Jessica Berman was named Commissioner of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in 2022. Under her leadership, the league has experienced significant growth, including record expansion fees, rising franchise valuations, increased commercial investment and a landmark media rights agreement. She also spearheaded a historic collective bargaining agreement that made the NWSL the first U.S. professional sports league to eliminate its draft.

During her tenure, the NWSL has expanded to 16 clubs, surpassed 2 million in annual attendance and set a new single-match attendance record of 63,004. Berman has also overseen sweeping reforms establishing new standards for player safety, governance and accountability.

Berman was named Sports Illustrated’s 2025 Innovator of the Year and Sports Business Journal’s 2024 Executive of the Year. Previously, she served as Deputy Commissioner of the National Lacrosse League and spent 13 years at the National Hockey League. She also serves on the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors.