How Jess Smith Built The WNBA’s Newest Team From The Ground Up

In Bustle’s Quick Question, we ask women leaders all about career advice, from the best guidance they’ve ever gotten to what they’re still figuring out. Here, Jess Smith, president of the Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA’s newest expansion team based in San Francisco, talks about her morning routine and career path.

When Jess Smith started her career in sports nearly two decades ago, she didn’t know she would one day build a playoff-bound team like the Golden State Valkyries, who are already making a name for themselves in their inaugural season. She was, however, unknowingly laying the groundwork for their success by interning at the minor league baseball team — the Auburn Doubledays — 3,000 miles away in upstate New York, where she first saw what a sports team can mean to a community.

“It’s a gathering place — it represents hope, ups and downs, and more,” says Smith, 39. “It’s not just products on fields or courts. It’s so much more than that.” After graduating from State University of New York Oswego — the first person in her family to get a degree — in 2008, Smith put her old-school box TV and some clothes in her Chevy Cavalier and moved west to work for the Inland Empire 66ers, another minor league baseball team.

As her career shifted toward leadership, she earned a master’s of sports administration degree from Ohio University in 2015 and soon took on an exciting, albeit risky, role as head of revenue for the Angel City Football Club, a women’s soccer team founded in L.A. in July 2020. By 2024, the club became the most “valuable women’s sports league in the world.”

Since February 2024, Smith has been leading the Valkyries and applying what she’s learned over the past 10 years to make them not just good, but great. As president, she oversees the team’s business operations, which include partnerships with brands, ticketing strategy, merchandising, and sponsorships. Superfans are already spending $3,900 on front row seats, though you can also get into the Chase Center stadium to see a game starting at $11.

It’s not uncommon, Smith says, for women’s sports organizations to be marketed as the “2.0 version” of the men’s, but she aims to make the organization unique. Her team leans into its lore: In Norse mythology, the Valkyries are female figures who accompany souls to the majestic realm of Valhalla. That’s why the players call the stadium “Ballhalla.” The team is also on the hunt for its own mascot, similar to the New York Liberty’s Ellie the Elephant — all things that draw in fans and build that all-important community.

Here, Smith talks about launching the Valkyries, the fitness class that helps her focus at work, and the book that boosted her career.

How do you get ready for a busy day?

I have two young children, so I’m up at 5 a.m. and out the door by 5:30 to take some time for myself. I’m either walking on a trail with a friend or at a workout class. Right now, I love F45 because it allows me to clear my head. Then, I go to Peet’s Coffee for a black iced tea. By the time I get to work, I’m ready to lock in.

Are you able to grab a break during the day?

Honestly, no. For the past year and a half, we’ve been building. There have been small moments here and there where I can take an hour and a half [off] on a Saturday, but I open my computer and make phone calls every day. It’s not what a business president needs to do, but that’s been my life.

Do you ever get stressed or overwhelmed?

I’ve been tested a lot over the last 20 years, and I was also tested in my childhood growing up with a single mom. That benefits me now in terms of understanding how to be calm and navigate chaos. It’s all about controlling what I can control and making sure I’m leading with empathy.

How do you get it all done?

Around 2014, when I was in graduate school, getting married, buying a house, and recovering from back surgery, I read the book Essentialism by Greg McKeown, and it helped me realize that I have to do less but do it all better.

I call it ruthless prioritization. When things feel chaotic or out of control, I know it’s time to make a choice. That means something we might want to do has to come off the plate, and something we really have to do becomes the main focus.

What’s been one of your proudest moments with the Valkyries so far?

There’s a lot out there about our numbers and how successful we are, but for us, it’s all about knowing that we’ve built a product that justifies ticket prices and all the attention the team is getting. We want to continue to build that trust within the community. We care about who our fans are, why they’re showing up, and why this team matters to them.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.