Bay Area Host Committee team excels in male-dominated sports management field
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) - Members of the Bay Area Host Committee say they have a lot to celebrate during March, Women's History Month, as they highlight their leadership team and a new generation of women working in sports management.
The progress their organization sees with inclusion comes ahead of three major sporting events in the next two years across the Bay Area.
"I always knew I wanted sport to be a part of my life," said Becca Smith, the manager of asset development for the BAHC. "Transitioning from an athlete to being on the sports business side is really powerful because I get to contribute in a very different way."
She joined the BAHC last year after graduating with an MBA / M.S. in sports management as the committee's second employee. Smith played volleyball in high school and wanted to stay in the world of sports after an injury kept her from competing in college.
To see her entire leadership team made up of women and female employees accounting for 85% of the BAHC inspires her so early in her career.
"I was looking for female mentors, I was looking to be a part of a company that really valued diversity and especially at the top," she told CBS News Bay Area.
The NBA All-Star Game in 2025 as well as the Super Bowl and the World Cup in 2026 speak to the enthusiasm not only at the BAHC but for sports in the region. Staff are focused on making all three a success and leveraging that visibility over an 18-month period to bring more games and competitions to the Bay Area.
"This was a moment and an opportunity to really change the narrative of the Bay Area," said Patty Hubbard, the chief marketing officer of the BAHC. She is one of the four women that make up the C-Suite for the committee.
Hubbard brings 30 years of experience to the organization and knows what it is like to be the only women in the room when it comes to working in sports. She loves seeing the progress made in that time and helping to create more opportunities for younger women like Smith on their team and throughout the industry. Hubbard played field hockey in college and says that experience helps to inform all that she does now as an executive.
"The level of commitment is amazing, and I really feel like being a former athlete has really helped me succeed in business and balancing a family, balancing day-to-day work," Hubbard told KPIX.
Smith agrees that women athletes have the unique skills to become leaders and rise in any industry. But she takes a lot of pride in working on the future of sports in the Bay Area just as a new professional women's soccer team, Bay FC, begins its first season and a local WNBA franchise comes to the league next year.
"I might not be scoring the points but we're on the other side making these deals happen. So it's very, very special for me," Smith said.