NJ/NY GOTHAM FC (Jan. 2023-June 2024)

As Senior Vice President, Communications for NJ/NY Gotham FC in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), Mann rebuilt the club’s reputation and communications structure from the ground up. She served as the primary spokesperson, cultivated deep media relationships, and developed strategic publicity plans that gained traction in the world’s No. 1 media market.

She positioned Gotham FC as more than a women’s professional sports team, and instead positioned the club as a significant thread in the fabric of the New York City sports landscape.

Under Mann’s leadership, media coverage of Gotham FC flourished with feature placements in The New York Times, New York Post, New York Daily News, and Newsday among legacy news organizations. The club also secured in-studio segments on major network news programs, including: ABC’s “Good Morning America, NBC’s “TODAY” show, “Noticias” on Telemundo, “CBS Mornings,” and ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” In addition, Gotham FC players were prominently featured in the 2023 Netflix docuseries “Under Pressure,” and the club was named The Athletic’s American Soccer Team of the Year.

Mann quite literally placed Gotham FC stars onto the world’s grandest stages. Players led the iconic New Year’s Eve ball drop and countdown in Times Square and participated in the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. They rang the Nasdaq Opening Bell and the New York Stock Exchange Closing Bell, threw out the first pitch at New York Yankees and New York Mets (MLB) games, sat courtside at New York Knicks (NBA) and New York Liberty (WNBA) games, and took part in festivities at New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils (NHL) games. Major announcements for the club also reached new heights, including a player contract signing at the top of the Empire State Building and the 2024 free agency class introduction in the famed Rainbow Room.

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER (June 2016-Jan. 2023)

Prior to joining Gotham FC, Mann enjoyed more than six years at Major League Soccer headquarters in Manhattan in roles as Manager (2016-2020), Senior Manager (2020-2022), and Director, Communications (2022-2023).

Among her many responsibilities, Mann Scherer served as the league’s stakeholder for national media partners FOX and CBS, as she oversaw weekly storylines for match broadcasts and editorial content. She increased MLS integrations network-wide via player and executive interviews on flagship, sports talk, mainstream, and non-soccer programming.

During her MLS tenure, she led the department’s overall feature storyline production, as well as publicity strategies for multiple tentpole events. Those events included the MLS All-Star Game and All-Star Skills Challenge, MLS SuperDraft, MLS Year-End Awards, and the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award. She also managed the Eastern Conference team’s media opportunities during the week of MLS Cup — the league’s championship match.

Mann Scherer served as an internal communications advisor for 14 Eastern Conference clubs and provided communications support for the MLS Competition department, the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion leadership team, and the Professional Referee Organization (PRO). She managed communications strategies to launch new groundbreaking on-field initiatives, including implementation of the Video Assistant Referee initiative (VAR) and Concussion Substitutions. Additionally, Mann drove PR strategy and facilitated media opportunities on the ground with every club at the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She elevated the achievements of referees with national media coverage for the first U.S. woman to officiate in a men’s World Cup, and she advanced collaborations with the league’s Black Players for Change as the leader of the MLS employee resource group, Pitch Black.

During the most explosive growth period in MLS history, she also helped lead expansion announcements in Miami, Nashville, Austin, St. Louis, and Charlotte, with responsibilities ranging from collaborating with local agencies and assisting with media operations to leading launch event production and calling the run of show for live world broadcast feeds.

U.S. OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE (Feb. 2012-Nov. 2013)

Prior to her time at MLS, Mann spent four years in the Olympic movement, beginning with two years at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. During the London 2012 Olympic Games, Mann managed Team USA House media opportunities, including celebrity appearances, non-rights media requests, partner media events, and the final stop on the “Managing Victory” media tour for medal-winning athletes. In addition to overseeing the Team USA for Tomorrow program, she also facilitated the first Google Hangout with NASA astronauts.

USA TRACK & FIELD (Nov. 2013-June 2016)

Mann Scherer next joined USA Track & Field, where she positioned elite Team USA athletes, Olympic legends, and executives for high-profile media opportunities and served as a press attaché for domestic and international championships at every level from youth to elite. She provided media training to teenage athletes on the brink of turning pro and was often the first point of contact for Team USA’s global superstars after crossing the finish line. She also managed communications and publicity for the USATF Hall of Fame from nomination, to speech writing, to recognition.

BROADCASTING (2009-2011)

Mann Scherer began her sports media career as a broadcast analyst, breaking down the action and providing an analysis of both game and the players. She appeared as on-air talent for regional coverage of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) on Comcast Sports Southeast and national coverage of college women’s soccer on FOX Soccer Channel for two years before ultimately finding her passion in communications as Manager of Media Relations for the Atlanta Beat of WPS, and has since remained in PR.

ATHLETIC PURSUITS

Mann-Scherer played Division I soccer at Georgia State University, where she started every game of her college career and earned the captains armband in both junior and senior seasons. Named GSU’s Most Valuable Player, a two-time All-Conference selection, and an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar, she served two terms as President of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and earned numerous honors for her academic, leadership, and on-field achievements.

Taking it to the next level, Mann Scherer embarked on a professional playing career in the Icel11ndic Women’s Premier League with UMF Afturelding in 2008. She became the first female foreign athlete in club history to garner Afturelding Athlete of the Year honors.

EDUCATION & AFFILIATIONS

An English and conversational Spanish speaker, Mann earned her BA in Journalism at Georgia State and a Master of Sports Administration at Ohio University, along with several business and management certifications from McKinsey and Company.

Mann is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), where she serves on the executive board of the Sports Task Force as Vice President of Communications & External Affairs. She also serves on the Board of Visitors for the Georgia State University College of Arts & Sciences and on the Board of the GSU Panther Athletic Club.