Our Leadership

Kaitlin Aylward

Leader of Academy Operations & Communications

Kaitlin graduated from the University of St. Francis in December 2020 after being awarded the University of St. Francis Presidential Academic Scholarship for outstanding high school students. She was Voted Top 10 Women’s Basketball Player in NAIA Division in 2020 by a committee of conference coaches around the country and two-Time NAIA All–American.

Kaitlin’s work ethic and leadership skills were recognized early as she was nominated Team Captain her Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years at St. Francis.  She has been a Sky Academy travel team head coach for our western teams since 2019 and currently serves as the Montini Catholic High School Assistant Varsity Girls’ Basketball Coach.

Korie Hlede

Leader of Basketball Development

Korie brings 11 years of experience playing professional basketball in the WNBA, Spain, Brazil, Turkey, Hungary, Croatia, and Russia and 12 years of coaching experience at all levels to Sky Basketball Academy. In addition to being an Assistant Coach for the Detroit Shock when they won their WNBA Championship, Korie was an Assistant Coach at the University of Rhode Island and has spent time developing players from grades 4 to 11. Through the years, she has integrated her interest in sports psychology with basketball and youth development. In the Winter 2016, Korie completed her Masters Degree in psychology with a specialization in sports psychology at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She graduated from Duquesne University as their all-time leading scorer and Academic All-American.

Click here to email Korie or call 773.490.8917.

Margaret Stender

Senior Advisor Scholarship & College Recruiting

Sky Basketball Academy is the perfect intersection of three of Margaret’s passions: the life lessons of sports, inspiring girls, and continuous learning. In addition to being a minority owner and founding CEO of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, Margaret has 22 years’ experience in business leadership at Quaker Oats Company and PepsiCo, where she served as President of both Juice Drinks and Ready-to-Eat Cereals. She was a three-sport student athlete and basketball team captain for 3 years at the University of Richmond and earned an MBA from the University of Virginia.

Click here to email Margaret or call 312.636.2177.