The International Center Announces Tamika Catching as 2022 International Citizen of the Year

(INDIANAPOLIS – February 15, 2022) – The board of directors of The International Center has chosen Tamika Catchings, four-time Olympic gold medalist and philanthropist, as recipient of the 2022 International Citizen of the Year (ICY) Award. The award honors individuals whose work has achieved global impact and elevated Indiana on the world stage. Catchings, the 35^th recipient, will accept the award at an event on October 18 at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in downtown Indianapolis. The announcement was made today at The International Center’s Annual Meeting.

“We are honored to present the 2022 International Citizen of the Year award to Tamika Catchings,” said Priscila Vansetti, vice president of crop protection strategy and planning at Corteva Agriscience and International Center board chair. “Tamika is a prime example of the global talent that’s found in our state – both athletic and humanitarian.”

Tamika Catchings is best known for her Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) career. She was drafted by the Indiana Fever in 2001 and stayed with the team until her retirement in 2016. Her basketball career was filled with accolades, including leading the Fever to the WNBA championship in 2012, winning four Olympic gold medals for Team USA, and earning several WNBA player of the year and most valuable player awards. During the off-seasons, Catchings played abroad in South Korea, Russia, Poland and Turkey. She was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.

Catchings is the founder of the Catch the Stars Foundation, a non-profit organization that encourages academic development and fitness programs for at-risk youth in the Indianapolis area. She is the owner of Tea’s Me Café in downtown Indianapolis and Tea’s Me Community Café in the Butler Tarkington neighborhood. Catchings most recently worked for Pacers Sports and Entertainment as the VP of Basketball Operations and General Manager of the Indiana Fever.

Martin Baier, president and CEO of The International Center, said, “We are thrilled to celebrate Tamika, an Indiana icon, with our ICY award. With it, we will honor not just Tamika as an athlete, but her dedication to our community as a philanthropist and businesswoman and her role as unofficial ambassador for the entire state of Indiana.”

Requests for information about the event, including ticket, table and sponsorship details, may be directed to Glennda McGann at [email protected].