Johnna Hayward – Head of Strategy & Partnership Marketing

Johnna Hayward is the Head of Strategy and Partnership Marketing for the New York Liberty where she works diligently with the team’s 30+ corporate sponsors to develop collaborative marketing plans and activations. Additionally, Hayward leads renewal negotiations and oversees partnership strategy, inclusive of creating strategic brand campaigns and crafting custom sponsorship proposals tailored to each brand’s goals.

Prior to joining the Liberty, Johnna was the Partnership Strategy Coordinator for BSE Global (the Liberty’s parent company) where she worked to identify partnership opportunities for Barclays Center, the Brooklyn Nets, and the New York Liberty and drive business through dynamic presentations and creative storytelling.

As the Liberty’s partnership activation lead, Hayward has brought numerous innovative activations to life at Barclays Center, most notably, the WNBA’s first-ever gaming inspired secondary basketball court in collaboration with Xbox.

Throughout her tenure, Johnna has garnered several prestigious awards for her work including Hashtag Sports’ 2023 Best Women’s Sports Partnership, Sports Technology Awards’ 2023 Best Sports Partnership of the Year, as well as four Clio Sports Awards for creative effectives, branded content, partnerships, and sponsorships. Additionally, she was named to Front Office Sports’ Rising 25 list.

Hayward attended Penn State where she served as the Smeal College of Business’ Student Council President and Women in Business’ THON Director, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing.