Danielle M. Donehew
Executive Director
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Danielle M. Donehew is only the third person to lead the WBCA in its 40-plus-year history. She was named Executive Director on July 2, 2014.
As Executive Director, Donehew administers all operational affairs for the WBCA, oversees all marketing endeavors, manages the non-profit organization’s $2.5 million annual budget, oversees all WBCA programs and services, and directs the office staff. She also oversees the WBCA’s external affairs, taking on active roles with affiliate organizations such as the NCAA, USA Basketball, the WNBA, the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and the Women’s Sports Foundation.
Donehew represents the WBCA as a non-voting member on the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee, which oversees all aspects of the sport on the NCAA Division I level; and a voting member on the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Competition Committee, which monitors and develops recommendations regarding student-athlete health and safety, sportsmanship, integrity, game operations, game presentation, technology and statistical trends.
Donehew is the past president of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Directors, having concluded a three-year term as its president on June 10, 2020. She serves on the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Trustees as well. She is also an International Women’s Forum Foundation Fellow, completing in June 2016 the leading women’s executive development program in the world.
Donehew continues to give back to athletics and the community through her service on other non-profit boards. She serves on the board of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, dedicated to the fight against women’s cancers. She is a co-founder and advisory board member of the Pat Summitt Foundation, which is dedicated to bringing awareness and funding to the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. She also serves as an advisory board member for the Pat Summitt Leadership Group.
Before coming to the WBCA, Donehew was the American Athletic Conferences’ associate commissioner for women’s basketball, serving as the primary conference leader for women’s basketball initiatives. Her responsibilities at the American included managing the conference’s regular season scheduling and television processes for women’s basketball; representing and promoting the interests of American women’s basketball programs at the national level with NCAA, corporate, and television partners; and administering the annual American Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament. Donehew also served as the primary contact for IMG, the conference’s partner for the management of corporate sponsorship activation, including strategic partnerships and their fulfillment for all sport championships. Prior to her position at the American, Donehew served as associate commissioner for women’s basketball for the Big East Conference from 2009 to 2013.
Donehew has worked at multiple levels in the game including the WNBA. In 2007, she served as consultant to a private investment group of community leaders in Atlanta to build the business case to bring a WNBA franchise to the city. In 2008, after the league charter was granted, Donehew was named Executive Vice President for the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream expansion team, where she led finance, operations, television, contract negotiations, and community development. During the two seasons under Donehew’s leadership, the Dream was in the WNBA’s top 5 for attendance and the team earned a playoff berth in its second season. The franchise continues to be strong and competitive in postseason play
Prior to joining the Atlanta Dream, Donehew worked directly with legendary head coach Pat Summitt and the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball program for seven years (2001-2008). While she was at Tennessee, the Lady Vols earned trips to six Women’s Final Fours and won two national championships. Donehew began her career as a graduate assistant for the Lady Vols while completing her master’s degree in sport management. In her second year with the program, Donehew accepted the position of director of basketball operations where she handled all operational and logistical tasks. Over time, her responsibilities increased and she was promoted to assistant athletics director for basketball operations, where she continued her mastery of operational duties with a larger role in the area of donor relations.
In 2013, Donehew was named an ACC Legend for her contributions to Georgia Tech and the Atlantic Coast Conference during her collegiate basketball career from 1996-2001. During her playing career at Georgia Tech, Donehew was the recipient of numerous accolades including an ACC Post Graduate Scholarship. In 2009, Georgia Tech recognized her with the Woman Out Front Award.
As a student-athlete, Donehew was an active member of Phi Mu Sorority; held executive offices on the Georgia Tech Student Athlete Advisory Board; represented Georgia Tech on the ACC Student-Athlete Advisory Board; and was named the 1999 Georgia Tech Homecoming Queen.
In 2018, the United States Basketball Writers Association presented Donehew with its Mary Jo Haverbeck Award for her special service to the media who cover the sport.
Donehew is a native of Atlanta, where she played in four Georgia High School Association final fours and won two state championships for Sequoyah High School in Cherokee County. She was inducted into the Cherokee County Sports Hall of Fame in May 2019.
Donehew holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering from Georgia Tech and a master’s degree in sport management from the University of Tennessee.
Past Executive Directors/CEOs
- Betty F. Jaynes, September 1981 – October 2001
- Beth Bass, November 2001 – April 2014