We are excited to present this year’s Leadership Summit Trailblazers Panel, featuring three distinguished leaders who have blazed their own trails across a variety of industries and organizations. Join us for an insightful and inspiring discussion covering their professional journeys, how they’ve tackled the leadership challenges they’ve faced, and their reflections on the key components needed for leaders to succeed.
Stacy Johns, Chief Operating Officer at Los Angeles Football Club
Stacy Johns is the Chief Operating Officer of LAFC Partners, LLLP (LAFC), overseeing the Los Angeles Football Club (MLS) and operations at BMO Stadium, a premier Los Angeles entertainment venue. Recognized as a 2023 Sports Business Journal Game Changer and 2024 Los Angeles Business JournalCFO of the Year, Stacy manages revenue-generating verticals, data strategy, IT, people operations, finance, and accounting, including fiscal planning and strategy across all business segments. She also oversees the club’s international operations.
Before joining LAFC, Stacy was VP of Finance and Human Resources for the Indianapolis Colts (NFL) and began her career as a CPA with Ernst & Young and Eli Lilly. She serves on the Boards and Finance Committees of the LA Sports Council and Pro Sports Assembly, the Corporate Advisory Board of USC Marshall, and the advisory board of the LAFC Sports Foundation.
Carmen Nava ’84, Senior Vice President, AT&T Entertainment Group (retired), USC Trustee
Carmen Nava is a retired executive with more than 33 years in the telecommunications industry. She is a USC Trustee who currently chairs the board’s Nominating & Governance Committee and serves on both the Executive and Finance committees. She is also a member of the USC Latino Alumni Association Corporate Advisory Board, and previously served on the USC Alumni Association (USCAA) Board of Governors. A Los Angeles native and USC Marshall alum, Nava received the USCAA’s Alumni Merit Award in 2018.
Amy Ross PhD ’86, Vice Chair, USC Health Systems Board, USC Trustee
Amy, a third-generation Angeleno, earned her BA in Psychobiology at Cal State Northridge and Ph.D. in Experimental Pathology from USC in 1986. With over 25 years in cancer diagnostics, she authored 75+ publications, holds three patents, and held leadership roles at Nexell Therapeutics and Caltech.
A founding member of the USC Lambda LGBT Alumni Association, Amy has championed LGBTQ inclusion in science for over 30 years. She co-founded the National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and presented on LGBTQ diversity at global conferences.
Amy served as USC Alumni Association Board President (2014-2015), was elected to the USC Board of Trustees in 2015, and is vice chair of the USC Health Systems Board. She also serves on boards for USC Arcadia and Verdugo Hills Hospitals.
Moderator: Sarah Townsend, Vice Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at USC Marshall
Sarah S. M. Townsend is an Associate Professor of Management and Organization and Vice Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the USC Marshall School of Business. Her research focuses on when individuals’ cultural norms collide with the dominant cultural norms of organizations. She examines how these “cultural divides” are often a hidden source of inequality but how they can be used to lessen opportunity gaps and fuel greater cross-group understanding.