Brittany Glenn ’07 has worked her way up with the Celtics en route to winning banner 18
Winning a championship in professional sports takes determination, hard work, and a dash of luck. Building a career as a director with a professional sports team requires much of the same, as Brittany Glenn ’07 discovered on her path from Williston to the Boston Celtics organization—a journey that culminated last June in the team’s 18th NBA championship.
Raised in Easthampton, Massachusetts, Glenn has a long history with the franchise. Her father, Norman, a longtime Celtics fan who had grown up in Boston, passed along his passion to her and her sisters (Ashely ’03 and Danielle ’10), beginning with their first game in Boston one Easter weekend when they were girls. “I just fell in love with the Celtics,” Glenn recalls. “To grow up and have my dad teach me about the original Garden and all of the team history, and to see how much my working for the team meant to him, that’s probably been the most rewarding part.”
But a love for the Celtics didn’t translate to a desire to work for the team. Although she was athletic, playing field hockey both at Williston and later at Bryant University in Rhode Island, Glenn initially thought she would pursue a career in accounting. Then, in her junior year at Bryant, she scored an internship with the Celtics. Introduced to the internal workings of the sports world, Glenn began considering a new career after graduation. There was just one problem: The NBA was in a lockout, and the Celtics weren’t hiring.
So, she changed course again, heading back to Western Massachusetts and Springfield College to pursue a master’s in sports management. Just when it looked like the door was closed on a career with the Celtics, she got her dash of luck. The lockout ended, the team was hiring again, and Glenn landed a job in 2012 as a Corporate Partnerships Activation Assistant, beginning as a receptionist and assistant. “A lot of people in my circle thought I was a little crazy to take such a leap,” Glenn says. “But I knew that it was my opportunity to get in. I knew that was how I was going to start my career here.”
And she has not looked back. Over the next 10 years, Glenn would earn six promotions through the front office, landing as Senior Director of Member Experience, Retention & Operations. Her role’s top priority, she explains, is overseeing the experience of season ticket members—the Celtics view their most loyal fans as more than just season ticket holders—“and everything that comes with that,” from a member’s arrival at the TD Garden, to the process of finding their seat, to the exclusive access and benefits they receive. “You’re paying for a membership that gets you more than just tickets,” she explains.
That role in shaping the game-day experience has given Glenn a profound respect for what it means to be a fan. “I tell my group all the time, we’re like Disney World,” says Glenn, who works as part of a 15-person team. “We have the magic of bringing someone onto the court for pregame. For me to be able to be part of something like that is special.”
After the Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks for the championship last June, Glenn could take stock of all that she’s accomplished. “To be here as this team has continued building itself is what’s made this championship even more special,” she says. “I was fortunate to be a part of the grind of getting to winning and everything that it takes. The ultimate goal is to win a championship, and even though we’re on the business side, there are things we do to help win.”
Going into the new season, Glenn finds herself in a great position. With room to grow inside the organization still, Glenn knows she’s found home. “I’ve grown up here and I’ve grown here,” she says. “I feel very fortunate to be part of such a special organization. I don’t know how you could walk away from a team like this unless you had to.”
