Keia Clarke is Chief Executive Officer of the New York Liberty, where she leads all business aspects of the Liberty organization including oversight of the P&L, business operations, and strategic planning. Additionally, Clarke works with stakeholders on key elements of team business including growing the fan base, maximizing sales and fan engagement through innovation, and optimizing business performance.
Clarke successfully guided the Liberty’s full-time transition to Barclays Center in Brooklyn ahead of the 2021 season. Prior to being promoted to CEO in 2020, Clarke was Chief Operating Officer of the team for two seasons.
Clarke will enter her 14th season with New York, having also served as the Liberty’s Vice President for Team Business Development, Director of Marketing, and Marketing Manager. In her marketing roles, she collaborated with Marketing Partnerships, Ticket Sales, Event Presentation, and Community Relations to deliver first-class experiences for Liberty fans each summer.
Prior to joining the Liberty, Clarke worked on all areas of WNBA business as a member of Team Marketing & Business Operations (TMBO) at the NBA/WNBA league office. She also worked as a Marketing Analyst for Golf Digest Magazine and began her career as an Account Executive for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
Among her many awards, Clarke was recognized by Crain’s New York Business as a 2019 “Notable Woman in the Business of Sports”. In 2020, Clarke was also named to INvolve’s 2020 list of Top 100 Ethnic Minority Executives and Sports Illustrated’s The Unrelenting list. Keia was tabbed to Adweek’s 2022 Most Powerful Women in Sports list, WISE NYC Metro’s Women of Inspiration, Sports Business Journal’s Game Changers Class of 2023, and most recently, CNBC’s Changemakers Inaugural Class of 2024. Additionally, she serves on the Sports Innovation Lab Women’s Leadership Board and The Ladies of Hope Ministries Board of Directors.
Clarke attended Canisius College where she was a four-year member of the women’s basketball team, graduating in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing. She went on to earn a Master’s in Sports Business from New York University in 2006. In 2022, Keia graduated from Harvard Business School upon completion of the Advanced Management Program (AMP).
Clarke resides in New Jersey with her husband, Brian, and their two children, daughter Avery and son Gavin.