Ashley Clinkscale and Jasmine James have very different roles as members of the leadership team of the Houston Dynamo FC and Houston Dash soccer teams.
But they are bonded in the fact they are rarities not just as Black women working at high levels in the world of professional soccer but as women working in the realm of sports that is normally reserved for white men. They are also aligned in their goals to make an impact in an industry where they see few people who look like them and their desire to be able to open doors and create opportunities for other Black women and people of color.
“I have that responsibility,” said Clinkscale, the organization’s vice president of public relations and communications. “I have that responsibility in this building, I have it personally within my community and within my family. That is what it is for me. Me and Jasmine have a responsibility in this organization to be supportive and provide resources and be that listening ear for that next male and female.”
James quickly jumps in. It’s clear she is about thinking outside of the box in an effort to bring more diversity into the administrative side of sports.
“I always say, you can’t teach ‘give a damn,’” said James, who is the director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Dynamo and Dash. “If you just have that want to and that fight, and you want to grow, give me that underdog all day. You can be a little rough around the edges, dress a little differently. I can teach Excel or how to write an email. I can teach you all of those things, but I cannot teach you, ‘give a damn.’”
Clinkscale and James are part of a small and exclusive sorority in the city as Black women working in leadership roles for Houston’s professional sports teams. Paula Harris is the senior vice president for community affairs and also serves as the executive director of the Astros Foundation. Long-tenured Sarah Joseph is the director of community relations for the Rockets and Anita Martin serves as vice president of human resources for the Texans.
They all have stories and varied paths to leadership roles. But they are unified in their missions to make a difference.
“There was a place where journalists, in particular women, were not allowed in the locker room and really not being allowed to do their jobs,” Clinkscale said. “So, to have an opportunity, on and off the field, to lead the team is something I take pride in. But it has not been an easy feat.”
Clinkscale, a native of South Carolina and a product of Clark-Atlanta University, has worked in the sports industry for more than 15 years. She joined the Dynamo and Dash in January after serving as the executive vice president and chief communications officer with the Portland Trail Blazers most recently.
James, who is from Columbus, Ohio, and graduated undergrad from Kentucky State and also holds a Master’s in Sports Management, has only been in Houston a little over a year after working for the company that owns the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC.
Unlike Clinkscale and James who were intentional in building careers in sports, Harris sort of fell into the world of sports a couple of years ago after retiring from the oil and gas industry following 33 years of service.
Harris wasn’t even seeking employment when a chance meeting with Astros owner Jim Crane evolved into a career she never envisioned but fully embraces now.
“It’s a big shift from oil and gas to sports management but there are a lot of similarities,” Harris said. “It’s a lot of providing value to your customer, raising money. When I was with oil and gas, I was looking for ways to raise money. Now, I’m looking for ways to raise money, which is increasing the income of the organization.
“It’s a pretty historically male-dominated career so that part wasn’t new. But the main thing is that your clients see value in the products that you have. So, lots of similarities there.”
It’s not surprising with such a small circle that Harris, James, Clinkscale, Martin and other Black women working in sports in Houston have gotten to know each other and found a support system and network among themselves.
James said, “Once people knew I was here and just the love that everybody was extending like, ‘Hey, I know you are new here. We’d love to grab a coffee. How can I help you? How can I be a support system,’ which is everything.”
“I’ve experienced the same,” Clinkscale said. “Being in the (NBA), Rockets people were like, ‘Hey, I heard you were coming from Portland. We will have to follow up.’
“It’s a small-knit circle. That synergy, that support system, that sisterhood, that allyship is so important and exists. That’s what excites me about this market. I have been welcomed.”
