HARRISON, NJ (March 31, 2023) – Ahead of NJ/NY Gotham FC’s 2023 Home Opener on Saturday, April 1 against OL Reign at Red Bull Arena, the club officially introduced today five new members of its executive leadership team. Gotham FC announced Acting President Nan Vogel; Senior Vice President, Ticket Sales and Service Alexa Fuentes; Chief of Staff Darian Jenkins; Senior Vice President, Communications, Christa Mann, and Senior Vice President, Marketing + Brand, Jonna Valente.
“Gotham FC continues to showcase its commitment to empowering women on and off the field.” said Tammy Murphy, Founding Owner and Club Chair. “I look forward to working with Nan, Jonna, Christa, Alexa, and Darian on continuing Gotham FC’s transformation into a leader in the NWSL and global soccer, and an essential presence in the New Jersey and New York sports market.”
As Acting President of Gotham FC, Nan Vogel oversees all divisions of business operations. Prior to joining the club, Vogel spent more than 11 years in a series of leadership roles in the Partnership Marketing and Integrated Media Solutions departments of Major League Soccer (MLS) and Soccer United Marketing (SUM). Among her many responsibilities at SUM, Vogel oversaw MLS’ emerging media partnerships as well as the relationship with the U.S. Soccer Federation and associated partnerships. At MLS, Vogel served as the lead on several of the league’s top corporate partners, and worked hand-in-hand with the Consumer Products and Properties departments to develop the strategy for and launch eMLS – the esports league of MLS. Before MLS, Vogel’s extensive and wide-ranging previous experiences included positions at The Madison Square Garden Company, NBC Universal and Little, Brown and Company, among other organizations.
In her role as SVP of Ticket Sales and Service, Alexa Fuentes is the architect of Gotham FC’s ticket revenue strategy and oversees a team responsible for securing new and return ticket sales including memberships, group sales, and premium hospitality. Prior to joining Gotham FC, Fuentes held the position of VP of Sales and Service at Elevate Sports Ventures. There, she drove strategy and revenue generation for Circuit of the Americas. She was responsible for guiding the Circuit during Formula One’s United States Grand Prix return after the pandemic and helped achieve exponential revenue growth across all ticket sales verticals including premium hospitality. Previously, she was Manager of Brand Alliances at MLS headquarters from 2019-2020, and for three years prior she worked in strategy and sales with Legends, a sports and entertainment experience company. There, Fuentes led projects including One World Observatory and US Open. Fuentes began her career at the New York Red Bulls from 2013-2016 where she developed and implemented group ticket sales initiatives that led to exceeding the organization’s goals during that period.
Darian Jenkins joins Gotham FC as Chief of Staff after a distinguished playing career in the NWSL and overseas. While competing in the NWSL, Jenkins actively prepared for a career off the field, with positions in social media marketing at the NWSL, as a coach at the Reign FC Academy and Harvard-Westlake School, and with Rise Management. Jenkins also participated in an immersive program with Nationwide Insurance, and was involved with Voice in Sport – a New York-based sports and advocacy company that inspires girls and young women in sports. An NCAA champion at UCLA and U.S. National Team player at the U-17, U-18 and U-23 levels, Jenkins was selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2017 NWSL Draft by the North Carolina Courage. She played for the North Carolina Courage, Kansas City Current, OL Reign, and Orlando Pride, Melbourne in Australia and FC Girondins de Bordeaux in France.
As SVP of Communications, Christa Mann serves as the club’s primary spokesperson and stakeholder with media and broadcast partners. She develops and executes Gotham FC’s strategic plan to help increase the club’s visibility through media coverage globally, nationally, and in the NJ-NY area. She joined Gotham FC from MLS, where she spent more than six years in a variety of leadership roles in communications. Mann played at Georgia State University and professionally in the Icelandic Women’s Premier League. After her time in Iceland, Mann moved into a role as a broadcast analyst for college women’s soccer before finding her passion on the communications side for the Atlanta Beat of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS), the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, USA Track & Field, and MLS. Mann is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, where she serves on the executive board of the Sports Task Force as Vice President of Communications & External Affairs.
SVP of Marketing + Brand Jonna Valente leads Gotham FC’s marketing division, which includes brand, digital, creative direction, merchandise and product development. She previously served as VP of Communications for the Washington Spirit. In 2018, Valente founded the brand agency Juniper & Berkeley, designed to serve professional athletes who desired to make an impact within and beyond sports. The agency worked with athletes such as Kelley O’Hara, Lynn Williams (both now with Gotham FC), and several other stars in the sports landscape including French Olympian Ysaora Thibus, WNBA star Angel McCoughtry, and 4-time Olympian Ali Riley. Valente’s previous roles include Moog Music, The Washington Post and The White House as a member of the Office of Presidential Speechwriting during the first term of President Barack Obama. She is a founding partner of Google’s Women to Watch Series and serves on the boards for DC Scores, Black Star Initiative and the Women’s Advisory Board for the Girl Scouts of America, Nation’s Capital. She received her MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and is a proud Blue Devil.
For complete bios of Averbuch West, Vogel, Harris, Fuentes, Jenkins, Mann and Valente, visit GothamFC.com
