Jessica Campbell and the Future of Sports Leadership

Although unfamiliar to many, Jessica Campbell will be remembered for her pioneering role as the first female coach in National Hockey League (NHL) history. Campbell’s appointment as assistant head coach of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken is an important step in breaking the pattern of male-dominated benches. Her promotion has contributed to the conversation about the importance of female representation in sports—especially off the field—as their perspectives can not only enrich the game, but also inspire future generations. Campbell’s rise in the NHL is more than a personal triumph, but is a call to action for sports organizations to prioritize inclusivity and create pathways for women to thrive.

Growing up in Rocanville, Canada, Campbell was surrounded by hockey. From an early age, she played the sport and frequently watched her three hockey-obsessed siblings on the ice. After playing in high school and honing her skills as a forward, she played collegiate hockey at Cornell University as a forward. There, she earned All-Ivy League honors and became one of the team’s leading scorers. For her role as a leading scorer, she helped propel Cornell to the playoffs all four years. Campbell gained recognition for her on-ice performance and consistency under pressure. 

After college, Campbell played professionally for a few years in Sweden’s top women’s hockey league—Damettan. She played forward for the Malmö Redhawks, and consistently ranked among the league’s top players in points. In her best season, she recorded 41 points (20 goals and 21 assists) in 36 games. Her performance earned her recognition as one of the most dependable and skilled forwards in the league and helped her secure her next milestone: coaching for a German men’s team, the Nürnberg Ice Tigers.

With the start of her coaching career came a list of firsts. In 2021, with the Nürnberg Ice Tigers, she was the first woman to coach at the men’s world championship. The following year, she joined the Coachella Valley Firebirds as a full-time assistant coach, becoming the first female coach in the American Hockey League (AHL). In 2024, she moved away from the Firebirds in the AHL to the Seattle Kraken in the NHL, where she became the first woman to coach in the NHL. Campbell’s rise through these ranks reflects her dedication to player development and her ability to thrive in high-pressure, competitive environments. Additionally, her rise through these ranks and the list of positions she pioneered highlights the need for more female representation in the NHL and other divisions alike.

Since most sports organizations are male-dominated, women struggle to be prominent forces on the sidelines. According to demographic data collected by the NCAA in 2021-2022, across all NCAA divisions and sports, only 41 percent of women’s college teams have a female coach. Only three percent of men’s college teams have a female coach. Female representation also declines as one examines administrative ranks, from entry-level positions to managerial roles. Additionally, the wage gap between male and female athletes is alarming. In college basketball, women’s head coaches receive 50 percent of the base salary of average male head coaches. Stereotypes that characterize women as weak or lacking intensity also prevent them from working their way up. Many players believe that female coaches lack leadership skills and are  “distracting” to male players.

However, studies have shown that there may be benefits to diversity in leadership, whether in gender, race, or background. According to a business study by McKinsey and Company,  “Companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 21 percent more likely to outperform on profitability and 27 percent more likely to have superior value creation.” Although this study was done in terms of business leadership and company profits, it can be applied to managerial positions in sports as well. The study shows how women can create a new depth in perspective for a team and allow for creative solutions that can boost performance. 

Another significant study is The Pipeline Project, which highlights the underrepresentation of female pipelines and offers insight into employment trends and leadership structures. They analyzed data for all NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision institutions and concluded that women occupy 44 percent of entry-level positions and only 33 percent of early managerial roles. The goal of the project is to highlight the ways women are systematically underrepresented and uncover leaks in the system. The project encourages other researchers to use its data for research on gender equity in college sports. Other organizations that promote women’s coaching are the Women’s Leaders in College Sports and Alliance of Women’s Coaches. With future research and more media coverage, female leaders working in professional sports will hopefully be less marginalized.

Although Campbell’s story is unique for the NHL, it is emblematic of a larger modern movement in which more women are breaking barriers in sports leadership and joining a growing, but still short, list of trailblazers. For example, in the National Football League, Sarah Thomas made history as the first woman to officiate a Super Bowl, setting a precedent for future female referees in professional sports. Similarly, Katie Sowers became the first female and openly LGBTQ+ coach to appear in a Super Bowl as part of the San Francisco 49ers’ staff. In the National Basketball Association (NBA), Becky Hammon has been a pioneer, serving as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs before becoming the head coach of the Women’s National Basketball Association’s Las Vegas Aces. Hammon has been praised for her basketball acumen, with many advocating for her to become the first female head coach in the NBA.  

Since 2019, women’s sports media coverage has tripled, challenging the long-held perception that women’s sports are inferior to men’s. The rise of star basketball players Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers has allowed women’s basketball to gain attention as their stellar performances have created excitement in the media. Additionally, some female coaches recognize their own importance in representation and have been mentoring the next generation of athletes. In 2023, Washington Spirit announced a mentorship program focused on supporting female coaches. Establishing more mentorship programs for rising female leaders and athletes will greatly contribute to the rise of female coaches. Utilizing female mentors will encourage female empowerment and establish bonds between the mentee and a woman they admire. 

We still have a long way to go before female and male coaches are considered equals on all levels, but acknowledging this issue and increasing publicity is the next step in reaching this goal. Jessica Campbell’s rise to assistant head coach of the Seattle Kraken demonstrates the recent progress being made in the sports industry. Campbell’s achievements serve as a model for future generations of women to follow and learn from. Normalizing women in predominantly male fields will offer diverse perspectives and create opportunities for future generations of inspiring female coaches and leaders.