Keia Clarke

Keia Clarke – CEO

Keia Clarke, Chief Executive Officer of the New York Liberty, leads the franchise’s business operations and strategic planning. Under her transformational business leadership, the Liberty won the team’s first WNBA championship in franchise history in 2024, and New York City’s first professional basketball championship in more than 50 years. Entering her 16th season with the Liberty, Clarke’s vision, commitment, and intentionality are reflected across every aspect of the organization.



As CEO, Clarke directed a focused, multi-year strategy to build a model franchise by engaging stakeholders across the industry, optimizing business performance, maximizing sales, growing the team’s fan base, and increasing accessibility through innovative broadcast and digital solutions. This effort culminated in the historic 2024 season where the Liberty set the WNBA’s all-time single-game gate receipt revenue record twice and solidified the team as a leading sports brand synonymous with sustained business growth, on-court success, fan experience, community engagement, and authentic cultural influence.



Clarke remains focused on strengthening the Liberty’s position as a commercial and cultural leader by cultivating partnerships that broaden the team’s influence across sports, entertainment, and lifestyle. In 2025 alone, the franchise secured 52 partners during the season, including 20 new to the WNBA, fueling sponsorship revenue growth of more than 60% year-over-year and setting a new benchmark for innovation and corporate investment within the league.



Prior to the 2024 season, Clarke negotiated a distribution deal with WNYW FOX5 New York to become the Official TV partner of the New York Liberty, marking the network’s first-ever women’s professional sports team deal, which reaches more than 7.5 million households throughout the New York Tri-State area. After a successful inaugural year where the Liberty’s local TV viewership increased 129% year-over-year, a multi-year extension was signed in 2025. Additionally, under Clarke’s direction, the team launched Liberty Live, its own direct-to-consumer streaming platform, becoming one of the first WNBA teams to do so.
 
Clarke also led the team’s full-time transition to Barclays Center in 2021, a move that has since evolved into one of the most renowned fan experiences in all of sports.



Among her many distinctions, Clarke was most recently selected as ESSENCE’s CEO of the Year for her industry-shaping leadership and cultural impact. In 2025, she was honored by the Leaders Sports Awards with their Trailblazer recognition, spotlighting individuals breaking barriers and shaping global sport. In 2024, Clarke was inducted into the Inaugural Class of the NYU School of Professional Studies Hall of Fame and named to CNBC’s Inaugural Changemakers Class of 2024. She was also recognized by Sports Business Journal’s Game Changers Class of 2023. Additionally, Keia serves on The Ladies of Hope Ministries Board of Directors.


Before being promoted to CEO in 2020, Clarke was Chief Operating Officer of the team for two seasons, having previously served as the team’s Vice President for Team Business Development, Director of Marketing, and Marketing Manager. In her marketing roles, Clarke 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, Massachusetts.
 
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 degree in sports business from New York University in 2006. In 2022, Clarke graduated from Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program (AMP). Most recently, in 2025, she earned an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from NYU.



Clarke resides in New Jersey with her husband, Brian, and their two children, daughter Avery and son Gavin.