Sahar Abdur-Rashid joins The Trust as Director of Communications, Marketing, and Engagement, after serving as the Director of Communications at Major League Soccer (MLS). In that role, she oversaw Season and Playoff schedules and formats, Match Day Operations, while also supporting the league’s overall publicity efforts.
Previously, Sahar was an account supervisor at FleishmanHillard, a global public relations and marketing agency. As an integrated media and marketing specialist for brand and consumer properties, she played a key role in building communications campaigns, implementing executive thought leadership platforms, executing sponsorship activations, and providing counsel and management of brand reputation for global clients across a variety of verticals including sports & entertainment, DEI, consumer lifestyle, food and beverage, technology, and gaming in local, national, and international media markets.
Before her time at FleishmanHillard, Sahar spent eight years at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). In her duties as Assistant Director of Media Coordination & Statistics, External Operations, she managed media operations at notable Division I Championships, including the Women’s College Cup, Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Championship, Women’s Volleyball Championship, and Women’s College World Series. She also served as a liaison to athletic communication departments and was responsible for statistical and historical compilation. In 2017, she founded and launched a DEI grant program (NCAA Inclusion CoSIDA grant). The initiative sponsors six recipients from Division I, Division II, & Division III levels of athletic communications to visit the association’s national office, attend the industry's annual convention & participate in a year-long mentoring program.
A native of Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, Sahar is a graduate of Temple University (Pa.) with a bachelor’s degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management, with a specialization in Sports and Recreation Management, along with a minor in Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising. She obtained a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in Sports Business from Saint Leo’s University (Fla.).