WNBA Toronto team president Teresa Resch poses for a portrait during a news conference announcing the city's WNBA franchise in Toronto on Thursday, May 23, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
TORONTO – Teresa Resch likes to put her time and energy into organizations that go beyond the surface level.
Resch was officially named the president of Toronto’s new WNBA expansion team in May and will be one of the keynote speakers this week at Elevate, a Canadian tech conference that emphasizes using innovation to better the world.
The parallels she saw between WNBA Toronto and Elevate are what led her to agreeing to speak at the conference on Thursday.
“Ultimately, this team, WNBA Toronto, yes, it’s a basketball team, but we are about way more than basketball, and I think in the same way that’s Elevate,” she said last week. “So yes, it’s a technology conference, but it’s about way more than that.
“You look at all the different speakers, it’s really a gathering of people who are passionate, who are innovative, who are really game changers. You want to surround yourself with people like that.”
Resch and Jayna Hefford, the senior vice president of hockey operations for the PWHL, will be speaking at Toronto’s Meridian Hall in a panel moderated by TSN’s Kayla Grey on Thursday afternoon.
They will be discussing the rapid rise of women’s professional sports over the past three years.
“More than anything, there’s so much excitement in this marketplace for basketball,” Resch said in a video call from her office. “I can’t wait to share that with some of these people that are maybe new to the game, who are just starting to pay attention and be able to share our story in a more robust way.
“I’m really looking forward to speaking to this audience.”
Resch is also looking forward to building her front office.
Whitney Bell was named WNBA Toronto’s chief marketing officer and Lisa Ferkul the team’s chief revenue officer last Wednesday. Resch said that she would begin her general manager search in earnest after the WNBA’s current post-season ends no later than Oct. 20.
“I think the biggest thing that we get to do is we get to name this team. We get to build a brand identity,” said Resch, noting that WNBA Toronto did a team name campaign over August. “That was incredible. We got all kinds of inspiration and submissions from across Canada and really the world.
“There’s 98 different countries that interacted with the site, which is pretty incredible (…) now we are going through the process of design.”
WNBA Toronto has a podcast called “Bringing Home the W,” which gives behind-the-scenes details on its name selection process.
Coca-Cola Coliseum, the arena that will be home to WNBA Toronto and the PWHL’s Toronto Sceptres, will also undergo back-of-house renovations to better support those teams before the basketball team has its inaugural season in 2026.
Resch was the Toronto Raptors’ vice president of basketball operations and player development before leaving the Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment property to become the first hire for the new WNBA franchise.
Because Elevate is usually at the same time as Raptors’ training camp, Resch often missed most of the tech conference. She was able to catch a couple of presentations over the years, however, including tennis superstar Venus Williams and former United States First Lady Michelle Obama.
“It was right when (Obama’s) book had come out,” said Resch, referring to “The Light We Carry.” “That was really great to hear her.
“I think I took a page of notes that I will sometimes reference back to.”
Raptors team president Masai Ujiri wished Resch luck at the NBA team’s media day on Monday and announced Tyla Flexman as her replacement.
“A tough loss with Teresa, but she’s gone on to do bigger and better, and Tyla has come on to do bigger and better with us,” said Ujiri. “I think Teresa did an incredible job, and Tyla will even take it to another level.
“I am so excited, so excited for my girl, Teresa, with her new job and where she is, I think she will do great, and it’s a blessing for us to have that team in Toronto.”
Flexman was formerly a member of Canada’s national women’s field hockey team.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2024.
