Kansas City Current hire Raven Jemison as president, plus more – SportsPro

National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) franchise the Kansas City Current have appointed Raven Jemison as team president ahead of their inaugural season at CPKC Stadium.

Jemison, who will oversee all business operations for the Current, arrives from the Milwaukee Bucks, where she served as executive vice president of business operations for the past three years. During her tenure with the National Basketball Association (NBA) team, Jemison delivered growth across all departments off the court while also building out the team’s data analytics and digital marketing.

Prior to the Bucks, Jemison worked as a client services manager for the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Florida Panthers, while she has also held roles at Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Pittsburgh Pirates and National Football League (NFL) franchise the San Francisco 49ers.

Jemison replaces Allison Howard, who has served as team president for two seasons and will now be an advisor to the club’s board.

“I am so excited to come to Kansas City to work with [owners] Angie [Long] and Chris [Long] and this club,” said Jemison, who was part of the steering group for SportsPro’s NEW ERA programme in 2023.

“They have a vision and desire to make this the best women’s football club in the world and they are willing to invest what it takes to make that happen. I am so excited by the opportunity to utilise my experiences to build this club at a time when both it and the league are already on the rise.” 

Elsewhere, sportswear brand Under Armour has appointed Kara Trent as president of the Americas and Yassine Saidi as chief product officer.

Meanwhile, the German Football League (DFL) has hired Bastian Zuber as interim director of digital business development and Silke Kuisle as director of corporate strategy.

Appointments

Emily Prazer
Chief commercial officer, Formula One
Previously: Chief commercial officer, Las Vegas Grand Prix

Harald Gärtner 
Managing director of Europe, Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC)
Note: Gärtner will lead and direct LAFC’s European business strategy and interests, including the club’s investment in FC Wacker Innsbruck.

Glynn Jones
Director of agency partnerships for Guild Studios, Guild Esports
Note: Jones has over 13 years of experience working with several agencies and clients across the digital industry.

Chris Russell
Director of global basketball sales, Sportfive
Previously: Head of business development, FC Barcelona

Janeen Lalik
Executive vice president, Sabertooth Sports & Entertainment (SS&E)
Previously: Deputy athletics director for external operations, Florida State University

Simon Green  
Chief executive, Supponor
Previously: Chief operating officer, Supponor

Tom Funk   
President of hospitality, Legends
Previously: Executive vice president, Compass One Healthcare

Keith Houlemard
Chief executive, Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) Tour
Note: APGA Tour co-founder Ken Bentley, who has served as chief executive since the tour’s inception, will remain heavily involved during the transition of leadership.

Ron Li
Head of strategy and growth, Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury and Footprint Center
Previously: Senior vice president, client strategy, Navigate

Departures

Eric Chan
Chief financial officer, Los Angeles Clippers
Note: Chan departs to become chief business and strategy officer at Gap Inc.

Erika Ayers Badan
Chief executive, Barstool Sports
Note: Ayers Badan served as Barstool’s chief executive for nearly eight years, during which time she said revenue at the company grew 5,000 per cent.  

Cliff Stein
Senior vice president and general counsel, Chicago Bears  
Note: Stein leaves after nearly 22 years with the franchise.

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