Andrea Williams was appointed chief experience officer for the Utah Jazz in November 2021. In this newly created position, Williams focuses on ensuring the delivery of world-class experiences for guests, partners, and employees of the organization, whose entities include the Utah Jazz NBA franchise, Vivint Arena, the Salt Lake City Stars NBA G League team, and Jazz Gaming NBA 2K team.
Previously, Williams served as chief operating officer for the College Football Playoff (CFP) out of Dallas for three years, with responsibility for managing the national championship game and all affiliated events. Prior to joining the CFP staff, she served as commissioner of the Big Sky Conference out of Ogden, Utah, where on July 1, 2016, her appointment made history in college athletics, as she was the first African American woman to assume this role at a Division I NCAA conference.
Williams transitioned to the Big Sky Conference from the Big Ten Conference, where she spent a decade as associate commissioner, handling branding and transitioning into football and basketball operations. Under her leadership, the Big Ten’s inaugural Football Championship Game was recognized as SportsTravel’s “Best New Sports Event” of 2011.
Williams was honored with a 2014 SportsBusiness Journal “Game Changers: Women in Sports Business” award, and in 2017, she accepted the Shadow League Award for Leadership. In 2018, she was recognized as both the “Woman of Inspiration” for the WISE Utah chapter and the San Antonio Express-News “Sportswoman of the Year.”
Based in Salt Lake City, Williams currently serves on several committees, including the John McLendon Minority Scholarship Foundation Board, Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Directors, and Ohio University Alumni Advisory Board.
Williams’ extensive experience in sports began with her time as a student-athlete for Texas A&M, where she competed in two sports and was the first Aggie to letter in both volleyball and basketball in the same season. She earned a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from Texas A&M and a master’s degree in sports administration from Ohio University’s School of Business.