Shana Stephenson

Shana Stephenson – Chief Brand Officer

As Chief Brand Officer, Shana Renee Stephenson oversees the strategy and day-to-day management of branding, marketing, creative, game presentation, performance marketing, digital content, and brand innovation for the New York Liberty. Now in her ninth season with the organization, Shana’s bold brand and marketing leadership have positioned the Liberty at the center of New York City’s culture and as a globally influential brand at the forefront of the women’s sports renaissance. Her guidance contributed to a transformational era for the franchise, culminating in the team’s first WNBA championship in 2024 and New York City’s first professional basketball title in more than 50 years.

Shana joined the Liberty as a consultant in 2018, and began working full-time in 2019 as Vice President of Marketing ahead of the team’s relocation to Barclays Center, playing a pivotal role in the franchise’s transition to Brooklyn. A native New Yorker, Stephenson drew inspiration from her hometown to shape the Liberty’s comprehensive rebrand, one that continues to define the team’s identity today. Shana excels at engaging and maintaining strong connections with the Liberty’s existing fan base, as well as attracting and building relationships with new fans through strategic and creative initiatives. Her ongoing work securing value-aligned partnerships and sponsorships, crafting a best-in-class game day experience that has driven record-breaking attendance growth, and elevating mascot Ellie the Elephant into a cultural phenomenon has solidified the Liberty’s position as one of the most influential brands across professional sports.
 
The creative ingenuity and culture‑shaping vision Shana has brought to professional sports have been highlighted across leading publications, including Fast Company, InStyle, Marie Claire, PRINT Magazine, The Washington Post, Billboard, Andscape, The Guardian, and Sports Illustrated, in addition to earning her widespread recognition as a leading marketer. She has also been a highly sought-after speaker, speaking at events, including the espnW Summit, Sports Business Journal 4se, Black Week Forum and Festival, Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Summit, Morehouse Sports Business Conference, and the Wall Street Hotel’s Women’s History Month panel. In 2025, she won a New York Sports Emmy for the Liberty’s 2024 Playoff Hype Video “NY Ain’t for Everybody,” and was instrumental in securing the Liberty’s recognition on Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies list in Advertising and Marketing. Her trailblazing leadership has also earned widespread recognition, including: ADWEEK’s Most Powerful Women in Sports, Campaign’s CMO 50 list, 2025 WNBA All-Star Campaign Award, Ad Age’s America’s Hottest Brands, Ad Age’s 2024 Leading Women, Gold in the CLIO Sports, 2024 Awards for Gameday/In-Game Experience for creating “Ellie the Elephant: A Cultural Icon,” and Crain’s New York’s list of Notable 2023 Black Leaders. In 2020, Shana was named to the Sports Innovation Lab Women’s Sports Leadership Board, the first of its kind, specifically dedicated to accelerating the growth and commercialization of women’s sports.
 
A former ESPN marketing professional with nearly twenty years of sports industry experience, Shana has a passion for storytelling, adding a unique perspective, relatable relevance and necessary perspective to the sports community. Her keen knowledge of sports inspired her “All Sports Everything," a New York-centric sports blog with a range of lifestyle, news and other sports-relevant content. She has also contributed to Bleacher Report, espnW, Essence, Madison Square Garden, MSNBC, Refinery29, and more.
 
Shana currently resides in Harlem. She received her BA in Psychology from Spelman College and her MS in Sports Business from New York University.