From leader on the court to the front office of one of the most successful professional women’s basketball franchises, Alisha Valavanis has seen her share of championship seasons.
Along with twin sister Alana, Valavanis helped Oak Park win the girls basketball program’s first league title during the 1993-94 season. It was the groundwork for what became one of Ventura County’s most successful programs over the next three decades.
Valavanis averaged 16.4 points the following season, earning second-team All-CIF Southern Section Division IV honors. She graduated No. 2 on Oak Park’s career scoring list and No. 1 career 3-point scorer. If that wasn’t enough, Valavanis maintained a 4.0 grade point average and was the student body president as a senior. But she was just getting started.
Over the next four years Valavanis would set the Cal State Chico women’s basketball career 3-point field goal record. After the 1998-99 season, Valavanis was a NCAA Women of the Year nominee.
While working on her Masters degree at Chico, Valavanis became an assistant coach.
In her four years with the program, Chico advanced to the NCAA tournament each season. Hired by the University of Pacific in 2006, Valavanis quickly moved up the ladder. She became an associate head coach in 2008, a job that included leading the program’s marketing strategies and community relations. It would serve her well.
Valavanis fine-tuned her sports business skills in the Golden State Warriors front office and as an assistant athletic director at UC Berkeley.
In 2014, the WNBA’s Seattle Storm named as its CEO and General Manager. During the first six years of her tenure, the Storm won WNBA titles in 2018 and 2020. She was promoted to President and CEO as the Storm increased revenues by 350 percent. Valavanis has been named to the Puget Sound Business Journal’s Power 100 list for seven straight years.