Laurel J. Richie is the former president of the
Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
Prior to the WNBA
She is a graduate of Shaker Heights High School.
Before the WNBA, Richie served as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for
Girl Scouts of the USA
Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), commonly referred to as simply Girl Scouts, is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. Founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, it was organized a ...
. Prior to working at the Girl Scouts, Richie worked at
Leo Burnett Worldwide, an advertising agency based in Chicago, from 1981-1983, where she worked on a host of Procter & Gamble brands. In 1984, she moved to
Ogilvy & Mather, where she spent more than two decades building brands for blue chip clients including American Express, Pepperidge Farm and Unilever, among others. She continues to work with Ogilvy as a founding member of its Diversity Advisory Board, supporting efforts to attract and retain top talent.
Richie is a recipient of the YMCA Black Achiever's Award and Ebony magazine's Outstanding Women in Marketing and Communications. In April 2011, was named one of the 25 Influential Black Women in Business by The Network Journal. She also received the
Black Girls Rock Shot Caller Award, the Sports Business Journal's Game Changer Award and
Black Enterprise named her one of the Most Influential African Americans in Sports.
Richie attended
Dartmouth College. She earned her
Bachelor of Arts in
policy studies.
WNBA
Richie was named president of the WNBA on April 21, 2011. She assumed her role on May 16. In 2014, she was named as one of ESPNW's Impact 25. On November 4, 2015 it was announced that she would depart her post as President of the WNBA. She currently is a consultant for
Teach for America.
The organization is an advocate for
education equity. She also serves on the board of
Synchrony Financial
Synchrony Financial is a consumer financial services company headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, United States. The company offers consumer financing products, including credit, promotional financing and loyalty programs, installment lendi ...
.
Dartmouth College
On November 7, 2016, it was announced that the
Board of Trustees of Dartmouth College appointed Richie as Chair of the Board.
In June 2017 Richie, current vice Chair of the Board, will replace William W. Helman.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richie, Laurel J.
Women's National Basketball Association commissioners
Living people
People from Shaker Heights, Ohio
Women in American professional sports management
Year of birth missing (living people)
Women basketball executives
21st-century American women