The Seattle Storm has named Michelle Dean, Olympia Edwards, Olu Fagbemiro and Feleata Ma’ae as its 2026 Believe in Women honorees, adding a new public-nomination step to a long-running community program.
For the first time, the team said it invited fans and community members to nominate women for the recognition. More than 65 nominations were received, according to the Storm, before players narrowed the field to four honorees.
A 20-year community tradition
The club says the program began in 2006 as Inspiring Women Night and has evolved into Believe in Women Night, presented by Symetra. The Storm says the initiative has recognized more than 80 women whose work has created opportunities for women and girls across the Puget Sound region.
The new nomination process is the material change in this year’s announcement. It gave the community a formal role in proposing candidates, while the players retained the final selection. The team did not publish a complete nominee list or detailed selection criteria.
The four honorees
Dean is the co-founder of Bonhomie Coffee, a Haitian-inspired mobile café. She selected P4H Global as the recipient of her Believe in Women donation. Edwards is the founder and CEO of Project Girl, which supports young women of color through mentorship, mental-health services and leadership development.
Fagbemiro founded Aneden Gives, which works to help families overcome financial barriers to fertility treatment through grants. Ma’ae is the founder of Poly Drip, a Seattle-based brand that celebrates Pacific Islander culture through apparel, purses and tote bags.
What the club announced
The Storm said the honorees would be recognized at halftime of Believe in Women Night on Sept. 17, when Seattle hosted the Las Vegas Aces at Climate Pledge Arena. It also said each honoree would receive a donation directed to an organization or purpose she selected.
The announcement did not disclose the donation amounts. The responsible takeaway is the selection itself and the program’s new community-nomination pathway, not a claim about the amount or timing of any distribution.