Jess Smith

Jess Smith is President of the WNBA Golden State Valkyres team. Smith, who has over 18 years of experience in professional sports, oversees all WNBA business operations and reports directly to Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer, Brandon Schneider.

Smith joined Golden State from Angel City Football Club, where she served as Head of Revenue from 2020-24. In that role, she oversaw partnerships, ticketing, commerce, operations, data and analytics, broadcast and strategic alliances. Smith, who has a passion for creating revenue streams with intent, revolutionized the sports industry partnership approach with Angel City’s model, where 10% of sponsorship revenues are invested into local community initiatives focusing on equity, essentials, and education. Smith was responsible for launching the ‘Fan Fueled Player Fund,’ where players receive 1% of net ticketing proceeds for advertising ticket sales with their names and likeness. Under her leadership, Angel City renewed over 90% of the team’s season ticket members heading into the 2024 NWSL season.

Prior to her time at Angel City, Smith served as Vice President, Sponsorship at the San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) from 2017-20, where she secured the largest academy-specific jersey partnership in MLS history. Before joining the Earthquakes, Smith worked for the Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL) from 2015-16. Smith also spent time working for the Oakland Athletics (MLB) from 2008-15 in roles within ticketing and sponsorship.

Smith was named to the 2023 Sports Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list and the 2023 Leaders in Sport Under 40 class for her work with Angel City. Smith holds her B.A. in Journalism from State University of New York and received her M.S.A. from Ohio University. She and her husband Scott are proud parents to two young daughters, Kipton and Vaughn.

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