Danette Leighton didn’t race cars—she built the highways that got women’s motorsports into the mainstream conversation, wielding marketing savvy and corporate firepower like a perfectly timed pit strategy.

EARLY YEARS

Born November 18, 1972, Leighton grew up with a love for sports that started on the softball field. But here’s the kicker: she became a middle-school dropout statistic, quitting sports at the exact age when girls bail at twice the rate of boys[1]. It’s a twist she’d later cite when running the Women’s Sports Foundation—proof that even future game-changers can stumble before they soar. She went on to earn her degree in Political Science with a minor in Media Arts from the University of Arizona in 1993[2], launching a career that would redefine how sports are marketed, particularly for women.

OTHER INTERESTS

When she’s not strategizing how to level the playing field for female athletes, Leighton finds her center hiking and walking through the East Bay Regional Parks with her husband Chris, daughter Olivia, and their two dogs[3]. Nature keeps her grounded—a necessary reprieve from a career spent in boardrooms and conference calls, fighting for equity one sponsorship deal at a time.

EARLY SUCCESS

Leighton’s first gig? A public relations intern at the Pac-10 Conference[4]. Not glamorous, but it planted her firmly in the sports world. From there, she climbed fast. She served as Stanford University’s executive director for the 1999 NCAA Women’s Final Four[5], then moved to Sony Corporation, where she led their sports marketing division with a laser focus on the PGA Tour and the Sony Open in Hawaii[6]. Later, she held leadership roles with the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and the WNBA’s Sacramento Monarchs[7], proving she could market anyone—men, women, hoops, golf, you name it.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2010: Hired as the Pac-10’s (soon-to-be Pac-12’s) first-ever Chief Marketing Officer, taking charge of all marketing and public relations for the conference[8].
• 2011: Named a “Game Changer” by Sports Business Journal for her creativity, passion, and inspiring leadership at the Pac-12[9].
• 2022: Appointed CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation, the organization founded by Billie Jean King in 1974, bringing 30 years of sports industry expertise to the role[10].
• 2025: Under her leadership, the Women’s Sports Foundation awarded $400,000 in Sports 4 Life grants to 40 organizations across 19 states and Washington, D.C., surpassing $3 million in total funding to empower girls in underserved communities[11].

INSPIRATIONS

Leighton credits her own youth softball experience for shaping her career in the sports industry[12], even though she dropped out of sports as a kid. That personal history fuels her mission at the Women’s Sports Foundation: ensuring girls don’t disappear from the playing field the way she almost did. She’s motivated by the research showing that when girls play sports, they develop leadership skills that carry into adulthood[13]—a message she delivers with conviction born from lived experience.

REPUTATION

Leighton is regarded as a trailblazer who knows how to work a room, close a deal, and make the case for investing in women’s sports with data and passion in equal measure. Larry Scott, former Pac-12 Commissioner, said she had “a major impact on the trajectory of the Pac-12 in a short period with her creativity, passion and inspiring leadership”[14]. She’s been recognized for innovation and excellence by Media Inc.[15], and her reputation as a well-known advocate for women in sports precedes her everywhere she goes. She’s the kind of executive who doesn’t just talk about change—she architects it, one sponsorship, one broadcast deal, one grant at a time.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

As CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation, Leighton is laser-focused on continuing to unlock possibilities for girls and women through sport. She’s championing research-informed programs and advocacy to ensure all girls have access to athletics[16], tackling the stubborn middle-school dropout rate that she once embodied, and pushing for sustained investment in women’s sports. She’s noticed a “growing groundswell of investment” in women’s sports[17] and plans to ride that wave while making sure it doesn’t crash before reaching every girl who deserves a shot at the field—or the boardroom.

REFERENCES

[1] Champions of equality: The transformative power of sport
[2] A Deep Dive into Women’s Sports with Danette Leighton, CEO Women’s Sports Foundation
[3] WSF Team – Women’s Sports Foundation
[4] Game Changers: Danette Leighton – Sports Business Journal
[5] Women’s Sports Foundation Announces Veteran Sports Business Executive Danette Leighton as New CEO
[6] Pac-10 hires marketing pooh-bah – ESPN
[7] Danette Leighton and Jean Tatge: Advancing Women in Sports
[8] Pac-10 hires its first marketing director – UPI.com
[9] Game Changers: Danette Leighton – Sports Business Journal
[10] She’s Got Next: Danette Leighton, CEO Women’s Sports Foundation
[11] The Women’s Sports Foundation Announces its 2025 Sports 4 Life Grant Recipients
[12] A Deep Dive into Women’s Sports with Danette Leighton
[13] Why Girls Who Play Sports Are Built to Lead
[14] Game Changers: Danette Leighton – Sports Business Journal
[15] Danette Leighton, CEO Women’s Sports Foundation, Play to Lead
[16] A Conversation with Women’s Sports Foundation – YouTube
[17] Impact Report – Women’s Sports Foundation