1st Tuesday Recap: Christy Sovereign

At the 1st Tuesday Speaker Series in June, Christy Sovereign, ‘89 BSB, previewed the excitement coming to the University of Minnesota for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games. As president and CEO of the Games, Sovereign is overseeing the plans for the large-scale event to serve the organization’s mission to improve the lives of those with intellectual disabilities.

“It’s really important to us that the Games aren’t just a moment in time, but this is an event that propels the movement,” said Sovereign. 

The Games will feature 3,000 athletes, 1,500 coaches, 20,000 volunteers, and 75,000 fans from all 50 states. Sovereign explained how it will take a small army of volunteers to bring the event to life, from the event operations, to Fan Zones, to the free health and wellness clinics for the athletes, and more.

“We're thinking deeply about safety and security, and we're thinking about traffic … the operations center and the bat phone to the hospital and the bat phone to the police department,” said Sovereign. “All of that is this beautiful symphony that needs to come together to orchestrate.”

Sovereign says it’s ultimately about making a difference on and off the field. Special Olympics Athlete Abby Hirsch shared how impactful it is for people of all abilities to be celebrated and compete.

“All of us are athletes are all different and have all different disabilities … and just to see what they can do and accomplish, comes a long way,” said Hirsch.

The Games will take place at the University and the National Sports Center in Blaine from June 20-26, 2026. For more information, visit the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games website.

1st Tuesday returns in October with Rick Olson, '10 MBA, the CEO of The Toro Company. For more details, visit the registration information.