Pamela El.

April 21, 2016

NBA marketing executive to deliver address at VCU commencement

Share this story

By Mike Porter

Pamela El will be the featured speaker at Virginia Commonwealth University’s spring commencement ceremony on May 14.

As executive vice president and chief marketing officer of the National Basketball Association, El, a VCU alumna, is responsible for global marketing for the NBA, WNBA and NBA D-League. 

With more than 30 years of experience, El is recognized as an industry leader for her expertise in brand management, marketing strategy, creative development and media and sponsorships. Prior to joining the NBA, El was senior vice president of financial brand marketing for Nationwide Insurance and also spent more than a decade with State Farm Insurance as marketing vice president, where she led sales and marketing strategy for the U.S. and Canada. 

Earlier in her career, El held positions with Terebeam Corporation in Seattle, U.S. West Communications in Denver and The Martin Agency in Phoenix and Richmond. She began her marketing career in 1983 with Siddall, Matus & Coughter, also located in Richmond.

El earned a bachelor's degree in mass communications from VCU. She previously served on the board of directors of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, the Ad Council and the LeBron James Family Foundation. El currently serves on the board of the VCU Brandcenter. 

El has received several distinctions, including being named to Advertising Age’s 100 Most Influential Women in Advertising, being granted a Corporate Citizen Award from the Steve Harvey Foundation and being honored as one of the most Influential Black Women in Business by the Network Business Journal. Earlier this year, El was named one of the Top 50 Women in Marketing and Advertising by Black Enterprise and was listed by Forbes as one of the top 25 Most Influential Minorities in Sports.

She resides in New York City with her husband, William.

Commencement exercises will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 14, at the Richmond Coliseum. Watch the ceremony online atwww.vcu.edu. For more information about the ceremony, visit www.commencement.vcu.edu.