With a nod toward tomorrow’s designated “National Girls and Women in Sports Day,” club member David Keller introduced Ilisa Kessler, the General Manager of FC Gold Pride, the Bay Area’s team in the new Womens Professional Soccer league, which begins its second season in April.

While also answering questions about sports management and the role of a GM in a fledgling league, Kessler also discussed the social impact of womens professional sports and other trends in sports and society.

Kessler has also been a part of other Bay Area womens sports franchises, including staff and operations positions with the WUSA’s SJ CyberRays and the ABA’s SJ Lasers. Before returning to sports management last year, she managed business operations for the ABC-KGO7 newsroom. She lives in San Leandro.