Dream Name Morgan Shaw Parker As New Team President

The Dream hired veteran sports executive Morgan Shaw Parker as their new president and chief operating officer, the team announced Wednesday morning. 

Shaw Parker joins the organization after most recently serving as the vice president and chief marketing officer at Arthur M. Blank Sports & Entertainment (AMBSE) where she led marketing and communications initiatives for the Atlanta Falcons and Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Her hire marks the first major decision for the Dream's new ownership group, which acquired the team ahead of this season. 

"It is an incredible honor to join the WNBA and the Atlanta Dream, an organization whose new leadership celebrates its players and embraces their powerful roles both on the court and in the Atlanta community,” Shaw Parker said in a statement. “I have proactively championed women’s sports throughout my entire career and there’s no better time than now for me to take an active leadership role to shine a spotlight on these amazing athletes. 

"I’m committed to working as hard as our athletes do to build an authentic brand that empowers women, represents the city, and exemplifies how a model professional sports franchise should be run.”

According to the team's official release, Shaw Parker will be responsible for overseeing day-to-day business operations and revenue growth for the franchise and working in concert with owners Larry Gottesdiener, Suzanne Abair and Renee Montgomery.

The Dream are also searching for a new general manager, after former president and GM Chris Sienko parted ways with the team in late April, and a new head coach. Former coach Nicki Collen left the team for Baylor just before the start of the WNBA season, and the franchise has also seen interim head coach Mike Petersen step down midseason because of health reasons. Darius Taylor is currently the team's head coach. 

The Dream have five games remaining in their season and are currently 7–20 on the year.