Commissioner, Major League Soccer
CEO, Soccer United Marketing
Don Garber was named commissioner of Major League Soccer, the first division professional soccer league in the United States and Canada, in 1999. During his 25 years with MLS, the league has expanded from 10 to 30 clubs, added dozens of new owners, established 26 soccer stadiums, and secured a transformative global media partnership with Apple TV.
Through his efforts, MLS has developed into one of the top soccer leagues in the world and has helped establish the United States as a true soccer nation.
Early in his tenure, he created MLS WORKS, a league-wide community outreach initiative dedicated to addressing important philanthropic and social issues.
Prior to joining MLS, Garber spent 16 years in a variety of sales, marketing, programming, and event management positions at the National Football League. In 1996, he launched NFL International, a division that was responsible for all aspects of the NFL’s business outside the United States, with offices in Canada, England, Mexico, Japan and Germany.
Commissioner Garber serves on a variety of professional and philanthropic boards, including the board of directors for the United States Soccer Federation, the FIFA Football Stakeholders Committee, and The Football World League Association. Garber is a member of the Board of Directors of the Paley Center for Media and the Billion Oyster Project.
Garber is a member of the Broadcast and Cable Hall of Fame, the National Soccer Hall of Fame and is in the Athletic Hall of Fame for his Alma mater, SUNY Oneonta. He has received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from both Montclair State University and the State University of New York.
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