Ay’Anna Moody never envisioned a career in professional sports. Growing up in Oakland, she aspired to public office and policy, believing these traditional civic channels would best allow her to serve her community. Professional sports were never on her radar.
However, six years ago, Moody found herself at an unexpected crossroads when the Golden State Warriors reached out. This led to a pivot that didn’t abandon her original purpose but simply reframed how she would achieve it.
Today, Moody is the executive director of the Warriors Community Foundation, a role she officially started in February 2025.
She told Essence, “It’s crazy how my trajectory changed. But I ended up still doing the work that I was intended to do to serve the community.”
That sense of calling has translated into a tangible impact. Under Moody’s leadership, the Warriors Community Foundation recently crossed a major milestone, surpassing $50 million in total economic impact since the organization’s founding in 2012. While this figure is impressive, Moody views it not as a finish line, but as proof of what is possible.
“I think we can definitely have 50 million more in 5 years just considering how we’re fundraising for the organization,” she remarked.
Moody is a Black woman who leads the Warriors Community Foundation, which is rare for an executive sports nonprofit, especially at the team level. Her foundation stands out because it aims for lasting, big changes, not just giving out money.
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They do this by training youth workers, running free community centers in Oakland and San Francisco, and importantly, helping Black women teachers.
“I talk to my colleagues across the league and the NFL, and we’re the most generous foundation because we have different entry points,” Moody recounted. “No matter where you are in your journey as a nonprofit, you might be a huge nonprofit or a smaller one starting out in the Bay Area, there’s room for you here.”
Moody’s commitment to inclusive, relational philanthropy is personal, rooted in her Oakland upbringing and exposure to grassroots activism. Her aunt, a co-founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights with Van Jones, provided early lessons in organizing and community-led change that inform her leadership today.
“We are the home of the Black Panther Party,” she stated. “Just making sure we’re always pushing the element, making sure that we are creating programs that are innovative, being in this tech epicenter, but then also that we’re being responsive to what the community really needs.”
Moody actively commits to responsiveness, not just talking about it. This means close, consistent communication with Oakland and San Francisco school superintendents, including weekly discussions on issues like closures and funding. Her approach focuses on trust-based relationships over transactional philanthropy.
Generation Thrive, the Warriors Foundation’s flagship initiative launched in 2019 with Kaiser Permanente, is a nonprofit accelerator supporting over 10,000 Bay Area educators. It offers free professional development, wellness resources, community spaces, and pathways for emerging leaders.
One example is Ahmed Muhammad, Oakland’s first Black high school valedictorian, who founded a STEM nonprofit as a teen and graduated from Stanford in engineering.
Moody noted the impact of funding his organization, saying, “Just to see how he’s been able to use the resources to scale… having him in our orbit has really helped us to talk about the work in a different way.”
Despite her success, Moody is open about the challenges of her leadership role as a Black woman in sports, recalling initial self-doubt and the need to balance mission with business objectives.
“I had to learn that and I had to be kind to myself because before I was really like, ‘Why am I not understanding this? Why am I not getting this?’”
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Moody now uses those experiences to mentor others, stressing the importance of strategic communication. She advises younger leaders that influence isn’t always about being the most vocal person. “Sometimes the quietest in the room get more done,” she notes. Her philosophy is less about “code switching” and more about being adaptable.
Moody still struggles with learning when and how to say no. As a Black woman leader, she feels pressure to be accessible, fearing she’ll be perceived as “acting funny” or indifferent if she sets boundaries.
However, she notes that people don’t grasp the extensive demands placed on her both within and outside the organization.
Moody’s long-term vision is to firmly establish the Warriors Community Foundation as a champion of educator support.
Her goal is to ensure educators feel seen, valued, and celebrated, exemplified by initiatives like launching the inaugural educator appreciation night at Chase Center and broadening recognition throughout the Bay Area.
She stated, “We want folks to know when you think about supporting educators, we want you to think about the Warriors and the Valkyries.”
Moody envisions a future where Black women involved in sports philanthropy become more transparent. She advocates for openly sharing resources, best practices, and even salary details, moving beyond any tendency toward gatekeeping.
She added that this transparency is critical, noting the example of the younger generation, saying, “These young girls on TikTok, they are having conversations. They’re saying, ‘This is what I’m getting paid.’ We need to, as older women, start having those conversations too,” she states.
Ay’Anna Moody wants to build a “reservoir of goodwill” so the Warriors’ community ties last even when they don’t win titles. She said their “community work is not charity work,” recognizing they still need to sell tickets even if stars like Stephen Curry aren’t playing.
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