Lisa Baird

Lisa Baird is a proven leader across private and non-profit sectors where she has been instrumental in building some of the world’s most iconic brands and sports properties. Her diverse marketing and sponsorship expertise spans the non-profit and private sector including sports, media, technology, healthcare, consumer and automotive. She has a demonstrated track record of revenue and profit growth. Lisa currently serves on the board of Cantaloupe (NASDAQ:
CTLP), a leading provider of technology for self-serve commerce. Her previous board service includes Fox Racing (acquired by Vista Outdoor), GK Elite, the International Hall of Fame of Tennis, and the Women’s Sports Foundation.

Lisa was announced as the Lisa President and Chief Executive Officer of NextUp in April, 2023. NextUp is the largest non-profit association providing learning and development programming to advance all women in business. Prior to this, Lisa was the Commissioner of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the world’s leading professional women’s soccer league. During her tenure, she signed groundbreaking media and corporate sponsorships and led the industry as the first pro sports league to return to play in North America in 2020. Prior to joining the NWSL, she was the Chief Marketing Officer at New York Public Radio and served in the same capacity for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee for over a decade. Until 2008, she was SVP of Marketing and Consumer Products for the National Football League (NFL). Prior to joining the NFL, Baird gained over twenty years of marketing experience in global organizations managing the world’s most well-known brands including IBM, General Motors and Johnson & Johnson. She began her career at Procter & Gamble in brand management. Lisa is a graduate of the Schreyer Honors Program at Pennsylvania State University and received her MBA from the Smeal Business School. In 2021, she was awarded the McElroy Award from the P&G Alumni Association for her achievements in consumer marketing and the Distinguished Alumna Award from her alma mater, Penn State, and the Sports Business Journal’s top award for Innovation.