Houston Dynamo and Dash Chief Revenue Officer Dionna Widderhas been honored as part of the Sports Business Journal Game Changers Class of 2020, the Journalannounced today.
Sports Business Journal publishes its Game Changers list each year, showcasing women who are making indelible impacts on the sports community. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the list.
Widder joined the Club in February 2019 after spending the previous four-plus years with the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, where she was the team’s Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service.
“I was fortunate to have already seen Dionna’s talent, drive and work from our days in the NBA, so it was an easy decision for her to be my first executive hire after I joined the Club. She’s brought that same energy every day since she joined our organization, and we are already seeing the benefits,” said Dynamo and Dash president John Walker. “This is an extremely well-deserved honor for her, and I know I speak for everyone at our Club when I say that she has been an absolute game changer for the Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash.”
In just over a year and a half, Widder has led a number of transformational changes in how the Dynamo and Dash approach the revenue-driving areas of the Club.
“I am deeply honored by this recognition as it truly is a reflection of the collaboration and passion that goes on every day at our Club,” Widder said. “The team-oriented culture and commitment to delivering championship-caliber experiences for our fans and our community on and off the pitch motivates me to keep improving on what we do.”
Widder was the driving force behind unifying the Club’s four independent supporters groups under the banner of Hustle Town Supporters, which has allowed each of the groups to maintain their unique flair on game days while collaborating on larger projects such as Tifos, away game trips and member recruitment. Since the creation of Hustle Town, the Supporters Section has grown by nearly 25 percent year-over-year.
Additionally, the 36-year-old led the way in reimagining the Club’s membership platform, creating a year-round platform that was focused more on engagement and delivering value beyond game days. The new Dynamo 365 and Dash 365 platforms have resulted in renewal rates greater than 85 percent each of the last two years and year-over-year increases in each team’s Membership base.
Widder played a crucial role in growing the Club’s relationship with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to include the jersey sponsorship for the Houston Dash in 2020 in addition to the Dynamo jersey partnership, which began in 2019. Founded and headquartered in Houston, MD Anderson is the world’s leading cancer treatment and prevention center.
Under her leadership, the Club has seen significant growth in sponsorship and has successfully navigated the suspension of play for both teams due to the coronavirus pandemic with a solution-oriented approach focused on creativity, collaboration and communication with each of its 46 corporate partners.
In her role with the Cavaliers, she was primarily responsible for the day-to-day success of the Membership Development, Group Sales, Youth Sports, Sales & Service Operations, and Organizational Business Development teams, the creation and execution of new and innovative ticket strategies and is responsible for developing and driving execution to maximize the sale of tickets and revenue.
A native of Flint, Michigan, Widder was a member of the Cavaliers' leadership team responsible for the modernization and transformation of Quicken Loans Arena which is scheduled to open in October 2019.
Prior to joining the Cavaliers, Widder spent two years as a Director in the NBA’s Team Marketing and Business Operations group, providing league support to individual teams with a focus on ticket sales, corporate partnerships and marketing functions. to NBA, WNBA and G-League teams.
Widder broke into professional sports in 2006 with the NBA’s Indiana Pacers and WNBA’s Indiana Fever. She advanced rapidly within the club, starting out as a group sales executive before being named the Director of Group Ticket Sales and ultimately Sr. Director of Ticket Sales.
Widder and her husband Mark have three children – seven-year-old fraternal twins Wells and Ellis and two-year-old daughter Rowan. In her spare time, she hosts a podcast titled Women Blazers, which is focused on women who are leading the way in the sports and entertainment industry.
