Her Story
About Mara
I am a Senior Business Operations Manager at the NBA, where I've been for 12 and a half years. I'm passionate about bringing project management and business operations together to lead strategic initiatives and drive operational excellence across the organization. As a certified Project Management Professional, I believe that business operations and project management work hand-in-hand, especially when operationalizing strategic initiatives and keeping groups cohesive and working together. Most recently, I led a major project to bring NBA TV back in-house with the changing media landscape and our shift in media partners. I helped lead this project across cross-functional groups in our organization to officially launch NBA TV as of October 1st, 2025. Before joining the NBA, I worked in sports media, which gave me entry-level experience that helped me land at the NBA. I'm super focused on continued learning throughout my career, always becoming an expert in the areas I'm focusing my career in. I graduated undergrad with a journalism and communications background and also a political science background, and I was kind of between either pursuing a career in sports or going to law school. I ended up in sports, but I've really honed in on the legal side as well, as that's a core part of business operations. In 2019, I made the decision to go back to pursue my Master's of Business Administration degree at Lehigh University, where I took classes focused in both management consulting and project management.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Mara
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say I attribute my success to always being hungry for more and always being committed to continued learning, whether that be learning in the workplace or learning through education. I'm always pursuing different ways to become really an expert in the areas in which I want to root my career in. Throughout my career, I've been super focused on continued learning and becoming an expert in the areas that I'm focusing my career in.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
For a young woman entering into the sports and media industry, I'd say always hold your ground. Know what you're able to bring to the table and stand firm in what you're able to bring to the table. But also foster a relationship-driven approach - really try to lead with fostering solid foundations and relationships, and seek out mentors and sponsors. Being a woman in sports is challenging, and being able to tell stories and inspire other young women to pursue this type of career is what's most attractive to me.
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