Catherine Engelbert | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Engelbert in 2024 | |
| 1st Commissioner of theWNBA | |
| Assumed office July 17, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Mark Tatum (Interim, as President) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1964-11-14)November 14, 1964 (age 61) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Lehigh University (BS) |
| Occupation | Commissioner of theWomen's National Basketball Association |
Catherine M. Engelbert (born November 14, 1964) is an American businesswoman who has served as the commissioner of theWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA) since 2019. She previously served as the first femaleCEO ofDeloitte.
Engelbert worked for Deloitte for 33 years and was elected as its CEO in 2015, becoming the first woman to lead aBig Four accounting firm. In 2019, she was named the commissioner of the WNBA and made headlines in the following year for creating theWubble amid theCOVID-19 pandemic and supportingplayer activism. Engelbert has led the league to rapid commercial growth, historic popularity, and its most significant expansion in history, but has faced criticism over player compensation. She has been ranked among the most powerful businesswomen in the world byFortune magazine for her roles in the WNBA and Deloitte.[1]
Engelbert grew up inCollingswood, New Jersey, with five brothers and two sisters. She attendedCollingswood High School.[2] She was inducted into the Collingswood Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.[3] Her father Kurt was an IT manager, and her mother a medical practice administrator. Kurt Engelbert was a star basketball player at St. Joseph’s University (Phila.) and was drafted in the fourth round by the Detroit Pistons in 1957.[4] Engelbert graduated fromLehigh University in 1986, with a degree inaccounting.
At Lehigh, she tried out for the basketball team as a walk-on under Hall of Fame coachMuffet McGraw, and later became a team captain.[5] She also played lacrosse, and became a captain of that team as well.[4] After graduation, she received herCPA certification and became a member of theAmerican Institute of Certified Public Accountants.[6][7]
Engelbert joined Deloitte in 1986 and made partner in 1998.[8] A year before making partner she had decided to resign to pursue a career outside of professional services; two senior partners who saw her potential helped convince her to stay.[9] As partner she held multiple leadership roles, serving on the Deloitte LLP board of directors and several committees, and in 2014 was appointed as CEO of the audit subsidiary Deloitte & Touche LLP.[10][11]
In March 2015 Engelbert was elected CEO of Deloitte, becoming the first femaleU.S. CEO of aBig Four firm.[12] News media outlets, includingThe Wall Street Journal, highlighted Engelbert's appointment as cracking the "glass ceiling."[13] In an interview, she credited Deloitte's early focus on supporting women in the workplace as being important for her career.[14]
While serving as Deloitte's CEO, Engelbert made investments in technology and took steps to prioritize employee retention.[15] During her tenure as CEO, Deloitte's revenue increased 30% to over $20 billion.[16][17][18][19]
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On May 15, 2019, Engelbert was named the first commissioner of the WNBA (previous WNBA leaders had been titled "president"). She officially assumed her new role on July 17, 2019.[20] Engelbert has focused on growing the league, improving the player experience, building on corporate partnerships, and preparing for the renegotiation of the WNBA's media rights. She has presided over a significant expansion of the league, adding franchises in San Francisco, Portland, and Toronto, with future expansion franchises planned for Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia.[21]
Engelbert faced criticism from players during negotiations for a newCBA in 2025, with the "central tension"[22] being player compensation that lagged behind the league's revenue growth.[22][23]
Engelbert is a member ofThe Business Council. She also serves on the boards ofMcDonald’s Corporation,Royalty Pharma, andCatalyst, and on the executive committee of theUSGA.[24]
Engelbert has two children, Julia and Thomas.[13][25]