Allison Howard- Bio

Allison Howard is President of Business Operations for Cleveland’s WNBA franchise. The team, set to tip off its inaugural season in 2028, is part ofRock Entertainment Group (REG), Chairman Dan Gilbert’s powerhouse sports and entertainment entity encompassing the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, the Cleveland WNBA Expansion Team, the AHL Cleveland Monsters, the NBA G League Cleveland Charge and Rock Entertainment Sports Network (RESN). REG also manages operations of key venues such as Cleveland Clinic Courts and Rocket Arena, the epicenter of sports and entertainment in Northeast Ohio. In Allison’s newly appointed role, she will lead the business operations, venue experience and strategic vision of the team.

Howard joined the Cavaliers in 2024 as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, where she was responsible for driving corporate and ticket sales revenue, operations and strategy, fan experience and youth sports programming. With nearly twenty years of experience in the sports industry, she brings a wealth of expertise from her previous executive roles, including her time with the National Women’s Soccer League’s Kansas City (KC) Current and the NBA’s Los Angeles (LA) Lakers.

Building on her extensive background, Howard notably served as the first president of the KC Current, a role she assumed in 2022. While there, she spearheaded all business operations, revenue streams and culture development. Her achievements included securing naming rights for the first soccer stadium purpose-built for a professional women’s team, as well as for the training center and front-of-kit sponsorships. Additionally, she significantly boosted corporate partnership revenue by over 300% and successfully sold out all season tickets and premium hospitality options.

Prior to her tenure with the KC Current, Howard spent over a decade with the LA Lakers in leadership positions within their corporate partnerships division. There, she led the team’s revenue generation and implemented innovative approaches to brand development and reporting. Howard was instrumental in closing the team’s most successful partnerships and led the organization’s corporate partnership strategy, surpassing $450 million in revenue. This included the naming rights partnership for the training facility, multiple jersey patch partnerships and international growth strategy.

Howard served on the Women in Sports and Entertainment (WISE) LA board for 10 years, where she was recognized as a “Woman of Inspiration.” She holds a degree from the University of Dayton and currently resides in Rocky River, Ohio with her husband Jeremy and two sons, Ronan and Crosby.