The Portland Timbers have appointed Heather Davis as the brand new chief government officer.
She initially joined the Timbers in May 2022 as basic counsel. Davis will now oversee all enterprise and operational elements of the Portland Timbers, Portland Thorns FC and Providence Park.
“Heather has been nothing short of remarkable during her time here,” Timbers proprietor Merritt Paulson stated in a press release.
“She joined us during a challenging period and has overseen significant positive change for the club. We had tremendous external interest in this position, but Heather has earned the trust of our staff and I could not be more pleased to remove ‘Interim’ from her title. She will be an outstanding leader for our organization.”
Prior to her work with the Timbers, Davis spent 9 years on the NFL league workplace serving as the lead counsel for worldwide operations.
Her work included NFL main occasions such as the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, NFL Draft and worldwide video games in London and Mexico. Notably, Davis drafted and led negotiations on the NFL’s stadium partnership with English Premier League aspect Tottenham Hotspur.
“I am incredibly grateful for the support of our staff and for the confidence that Merritt has shown in me to lead this club,” Davis stated in a launch.
“It is an extraordinary privilege to be entrusted to lead such a storied and successful franchise that means so much to so many in my home state. We will continue to do the work to be a first-in-class club that everyone can be proud of.”
She replaces Merritt Paulson, who stepped down from the position of CEO following the outcomes of the Sally Q. Yates/NWSL investigation. The experiences uncovered his information of former Portland Thorns supervisor Paul Riley’s abuse throughout the staff.
In addition to allegations made in opposition to Riley, the report detailed how the Portland group sought to maintain quiet the explanations for Riley’s departure.