Jennifer Duberstein
Age: 39
Company: CAA Sports
Title: Business affairs executive
Where born: Silver Spring, Md.
Education: University of Michigan (B.A., political science and communication), Northwestern University School of Law
Favorite way to unwind: Long runs.
Cause supported: Global Citizen, a platform for the movement to end extreme poverty by 2030.
Most thrilling/adventurous thing I've ever done: Swim with sea lions and hammerhead sharks in the Galapagos Islands.
Person in the industry I’d most like to meet: Sheryl Sandberg.
If I could change jobs with anyone for a day, it would be: Mayor of New York. I would love to be the voice of my neighbors from around the world in my favorite city. Plus, I would be able to fix the potholes on my street.
2015 will be a good year if: My family and friends stay healthy, the first-year Harbaugh produces a winning record, and the Caps win a Stanley Cup.
My fellow Forty Under 40 class members would be surprised to know that I: Played varsity high school basketball on the Maryland state runner-up at the towering height of 5’2”.
CAA SPORTS
rowing up, Jennifer Duberstein’s mother wanted her to be a ballerina. Duberstein wanted to be a team athlete.
“I made sure I grew up playing sports,” she said.
Duberstein played soccer and field hockey, and she played basketball, too — despite the fact that she’s 5 feet, 2 inches tall. Not only is she a multisport athlete, but now in her career, she also has worked in multiple segments of the sports industry, including for teams, leagues, properties and for powerful law firm Proskauer.
{podcast}
SBJ Podcast:
Forty Under 40 editor Mark Mensheha and Executive Editor Abraham Madkour discuss this year's class, some of the more interesting stories in it and how the selection process works.
Those past jobs include stints with Turner Sports (for the Goodwill Games and NHL Atlanta Thrashers), Time Warner and MLS/Soccer United Marketing.
Duberstein’s combination of competitiveness and experience representing a wide variety of clients has served her well in her current job, as a business affairs executive and attorney at CAA Sports. It’s an agency with a culture that stresses collaboration.
“Jennifer is the consummate team player,” said CAA Sports co-head Michael Levine. “Part of why she has made such a strong impact on CAA Sports is that she works well with every department within the company. Her abilities enable us to operate at a fast pace, and despite all of that, she is never flustered and always willing to dive for the loose ball. We are so thankful to have her on our team.”
Duberstein, nicknamed “Dubes” by her co-workers, continues to this day to represent a wide variety of clients, working in areas that include broadcast rights, endorsements and athlete representation.
“I like to work on a lot of different issues, and because of my experiences, I realize the issues are similar across the industry,” she said. “That is something I have learned from working from a lot of different vantage points.”
— Liz Mullen
