Editor’s Note: In this new series, the Herald profiles the lives of PHS graduates after high school.
Peekskill native Johnna Hayward, head of Marketing and Partnership Strategy for the New York Liberty, has an impressive job, and credits her hometown for getting her there.
“Peekskill made me who I am,” says the 27-year-old marketing expert for the WNBA women’s basketball team. “Peekskill is what got me here,” she says with a smile, “the city, the community, the diversity of people and thought.”
The Peekskill High School graduate manages a staff of two, handling the Liberty’s partners and sponsors, which include Barclay’s, Xbox, Coinbase, and more than 50 others. She pursues new sponsorships, increases engagement, and manages related social media posts.
Living in Park Slope, Brooklyn, makes for an easy commute to the Barclays Center, home to the New York Nets and Liberty. But having her mom, Robin Webb Lopez, living in Peekskill is a reason to go home often.
“I have a busy schedule, but Metro-North makes it quite easy to get home every couple of weeks,” she says. “There’s nothing like a Peekskill riverfront sunset. I miss that. It’s a piece of quiet and solitude. I love the riverfront. Mom and I still go see the sunsets.”
In addition to must-see sunsets, Hayward likes to frequent the Peekskill Coffee House when she’s home. She also enjoys hosting her family in Brooklyn when they come to see a game. “I have a fun job and people like to come down to see the Liberty.”
Networking with Penn State Alumni
Hayward, an alumna of Pennsylvania State University, found her job by networking with Penn alumni. After a four-month stint with a marketing tech start-up in Barcelona, Spain, which she took to see a little of the world after graduation, she returned home to find a career position.
“Part of the reason I chose Penn State was because I heard about their alumni base and network for women. They have a great network of businesswomen, and alumni get great jobs. I started exploring LinkedIn for Penn State people and connected with a woman. She called me a few months later with an open role at BSE Global, the parent company of the Barclays Center.”
Hayward has been with BSE Global for five-and-a-half years, and enjoys being part of a 30-person team that consists of many women. She also enjoys working for BSE Global, which she says is a woman-focused company. “It’s one of my biggest culture points about working here. The company is women-focused. Sports and entertainment are male dominated businesses.” She finds working here empowering and inclusive. Reporting to the CEO, Hayward says she has minimal levels of red tape and can get things accomplished more quickly.
“My primary focus is on the partnerships/marketing side,” she says. “We have over 50 corporate partners that invest in the Liberty.”
Hayward was responsible for working with Xbox on a cool sponsorship. Xbox created a secondary basketball court for the Liberty, something that NBA teams have, often as many as three, but none of the women’s teams had, according to Hayward.
“We were the first WNBA team to get a secondary court. This is a great example of a partner that met us in the middle — a true 50-50 partnership.” The launch of the second court was coupled with an Xbox game called Roblox, where fans could further engage with the WNBA. “We try to have a lot of touchpoints for fan engagement.”
Winning the WNBA Championship
In October, the Liberty won the WNBA championship, their first ever, and Hayward was right there to see it. “I don’t travel much during the regular season, but when end-of-season playoffs and finals come, I travel with the team.” She was proud of the team taking the championship, which was celebrated with a New York City ticker-tape parade in lower Manhattan in late October. “I’m still fully processing what happened. It has been a whirlwind. The team has come such a long way.”
Hayward credit’s the team’s success, in part, to the Liberty community — loyal fans, partnership support, and engagement. “This moment was a long time coming; a perfect way to end a season. We had over 18,000 people in the Barclay center multiple times. Our community and fans add a special unique layer of support.”
Hayward is also quick to acknowledge this year’s renewed interest in the WNBA.
“This, too, was a long time coming. The league, as a whole, has been growing for this moment.” She also credits the accessibility of games on TV and social media that makes it easier to watch.
“There was no surprise at all. I knew this moment would come. I just didn’t think we’d be here this quickly. The level of growth has been tremendous.”
Critiquing Restaurants
Hayward, who laughs when she says she hasn’t played a day of basketball in her life, calls herself a food enthusiast. She enjoys sampling Brooklyn’s newest local restaurants with her boyfriend and friends, and writes restaurant reviews on Google’s local guide program.
“Brooklyn speaks to my personality,” she says. “I love being in a walkable, friendly and up-and- coming area.” She also spends her free time doing hot-yoga.
She also enjoys being one of a handful of New York born-and-bred members on the Liberty staff, and is often a resource for local information.
“I’m a born and raised New Yorker. I spent my entire upbringing in Peekskill. Where I live is not too far from home, and I’m working for a New York’s women’s team. I’m very proud of that.”
She sees women’s advocacy as helping shape her career path. “Standing up for women, especially women of color, will be very important in my career.”
