Ilisa Kessler

Ilisa Kessler serves as the Chief Operations Officer for Special Olympics Northern California & Nevada since August 2011, where responsibilities include leading strategic planning, office administration, IT, and government relations. Previously, Kessler was the VP of Marketing and Strategic Initiatives, handling brand messaging and managing significant corporate partner initiatives. Experience also includes General Manager of FC Gold Pride, which achieved the 2010 WPS Championship, and roles at ABC7 News Bay Area as Business Operations Manager and as Director of Operations for San Jose CyberRays. Kessler has taught Sport Event Operations at the University of San Francisco and has held various positions in sports business development and event management, with education comprising an MA in Sports Management from the University of San Francisco and dual BAs in Economics and Theater Arts from the University of California, Santa Cruz.