COLUMBUS – Haslam Sports Group (HSG) announced today that Mary Shepro has been elevated to Columbus Crew President of Business Operations. Shepro – who most recently served as the Crew’s Vice President & General Counsel and HSG Assistant Counsel – will lead the Club’s business strategies and initiatives, overseeing fan engagement and marketing; community impact; matchday experience and facility management; ticket sales and services; corporate partnerships and revenue generation; and organizational administration.
Since joining HSG and the Crew in November 2022, Shepro has spearheaded the Club’s legal and government affairs for business and soccer endeavors. She played an integral role in the Club securing major corporate partnerships and marquee events, highlighted by the 2024 MLS All-Star Game and “Summer of Soccer,” which generated more than $30 million in economic impact for the region, per the Greater Columbus Sports Commission. Shepro’s sporting functions encompassed matters such as the facilitation and execution of contracts for player acquisitions, led by General Manager Issa Tall. Additionally, she’s provided key contributions as the Crew have ranked among the top of MLS for the past three years in revenue categories such as partnerships, ticketing and premium sales, emphasized by Columbus’ enhanced in-stadium hospitality offerings and Club-record streak of 35 MLS regular season sellouts from 2023-2025.
In 2023, Shepro expanded her responsibilities to incorporate oversight of the Black & Gold’s community relations efforts, which resulted in the creation of the Crew’s “Soccer in Schools” program and further local expansion of the “Stay in the Game!” Attendance Network.
Shepro, who now directly reports to Haslam Sports Group President David Jenkins, has also offered pertinent guidance for HSG’s most significant long-term community investment projects, including the advancement of the Browns’ new enclosed Huntington Bank Field in Brook Park and the expansion of the CrossCountry Mortgage Campus in Berea. In Central Ohio, she has supported the renovation of Kilbourne Run Sports Park, in partnership with the City of Columbus, and the continued development of Astor Park, in collaboration with the Pizzuti Companies.
“Mary has been pivotal to a wide range of Crew and HSG initiatives during the past three years, and she’s earned this opportunity by displaying all the leadership attributes desired to enhance our goals of engaging our fans, along with our corporate and community partners, in meaningful ways,” said Jenkins. “Complementing her strategic and pragmatic approach, Mary has a keen understanding of and can execute the Crew’s vision to further elevate the Club and MLS through her established knowledge of the supporters, league and City of Columbus.”
“It’s an incredible privilege to lead the Crew’s business operations at such an exciting time for our Club and for Columbus,” said Shepro. “The Crew embody the heart of this city – the passion of our fans, the strength of our community and the belief that sport is a catalyst for community and economic impact. With our players competing on the global stage and our ownership continuing to invest strategically in the Club’s growth, we’re entering a new era for both the Crew and MLS. At the same time, we will continue to leverage Lower.com Field to use the game of soccer as a mechanism to shine a light on Columbus via major global soccer events, including the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams. My priority is to build upon the strong foundation already in place and to ensure the Crew continue to set the standard for excellence, driving long-term value for our fans, partners and community while elevating Columbus and MLS together.”
“Since Mary came to Columbus, she has consistently proven her ability as a leader who drives the Club’s and HSG’s business success and development forward. Mary is well positioned to lead the Crew based on her vast experience and relationships throughout our organization and the City of Columbus after serving as a dependable advisor to our entire executive team since 2022,” said Josh Glessing.
Glessing, who directed the Crew’s business functions starting in October 2023, will devote his complete attention to his role as HSG Chief of Strategy & Development, a position held since 2019.
“When Josh acquired additional responsibilities in 2023, we envisioned him ultimately returning his focus to HSG, HSG Ventures and HSG Real Estate, which continue to grow in scope,” added Jenkins. “We greatly appreciate Josh’s efforts to advance the Crew while leading the team over the past two years.”
Prior to her time in Columbus, Shepro was an associate attorney at Jones Day in Chicago from 2015-2018 and spent five years (2018-2022) as an associate attorney with DLA Piper in Chicago focusing on sports, media and entertainment law as a counsel for multiple teams, owners and other parties in litigation, investigations, mediation and transactions related to professional and collegiate athletics. In this capacity, she worked on various sports legal matters including the launch of Nashville SC and the development of Geodis Park and SoFi Stadium, as well as on behalf of the State of Qatar surrounding preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, encompassing transportation, stadium and broadcast issues, international arbitration before the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and proceedings before the United Nations. Shepro also provided counsel and representation in several investigations related to professional athletes and leagues, as well as representing Major League Soccer’s exclusive broadcast partner, Apple, in class action privacy lawsuits.
Shepro graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Political Science from Columbia University, obtained a M.Sc. in Global Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science and earned her J.D. cum laude from Notre Dame Law School, where she served as the Managing Senior Editor of the Notre Dame Law Review.