Jaime Weston stepped into the Major League Volleyball commissioner’s office earlier this month at a moment of real momentum and with a clear mission: to help transform professional women’s volleyball’s early success into a blueprint for sustained growth.
Her appointment — a first for MLV — marks a homecoming of sorts, as Weston played volleyball at Georgia Tech before spending more than two decades building brands across professional sports, media, and entertainment.
In her more than 15 years with the NFL, Weston honed her skills in audience growth and modernization, drawing on previous roles with global brands like Universal Music Group and On Location. She later joined USA Volleyball, where she guided strategy in the run-up to the LA 2028 Olympics as chief commercial officer.
And now she’s taking MLV’s reins as the third-year league hits its stride.
“This is volleyball’s time,” Weston said in an MLV press release. “In the US, the sport is female-led and female-defined, and professional women’s volleyball is not following a blueprint. It’s designing one.”
From the Volleyball Court to the Gridiron and Back Again
Despite her pedigree, Weston’s path to MLV wasn’t exactly linear.
After an attempt to break into the sports world right after college didn’t pan out, Weston dove headfirst into all things business. She stockpiled a bevy of transferable skills in publishing and apparel, spending 10 years padding her resume before finally landing her first big sports gig at the NFL.
“Playing sports my entire life taught me how to bounce back. You learn resilience early, and you learn how to treat every setback as a lesson that moves you closer to where you’re meant to be,” Weston told JWS ahead of tomorrow’s 2026 MLV All-Star Match. “I decided to play the long game and bet on myself.”
And that bet paid off. Weston’s career path later came full-circle when she joined USA Volleyball in 2024, tapping into her own roots as well as her daughter’s, who currently plays NCAA beach volleyball.
“I never originally planned to work in volleyball professionally, but when the opportunity with USA Volleyball came along, it immediately resonated,” she recalled. “The chance to contribute to the sport I love… was incredibly compelling.”
Weston’s past experience instilled in her a pragmatic approach to brand building. At the NFL, she spearheaded a platform designed to engage fans beyond the confines of the football season — a strategy she views as critical to MLV’s growth.
“You cannot just show up on gameday and expect to build a following,” she said. “You have to give fans a reason to stay connected year-round through content, storytelling, and consistent touchpoints.”
But she’s also clear about the parts of the NFL or USA Volleyball playbook that don’t translate so smoothly. She noted that MLV, a relatively young league, can’t rely on decades of engrained momentum. Instead, the league is planting seeds now — and it requires more intentional, hands-on work to grow a fanbase from the ground up.
Designing a New Blueprint for Professional Volleyball
Weston is kicking off her tenure at MLV with three key priorities.
First, she’s looking to center players as league ambassadors, encouraging them to showcase their own journeys as storytellers. Second, she plans to fully integrate digital and social platforms to broaden and modernize MLV’s reach. And lastly, she aims to align the budding league with the broader volleyball ecosystem, particularly at the collegiate level.
Her timing couldn’t be better. The newly expanded MLV is in the midst of its third season, with eight current teams plus new franchises set to join in the near future. The league’s ownership spans investors with ties to the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS — credibility that validates both the product on the court and the league’s viability.
“The audience already exists. The level of play is world class. The visibility of women’s sports has never been higher,” Weston explained, stressing that the iron’s never been hotter. “With the right structure, the right investment, and a long term commitment, professional women’s volleyball can establish a strong and sustainable future in the US.”
What has surprised Weston most in her first few weeks on the job? The players’ eagerness to create something bigger than themselves and the volleyball community’s unbridled enthusiasm.
“Volleyball fans are incredibly loyal,” she said. “Once you engage them authentically, there is real potential to build a passionate and enduring fan base.”
Viewing LA28 as a Women’s Volleyball Springboard
Weston considers the LA 2028 Olympics as a springboard — rather than a ceiling — for women’s volleyball. And with the North America-based 2027 Women’s World Championship also on deck, she sees a solid runway for getting the word out before the Summer Games’ global spotlight lights up Southern California.
“The Olympics create awareness,” she said. “A professional league converts that awareness into sustained engagement. That is the role MLV can play in the broader volleyball ecosystem.”
With some of the sport’s biggest competitions landing in the US just as club volleyball begins to pick up speed, it appears there’s nowhere to go but up for MLV. And the league can rest assured that a volleyball lifer like Weston will be there to see it through.
“I am returning to the sport that shaped me,” she added. “But now with the experience and perspective to help build something meaningful for the next generation of players and fans.”
