Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, Atlanta Hawks
Melissa Proctor: Biography at a Glance
- Melissa Proctor is the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club and State Farm Arena.
- Proctor has been part of the NBA since high school, being the first ball girl for the Miami Heat organization and in later years returning to work for the Heat in basketball operations and the Atlanta Hawks as a ball girl.
- She oversees the day-to-day operations of marketing teams and plays an instrumental role within the organization spearheading internal corporate employee initiatives and executive communication.
- Her memoir, From Ball Girl to CMO details her inspiring career journey, including the relevant themes of hope, persistence, empowerment, and courage that have guided her.
- Proctor began her career with Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., serving in senior brand development and strategy leadership positions for Turner Entertainment Networks.
- She helped to create the first Corporate Social Responsibility Division in Turner’s UK office and led corporate culture initiatives to foster employee engagement, collaboration, and innovation.
Biography
Melissa McGhie Proctor is the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of the Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena. In this role, Proctor oversees the day-to-day operations of the club’s marketing, Hawks Studios creative agency, live experience and production, retail & brand merchandising, corporate social responsibility, brand communications, basketball programs, and entertainment industry relations teams. She also works closely with executive leadership to provide strategy for the organization and was the creator of the award-winning 2020-2021 MLK Nike City Edition uniform strategy.
Proctor joined the organization in June 2014, when she was named Vice President of Brand Strategy. In her former role, she was responsible for brand development and building marketing & business plans that propelled the organization’s long-term strategy. Throughout her tenure with the Hawks, she has played an instrumental role within the company, spearheading internal corporate employee initiatives and executive communication.
Beginning her career with the Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., Proctor served in brand development and strategy positions for Turner Entertainment Networks (including TNT, TBS, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), truTV, and Peachtree TV), Cartoon Network, and Turner Media Group. Additionally, she helped to create the first Corporate Social Responsibility division in Turner’s UK office. Among her accomplishments, she was responsible for managing the naming and identity for the rebranding of Court TV as truTV, and leading corporate culture initiatives to foster employee engagement, collaboration, and innovation.
Part of the NBA since high school, Proctor was the first “team attendant”/ ball girl for the Miami Heat organization, and in later years, returned to work for the Heat in the basketball operations division.
Over her career, Proctor’s professional achievements have earned her accolades from a multitude of publications and organizations. She has been recognized with Leaders and Aspire Academy’s Leaders Under 40 Award; earned a mention on Atlanta Magazine’s 2018 list of Women Making a Mark, she was recently selected as part of the Sports Business Journal’s 2020 class of Forty Under 40 and a 2021 ADWEEK Top CMO Award Winner. A published author, Proctor recently released her first book titled From Ball Girl to CMO.
Proctor is on the board for The HIGH Museum of Art Atlanta, The Children’s Museum of Atlanta, the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership, and 48 in 48. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Wake Forest University and a master’s degree in design studies/branding from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design at The London Institute. A native of Miami, FL, she now resides in the City of Atlanta.
Topics
From Ball Girl to CMO: A Lesson on Defining Your Guiding Principles
Even though Melissa M. Proctor never played basketball, her dream as a child was to be the first female coach in the NBA. Through incredible experiences like surviving Hurricane Andrew, moving to London, and becoming the first "ball girl" for the NBA's Miami Heat, her unconventional path has taken a number of twists and turns and led to earning the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. However, audiences will be surprised to learn that even at this stage of her career, Melissa still doesn't know what she wants to be when she grows up...and that's exactly how she wants it.
In this talk, Melissa discusses the relevant themes of hope, persistence, empowerment, and courage to help audiences navigate everything from personal to professional. She shares lessons learned, guiding principles, and a means of comfort for those not quite sure what to do next. With her laid-back style and down-to-earth attitude, she presents a powerful framework for defining "Guiding Principles" that anyone can use to help direct life decisions. She urges us to look at ourselves, reflect on where we've been, and be open to the possibilities of what's to come.
Brand Strategy: How to Build a Winning Brand
Play to Win: A Woman's Journey in Professional Sports
Redefining Success with Guiding Principles
