Terri Carmichael Jackson is the Executive Director of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), the first players’ union for professional women athletes. She oversees board relations, labor strategy, collective bargaining and group licensing. She is a servant-leader. During her 10 years and 11seasons, she has been on a mission to advance the economic and business interests of WNBA players while helping position their cultural influence and social impact as core drivers of that value. Under her leadership, the union has driven exponential growth in group licensing and sponsorship, securing major deals across key categories including trading cards and video games.

Since joining the WNBPA in 2016, Carmichael Jackson has led some of the most significant labor advancements in women’s sports. She was instrumental in negotiating the landmark 2020 Collective Bargaining Agreement, which delivered meaningful gains in compensation, benefits, and working conditions. She guided the union through the COVID-19 pandemic while strengthening its role. And in 2024, she helped lead players through a historic opt-out and protracted negotiating period that culminated in a truly transformational collective bargaining agreement. The 2026 CBA introduced a revenue-sharing model tied to league growth and dramatically increased player compensation, including the largest percentage-based pay increase in professional sports (men’s and women’s) history.

She has also elevated the WNBPA’s platform beyond labor, serving as an executive producer of Shattered Glass: A WNBPA Story and amplifying players’ leadership across business, culture, and social impact. Carmichael Jackson has been recognized by Sports Illustrated as one of the most powerful women in sports and by SportsBusiness Journal as both a Game Changer and Power Player. 

Prior to the WNBPA, she served as Director of Law, Policy, and Governance at the NCAA and held legal roles at the University of the District of Columbia. Earlier in her career, Carmichael Jackson founded the nonprofit Back on the Block Foundation and taught at Tulane University, American University, University of the Incarnate Word and Trinity University. She earned her Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University. She serves on the boards of organizations and programs that most align with her passions and interests: the National Civil Rights Museum, the National Women’s Law Center, as well as the University of Miami School of Law’s Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Advisory Board, where she also serves as an adjunct faculty member. Terri is the proud mom of Jaren Jackson Jr., a 2x NBA All-Star, Defensive Player of the Year, former Vice President of the National Basketball Players Association, and a good human.