Jessica Berman | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Berman in 2023 | |
| Commissioner of theNational Women's Soccer League | |
| Assumed office April 20, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Marla Messing (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1977 (age 47–48) New York City, U.S. |
| Spouse | Brad Berman |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | |
Jessica Berman (born 1977)[1][2] is an American lawyer who has served as the commissioner of theNational Women's Soccer League (NWSL) since 2022.
Berman grew up in aConservative Jewish family inBrooklyn, New York.[3] She attendedEast Midwood Jewish Center. She was the manager of the boys' baseball team atJames Madison High School.[4] She then earned a bachelor's degree in sports management from theUniversity of Michigan,[3] where she was an assistant manager of themen's hockey team.[4][5] After Michigan, Berman attendedFordham University forlaw school, and graduated in 2002.[5]
After graduating from Fordham, Berman joined the law firmProskauer Rose as an associate working in the labor and employment department.[5] At Proskauer Rose, she was a member of the team that negotiated an end to the2004–05 NHL lockout and a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement between theNational Hockey League and theNational Hockey League Players' Association.[4][6]
In 2006, Berman moved in-house to the NHL after more than 3 years at Proskauer Rose.[6] Over her 13 years with the league, she rose to become the NHL's deputy general counsel and vice president of community development.[5] Her responsibilities included the league'scorporate social responsibility efforts and running the NHL Foundation.[3][7] During Berman's tenure in the NHL, she was viewed as a candidate to eventually become the first female commissioner of a men's professional sports league,[4] and she was named a "Forty under 40" bySports Business Journal in 2014.[6]
In 2019, she was named the deputy commissioner and executive vice president of business affairs of theNational Lacrosse League (NLL), becoming the first female deputy commissioner of a men's professional sports league.[3] At the NLL, Berman was responsible for the league's growth and legal affairs.[5]
On March 8, 2022, Berman was named commissioner of theNational Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the highest professional women's soccer league in the United States, for a 4-year term that began on April 20.[1][3] The NWSL had been without a permanent commissioner since the resignation of Lisa Baird in October 2021. Berman's hiring process was the first to include player interviews, a demand in the wake of the2021 NWSL abuse scandal.[7]
On May 22, 2024, Berman won theSports Business Journal's 2024 Executive of the Year award.[8]
Jessica Berman lives inWestchester County, New York with her husband and two children. Her family belongs to the Westchester Jewish Center. In 2023, Berman was awarded theDavid J. Stern Leadership Award by theUJA-Federation of New York.[3][4]
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