Board of Directors
Larry Baer
President, San Francisco Giants
A fourth generation San Franciscan, Larry Baer has gained a national reputation as one of professional sports’ leading visionaries. Baer joined the team in 1992 as the Executive Vice President and was named CEO on January 1, 2012. Baer is responsible for the overall day-to-day operations of the organization and serves as Chairman and CEO of Giants Development Services. In January 2022, he joined the Advisory Board of the American Journalism Project. Baer has served on numerous Major League Baseball Boards including Chairing the Strategic Planning Committee, the Business and Media Board and the International Committee. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Bay Area Council and NBC Sports Bay Area and is a member of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America Pacific Region Board of Trustees. He is an immediate past governing board member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2016. In 2010, Baer was the named the “Person of the Year” by San Francisco Boys and Girls Clubs, and in 2012 he was honored as the Harvard Business School’s “Alumnus of the Year.” In 2014, Baer was honored by the University of California, Berkeley with its “Excellence in Achievement” award and received the Civic Leadership Award from the American Jewish Committee.
Jonathan Becher
President, San Jose Sharks
Jonathan Becher is president of Sharks Sports & Entertainment, the parent organization for the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, three Sharks Ice facilities, and the non-profit Sharks Foundation. Becher is responsible for the organization’s overall strategy with a particular focus on the end-to-end customer experience. Prior to joining Sharks Sports & Entertainment, Becher spent a decade at SAP in a variety of senior roles, including Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Digital Officer. A three-time technology company CEO, Becher is on the Board of Directors of multiple organizations, including Trintech, Khoros, and Pixlee. Becher holds a master’s degree in computer science from Duke University in North Carolina and a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the University of Virginia.
Al Guido
BAHC Board President
President, San Francisco 49ers
In his role as President of the San Francisco 49ers, Al Guido is responsible for all strategic initiatives and business operations for the NFL franchise and its Levi's Stadium. Guido concurrently serves as Chairman and CEO of Elevate Sports Ventures, a consulting firm that provides innovative solutions to organizations across the global sports and entertainment landscape. Guido has more than 20 years of experience leading NFL, NHL, and NBA franchises, and award-winning industry consultancies have established him as one of the industry's leading operators.
Cipora Herman
BAHC Board Treasurer
Board Member for Zip Recruiter and Opendoor
Cipora Herman is on the board of ZipRecruiter, Inc. and Opendoor Technologies, Inc. Previously, Herman occupied the position of Chief Financial Officer at the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the Olympic & Paralympic, the San Francisco 49ers,and Ampersand Technologies, Inc., as well as Treasurer & Vice President of Finance at Facebook Inc. and Yahoo!, Inc. Cipora Herman received an MBA, a Master's degree, and a Bachelor's degree, each from Stanford University.
Daniel Lurie
Founder of Tipping Point
Daniel Lurie is the Board Chair and Founder of Tipping Point Community, a nonprofit that advances the most promising poverty-fighting solutions in the Bay Area. He served as CEO of the organization from 2005-2020. Before founding Tipping Point, Lurie worked for the Bill Bradley Presidential Campaign and the Robin Hood Foundation in New York City. Lurie also served as Chair of the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Mimi and Peter Haas Fund, as well as the Levi Strauss Foundation.
Brandon Schneider
President & Chief Operating Officer, Golden State Warriors
As President & Chief Operating Officer, Brandon Schneider oversees all business-related operations for the Warriors, including Chase Center and Thrive City. As part of his leadership, the Warriors have elevated both the organization and the sports business industry to new heights. Valued at over $7.5 billion—the second most valuable professional sports team in the world—the Warriors have crafted a world-class fan experience at Chase Center and continue to lead the NBA in all major revenue metrics, including ticket sales, partnerships, viewership ratings and merchandise. Schneider was named to Sports Business Journal’s (SBJ) Power Players list in 2018 after being named to the publication’s Forty Under 40 list in 2017. These honors followed Schneider’s inclusion on Forty Under 40 lists by Diablo Magazine in 2015 and the San Francisco Business Times in 2016. The Warriors have captured four NBA Championships since Schneider joined the organization in 2002 and were named SBJ’s Franchise of the Decade across all professional sports teams at the conclusion of the most recent decade. A Bay Area native, Schneider graduated from UCLA in 2001 with a degree in business economics and an accounting minor.
Jared Shawlee
BAHC Board Secretary
President, San Jose Earthquakes
Jared Shawlee has served as San Jose Earthquakes’s President since February 2022. Shawlee took a one-year hiatus from the Quakes to pursue an MBA from Notre Dame’s Mendoza School of Business. He returned to the team in May of 2011 as Senior Director, Ticket Sales and Strategy, later climbing to Vice President of the same department. He was recognized as the MLS Corporate Partnerships Executive of the Year in 2015 before being promoted to Chief Operating Officer in November 2016. Shawlee is also overseeing the team’s pursuit of a new training complex.
Jess Smith
President, WNBA Golden State
Jess Smith is entering her first season as President of Golden State’s WNBA Team. Smith, who has over 18 years of experience in professional sports, oversees all WNBA business operations and reports directly to Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer, Brandon Schneider. Smith joined Golden State from Angel City Football Club, where she served as Head of Revenue from 2020-24. In that role, she oversaw partnerships, ticketing, commerce, operations, data and analytics, broadcast and strategic alliances. Smith, who has a passion for creating revenue streams with intent, revolutionized the sports industry partnership approach with Angel City’s model, where 10% of sponsorship revenues are invested into local community initiatives focusing on equity, essentials, and education. Smith was responsible for launching the ‘Fan Fueled Player Fund,’ where players receive 1% of net ticketing proceeds for advertising ticket sales with their names and likeness. Under her leadership, Angel City renewed over 90% of the team’s season ticket members heading into the 2024 NWSL season.
Ahmad Thomas
CEO, Silicon Valley Leadership Group
Ahmad Thomas is the CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. As a change agent and next generation business leader, Thomas partners with the organization’s 350+ member companies to promote entrepreneurial solutions to strengthen Silicon Valley business competitiveness, bolster its innovation ecosystem, and create shared economic value throughout the greater Bay Area. A former investment banker and senior Congressional aide, he brings nearly 20 years of experience working both in and on behalf of non-profit social enterprises, governments, and businesses. Thomas holds a B.S. from Cornell University, a master's degree from the London School of Economics, and M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Aly Wagner
Founder, Bay FC
Aly Wagner is a member of the Founding Football Four and serves as co-chair and alternative governor of the NWSL Bay Area club. She was a midfielder on the U.S. 2003 and 2007 World Cup squads and the 2004 and 2008 Olympic teams. Wagner made her match analyst debut as part of the FOX network’s coverage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 before becoming lead analyst for the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019. During the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018, she made U.S. English-language television history as the first woman to call a men’s FIFA World Cup match. In 2022, Wagner created her own TV show and became the executive producer for Groundwork with Aly Wagner. This year, she takes on her second straight Women’s World Cup lead announcer role as part of the FOX Sports pairing handling all U.S. women’s national team matches from Australia and New Zealand during the 2023 tournament.
