How Sport Shapes Communities with Stacia Suttles, Jeffery Mays and Ambre Ballenghien

18/11/2025 - From 12h to 14h - Members & Guests
Registration mandatory

What happens when three powerful voice come together to explore the impact of sport beyond competition?

The U.S. Embassy & The Nine will host an inspiring panel featuring professional boxer Stacia Suttles, coach Jeff Mays, and Belgian field hockey player Ambre Ballenghien. Together, they will share their personal journeys and reflect on how sport can shape communities, create opportunities, and drive social and economic change. The panel discussion will be led by Nicolas Meeùs, former belgian rugby player.

About the panellists: 

Stacia Suttles is an American and Puerto Rican professional boxer from the Bronx, NY and currently living in Philadelphia. She was a 4x Team USA Boxer, 9x National and International medalist, as well as 2x U.S. Olympic Team Trialist. She was the 2024 U.S. Olympic Alternate at 66kg and is currently undefeated as a pro. Most recently she completed a season of Team Combat League, representing NYC Attitude in boxing's first ever professional team boxing format. Aside from Stacia's own boxing career, she owns Suttles Boxing Academy where she teaches children social and emotional skills through boxing. Her love for combat sports and helping others is a big reason she chose to be a Sports Envoy.

Jeffery Mays is an American boxing coach. He is one of the 2020 U.S. Olympic boxing team coaches who competed in Tokyo. He coached with Team USA in the 2019 Pan American Games and three Women's World Championships. He coached at West Point Military Academy, resulting in the team winning four Collegiate National Championships. Coach Jeff is a member of the Texas Boxing Hall of Fame. He is an ABA 2-Star coach with a Bronze level certification from the American Sport Education Program and two Cutman certifications. He is also a member of the International Cutman Association (ICA). Coach Jeff currently resides in San Antonio, Texas, where he owns and operates a boxing gym that focuses on helping youth. He chose to be a Sports Envoy to inspire youth.

Ambre Ballenghien  is a Belgian Olympic field hockey player. She started her career at Royal Léopold before joining Gantoise in 2019, where she became a multiple national champion. A key player for the Red Panthers, she made her national team debut at just 16. Ambre has earned several distinctions, including the Golden Stick award, and represented Belgium at major international tournaments, notably finishing 4th at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Her exceptional talent and leadership continue to make her a cornerstone of Belgian hockey.

About the moderator: 

Nicolas Meeùs believes that life has put sport and rugby on his path for a good reason. He started it at boarding school when he was 15 and ended up playing for the Belgian national squad (30 caps) and becoming multinational champion with his home club (Royal Kituro). He has come to know and accept himself within the beauty of his imperfection. A set of beliefs emerged from these genuine and heartfelt experiences.

Hence, He founded Teamfullness in 2018 to support individuals and teams in sport and organisations, and provide
them with what he had been lacking during his career: an emotional shoulder to lean on. Sport has by essence an inner transformative power on people, especially youth. He looks forward to connecting with Stacia, Jeffery and Ambre, hearing about and learning from their journeys in life and sport for what looks like a very promising interactive talk.

Over lunch, the discussion will move from personal journeys in sport to its broader societal impact:

• The role of athletics in driving local economies
• How cities and communities benefit -financially and socially- from sports initiatives
• The ways in which sport opens doors to new professional opportunities

The event will conclude with a walking lunch and networking moment, giving space for connections and reflections sparked by the panel.

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