.

Chiney Ogwumike is a full-time, multi-platform ESPN commentator and WNBA all-star. In August 2020, she became the first Black woman to host a daily sports-talk radio show for ESPN. The 2021 Forbes “30 Under 30” honoree recently added the title of Executive Producer to her resume by producing “144” for ESPN Films which documented the 2020 WNBA season.  

Ogwumike was the 1st overall pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft and earned Rookie of the Year honors. She is a 2-time WNBA All-Star (2014, 2018) and is currently the starting forward for the Los Angeles Sparks, while also serving as vice president of the WNBA Players Association (WNBPA).  

In 2018, Ogwumike became one of the only full-time professional athletes to hold a regular national sports media position. In her role, she makes regular appearances as an NBA studio analyst on SportsCenter, First Take, Get Up!, and The Jump. As on-air talent, Ogwumike has also worked as an analyst for the Pac-12 Network and NBATV.   

The Cypress, Texas native graduated from Stanford University with an International Relations degree under the mentorship of Dr. Condoleezza Rice. She led Stanford to three Final Fours while distinguishing herself in academics, earning multiple honors, including being named the 2014 Capital One Academic All-American of the Year and the Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.  

Ogwumike is passionate about giving back and empowering the next generation. She spent the spring of 2013 studying abroad in Nigeria where she successfully raised $30,000 to build a basketball court for underprivileged youth in an effort to break down barriers for girls in sports and instill confidence in the next generation. Ogwumike and her sister, Nneka, partnered with UNICEF in 2014 to raise almost $10,000 for girls’ education and empowerment in Nigeria. Ogwumike has made numerous trips to Africa with NBA Africa and other nonprofits to help launch youth engagement initiatives using basketball as a tool for development. 

 Amanda Balionis has made a name for herself in sports media.  She serves as a reporter with CBS Sports Network’s golf coverage as well as a sideline reporter for select NFL ON CBS games and CBS Sports Network college football games. 

In addition to her work with CBS Sports, Balionis serves as in-house reporter for Callaway Golf., as a contributor to Turner Sports’ digital and on-air golf team covering the PGA Championship, Ryder Cup, The Masters and British Open. 

Balionis began her career as a sideline reporter covering high school sports as well as providing color commentary for high school volleyball. Balionis later joined the PGA TOUR as in-house reporter and host, producing and reporting tournament highlights and events. 

Active in her community, Balionis donates her time to “Puppies & Golf,” an organization whose mission is to protect and advocate for dogs in need of companionship by supporting and promoting organizations dedicated to connecting humans and dogs, with an emphasis on Military veterans. 

Balionis, a native of Pittsburgh, Pa., is a graduate of Hofstra University with a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism.