Cathy Engelbert

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Catherine Engelbert
Engelbert in 2024
1st Commissioner of the WNBA
Incumbent
Assumed office
July 17, 2019
Preceded byLisa Borders (as President)
Personal details
Born (1964-11-14) November 14, 1964 (age 60)
Children2
EducationLehigh University (BS)
OccupationCommissioner of the Women's National Basketball Association

Catherine M. Engelbert (born November 14, 1964) is an American administrator, accountant, and businesswoman who has been the commissioner of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) since 2019. Before joining the WNBA, she had been with Deloitte for 33 years, including as its first female CEO from 2015 to 2019.

Early life and education

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Engelbert grew up in Collingswood, New Jersey, with five brothers and two sisters. She attended Collingswood High School.[1] She was inducted into the Collingswood Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.[2] Her father Kurt was an IT manager, and her mother a medical practice administrator.[3] The former was a three-year letterman on Saint Joseph's University men's basketball teams in 1955, 1956 and 1957, the last two coached by Jack Ramsay, and selected in the fourth round (26th overall) by the Detroit Pistons in the 1957 NBA draft.[4][5][6] Engelbert graduated from Lehigh University in 1986, with a degree in accounting. At Lehigh, she tried out for the basketball team as a walk-on under Hall of Fame coach Muffet McGraw, and later became a team captain.[7] She also played lacrosse, and became a captain of that team as well.[3] After graduation, she received her CPA certification and became a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.[8][9]

Career

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Deloitte

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Engelbert joined Deloitte in 1986 and made partner in 1998.[10] A year before making partner she had decided to resign to pursue a career outside of professional services; two senior partners who saw her potential helped convince her to stay.[11] As partner she held multiple leadership roles, serving on the Deloitte LLP board of directors and several committees, and in 2014 was appointed as CEO of the audit subsidiary Deloitte & Touche LLP.[12][13]

In March 2015 Engelbert was elected CEO of Deloitte, becoming the first female U.S. CEO of a Big Four firm.[14] News media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, highlighted Engelbert's appointment as cracking the "glass ceiling."[15] In an interview, she credited Deloitte's early focus on supporting women in the workplace as being important for her career.[16]

While serving as Deloitte's CEO, Engelbert made investments in technology and took steps to prioritize employee retention.[17] During her tenure as CEO, Deloitte's revenue increased 30% to over $20 billion.[18][19][20][21]

WNBA Commissioner

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WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in the crowd at the Barclays Center, being greeted by NY Liberty Mascot Ellie the Elephant during a game between the NY Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces

On May 15, 2019, Engelbert was named the first commissioner of the WNBA (previous WNBA leaders had been titled "president"). She officially assumed her new role on July 17, 2019.[22] Engelbert has focused on growing the league, improving the player experience, building on corporate partnerships, and preparing for the renegotiation of the WNBA's media rights. She has presided over a significant expansion of the league, adding franchises in San Francisco, Portland, and Toronto, with future expansion franchises planned for Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia.[23]

Engelbert is a member of The Business Council. She also serves on the boards of McDonald’s Corporation, Royalty Pharma, and Catalyst, and on the executive committee of the USGA.[24]

Personal life

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Engelbert has two children, Julia and Thomas.[15][25]

References

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  1. ^ "Cathy Engelbert Husband Ed Is A West Point Graduate". sportslulu.com. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  2. ^ NJ.com, Paul Milo | NJ Advance Media for (2015-02-23). "Jersey native becomes first female CEO of major accounting and consulting firm". nj. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  3. ^ a b Clayton, Chris. "Cathy Engelbert, Features, Extras | Travel destinations, blogs, contests and offers from Delta Sky Magazine + deltaskymag.com". deltaskymag.delta.com. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  4. ^ "Cathy Engelbert Named WNBA Commissioner," Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) official release, Wednesday 15 May 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  5. ^ Saint Joseph's University Men's Basketball 2018–19 Media Guide (scroll down to page 88). Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  6. ^ Detroit Pistons Draft Picks – Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  7. ^ "The Game Changer". Lehigh University. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  8. ^ "Cathy Engelbert Makes History This Women's History Month - AICPA Insights". blog.aicpa.org. AICPA. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  9. ^ "Cathy Engelbert, CPA, CEO of Deloitte LLP". Journal of Accountancy. 2015-04-13. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  10. ^ "Board of Directors". McDonald’s Corporation. 2024-09-05. Archived from the original on 2025-06-25. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  11. ^ Valet, Vicky (2018-04-03). "'Your Career Is Not Linear': Deloitte CEO Cathy Engelbert On Her Rise To The Top". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
  12. ^ Tysiac, Ken (2015-02-09). "Deloitte's Engelbert to be first female U.S. CEO of a Big Four firm". Journal of Accountancy. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
  13. ^ Fairchild, Caroline (9 February 2015). "Deloitte's first female CEO: 'Don't stand still'". Fortune. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  14. ^ "Deloitte's Cathy Engelbert on being a female CEO of a Big Four accounting firm". Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  15. ^ a b Rapoport, Michael; Steinberg, Julie (9 February 2015). "Deloitte Taps Woman, a First, for CEO Post". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  16. ^ Steinmann, Jennifer. "Interview with Cathy Engelbert, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Deloitte & Touche LLP". LEADERS. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  17. ^ Luscombe, Belinda (2018-03-22). "How Deloitte CEO Cathy Engelbert Rose to the Top". TIME. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
  18. ^ "Cathy Engelbert". Fortune. 2017-09-21. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  19. ^ "5 Things You Should Know About Cathy Engelbert". McDonald’s Corporation. 2024-09-05. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  20. ^ Abrams, Olivia (2019-07-17). "New WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert Has An Unconventional Background And An Unusually Tall Order". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
  21. ^ Morgenson, Gretchen; Rapoport, Michael; Lublin, Joann S. (2018-06-28). "Deloitte Leadership Battle Leaves CEO's Future in Question". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
  22. ^ Voepel, Mechelle (May 15, 2019). "WNBA tabs CEO Engelbert as 1st commissioner". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  23. ^ Voepel, Michael; Pelton, Kevin; Andrews, Kendra (2025-06-30). "What to know about WNBA expansion to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  24. ^ "Cathy Engelbert". USGA. 2019-12-22. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  25. ^ Staff. "Berkeley Heights Resident Engelbert Elected First Female CEO of a Major U.S. Professional Services Firm by Deloitte LLP " Archived 2015-03-20 at archive.today, TAPintoSummit, March 3, 2015. Accessed March 19, 2015. "Cathy Engelbert, a resident of Berkeley Heights, was recently elected chief executive officer of Deloitte LLP, becoming the first female CEO of a major audit and consulting firm in the U.S."