Executive Vice President, Chief Communications Officer
Dan Courtemanche serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer of Major League Soccer, where he oversees all strategic communications and public relations for MLS, MLS NEXT Pro, MLS NEXT, and Soccer United Marketing, the league’s commercial arm. He leads the league’s communications functions, which include crisis management, media relations, corporate communications, soccer media operations, and internal communications.
Now in his 26th season with MLS, Courtemanche is one of the original members of the league's staff, having joined before its launch in 1996. He began his tenure as the league’s Director of Communications from 1995 to 1998 and later served as Vice President of Communications from 1999 to 2001. As a key member of the strategic marketing and communications team that launched MLS, Courtemanche played an instrumental role in helping the league earn the 1996 "Sports Industrialist of the Year" award from Sports Business Daily.
From 2002 to 2003, Courtemanche held the position of Vice President of Communications and Business Development for the Women’s United Soccer Association, where he managed public relations and was part of the business development team. He then served as Deputy Executive Director of the Dodge Tour de Georgia from 2004 to 2005, overseeing marketing, public relations, and corporate partnerships for one of North America’s premier cycling stage races.
Courtemanche returned to MLS and SUM in March 2005. During his tenure, MLS has been recognized as the "Professional Sports League of the Year" by the Sports Business Journal in 2008, 2016, and 2020.
Prior to his first stint with MLS, Courtemanche spent three years as the Director of Public Relations for the 15-team Continental Indoor Soccer League, a professional indoor soccer league owned by NBA and NHL investors. He began his career with Strategic Sports Specialists, an Atlanta-based event marketing firm, where he managed public relations and promotional campaigns for a variety of corporate clients.
A graduate of the University of Georgia, Dan Courtemanche resides in Manhattan with his wife and son.