National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)

•	Lead strategic development and execution of inclusive people programs, enhancing employee engagement, retention, and development.
•	Oversee design, implementation, and management of performance enablement and learning and development initiatives.
•	Spearhead comprehensive DEI strategy, resulting in an increase in workforce diversity and enhanced organizational culture.
•	Advise executive leadership on DEI, achieving an  improvement in inclusivity-related employee satisfaction metrics.
•	Formulate and execute impactful social impact strategies, driving significant advancements in gender equality, racial justice, and LGBTQIA+ rights.
•	Implement data-driven solutions to measure and enhance DEI progress, yielding actionable insights and strategic improvements.

Head of People and Inclusion

Andria J. Consulting

Owner

The Black In HR (TM)

Human Resources Consultant & HR Expert

WISE DFW

WISE Within Chair -  WISE Within is the national signature program of WISE and offers the opportunity to accelerate professional development by connecting professional-level members to more experienced members through personal one-to-one mentoring and national online resources. Local chapters help to amplify the mentoring experience by bringing WISE Within participants together during chapter activities held throughout the year.

Board Member

Red Ventures

•	Developed and executed global people management strategies for two leading travel media brands, impacting 300 employees across seven countries.
•	Implemented talent processes, resulting in increased promotion rates for women and BILAP employees.
•	Provided strategic employee relations and coaching to senior leadership, enhancing organizational effectiveness.
•	Partnered with C-suite executives to drive talent strategy and workforce planning for a $22 million human capital budget.
•	Led recruiting strategy focused on diverse sourcing, inclusive interviewing, and equitable compensation practices.
•	Established DEI roadmap, amplifying organizational mission and human capital strategy.

Director, People, RV Travel

Dallas Mavericks

•	Advised executive leadership on change management, leadership development, and workforce succession planning.
•	Developed and implemented structured performance management processes, enhancing trust between leaders and employees.
•	Collaborated with senior leadership to align HR strategies with business goals, providing critical HR insights.
•	Led comprehensive training and development programs, including diversity and inclusion initiatives.
•	Cultivated an engaging and dynamic organizational culture, driving employee attraction, engagement, and retention.

Senior Director Human Resources

National Basketball Association (NBA)

•	Directed recruiting and talent management for NBA Canada, NBA Latin America, and various functional groups.
•	Collaborated with senior executives to develop and retain high-performing talent, enhancing diversity and succession planning.
•	Increased minority representation and improved succession planning diversity.
•	Developed and executed organizational D&I strategies in partnership with senior leadership.
•	Served as Professional Development Committee Lead for Dream In Color, promoting Black employee resource initiatives.

Manager Talent Management

Leading a small business is no small task —especially when it comes to building a team that lasts.

I help small business owners and leaders build inclusive, high-performing teams through practical HR strategy, leadership development, and people-first programs.

Currently, I work with organizations like the National Women’s Soccer League, supporting HR strategy, DEI, and organizational development. 

With a Doctorate in Business Administration from Capella University, my work focuses on designing people-centric programs, enhancing employee engagement, and creating cultures where everyone can thrive.

My approach blends strategic advising, real-world leadership support, and data-informed solutions. 

I’ve been honored to be named one of D CEO’s Dallas 500, a Top 50 HR Leader by The Black in HR, and a Sports Executive to Watch by D CEO.

I also speak at conferences, corporate trainings, and leadership events — sharing insights on inclusive leadership, talent retention, and building equitable workplaces.

If you’re ready to transform your culture, grow your leadership team, or bring meaningful change to your workplace:

📍Book a free clarity session: https://www.andriajconsulting.com/book
🌐Visit my website: www.andriajconsulting.com

Let’s build the kind of workplace people want to be part of.

I spent years inside professional sports.

League offices. Executive meetings. Strategic planning sessions. Compensation reviews. Governance conversations.

So when I talk about representation in sports, I’m not speaking from the outside looking in.

I’m speaking from conference rooms most people never see.

And here’s the truth:

The sports industry does not have a diversity optics problem. It has a power concentration problem.

We celebrate diversity on the field.
We build campaigns around culture.
We profit from global Black and brown audiences.

But when you move into governance, ownership, capital allocation, commissioner succession, executive hiring, and compensation committees, representation thins out quickly.

Not because talent doesn’t exist.

Because access to power is protected.

I have sat in rooms where:
👉🏾 “Culture fit” was a coded filter.
👉🏾 Diversity was framed as risk mitigation instead of growth strategy.
👉🏾 Executive roles were filled through tight networks rather than open competition.
👉🏾 The same leadership profiles were recycled across leagues.

And yet, every year, the industry proudly releases diversity scorecards.

Reports are not reform.

If leadership demographics do not reflect the athlete population and the fan base, the business model is structurally misaligned.

That misalignment shows up in:
👉🏾 Pay equity gaps
👉🏾 Marketing misses
👉🏾 Tone-deaf policy decisions
👉🏾 Executive retention challenges
👉🏾 Diverse leaders plateauing without a real path to power

Let me say this plainly:

🗣️🗣️🗣️ You cannot profit from Black and brown bodies while excluding Black and brown leadership from governance.

That is not sustainability. That is extraction.

Now, there are leaders pushing differently.

Former player and executive Grant Hill stepping into ownership spaces matters.

Alexis Ohanian building and backing Athlos rather than accepting outdated compensation structures matters.

Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart co-founding Unrivaled and embedding equity into the model matters.

But innovation outside the system does not absolve transformation inside the system.

The real work is structural:
➡️ Who holds decision-making authority.
➡️ Who controls capital.
➡️ Who sits on boards.
➡️ Who defines succession.
➡️ Who shapes compensation philosophy.

I’m no longer inside the machine, which means I can say this without hesitation:

🗣️ The future of sports will not be shaped by better branding.

It will be shaped by who is trusted with power.

And the leagues that understand that will lead the next era.

The ones that don’t will eventually be forced to catch up.

Structure always wins.

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Award-Winning HR & DEI Strategist | Empowering Small Biz Leaders with Inclusive HR Strategies, Leadership Coaching & DEI Training | DM for Free clarity session

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