Joanne Pasternack, Golden State Warriors
Joanne Pasternack joined the Golden State Warriors in April 2017 not long after the white-hot franchise began construction of the Chase Center set to open next year in San Francisco.
It was a critical time for the team, not just from a business perspective but also from a philanthropic perspective.
Joanne Pasternack
Vice President, Community Relations, and Executive Director, Warriors Community Foundation, Golden State Warriors
Born: Silver Spring, Md.
Education: B.A., University of Pennsylvania; J.D., Santa Clara University School of Law
“When ownership reached out, they said they wanted to circle around a more comprehensive philanthropic program as we moved into Chase Center,” said Pasternack, executive director of the Warriors Community Foundation and vice president of community relations. Since joining the franchise, she has increased the foundation’s charitable fundraising by more than 100 percent while leading myriad community development projects.
Prior to joining the Warriors, Pasternack worked for the San Francisco 49ers for a decade making her mark as vice president of community relations.
But when the Warriors called, she jumped at the chance to join one of sports’ biggest brands and create a more unified philanthropic program that links the various departments within the organization.
“It was a new challenge I was looking for,” she said. “I absolutely recognize that I am here in the right time and right place to amplify philanthropy in sports.”
Buoyed by that success, Pasternack will be starting a new role outside of sports later this month when she joins ServiceNow as senior director of global impact. She will develop a global corporate social responsibility portfolio for the cloud computing company based in Santa Clara, Calif. Pasternack also will be responsible for the company’s corporate social responsibility and community investment strategy across 70 cities around the world.
—John Lombardo
Getting to know...
Attributes i look for when hiring: Passion, empathy and tenacity. What drives them?
Misperception of working in sports: That you need to have a background in sports (or to have worked as an intern in sports) to be hired to work in a front office. I value all types of experiences — inside and outside of the sports industry — and see tremendous value in having a team made up of individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.
Proudest professional achievement: The two NBA Finals Legacy projects at the Golden State Warriors. Through those projects, we transformed a school and a community center in a matter of days.
Woman in sports business I’d like to meet: Laura Gentile, senior vice president, operations and content strategy, espnW and women’s initiatives at ESPN. I have tremendous admiration for Laura’s tenacity and commitment to increasing visibility and positive messaging around sports for women and girls.