BIO:
Lara Toscani Weems is the Vice President of Corporate Communications for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE) and is responsible for overseeing the global Corporate Public Relations for the teams, brands, venues, and business executives and initiatives across the company’s dynamic portfolio, including the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers; NHL’s New Jersey Devils; Prudential Center, a Top-Ten internationally-ranked venue; the Sixers Innovation Lab (and companies) which supports, early-stage, consumer-facing companies; HBSE Ventures, a venture capital business focused on sports technology, performance and more; New Meta Entertainment and Dignitas, a digital sports and entertainment; the NBA 2K League’s 76ers Gaming Club and more.
Toscani Weems additionally oversees Corporate Communications strategy for Elevate Sports Ventures, a best-in-class sports agency founded by HBSE, the San Francisco 49ers, Live Nation/Ticketmaster and Oak View Group. Toscani is responsible for driving awareness for Elevate’s proficiency in sponsorship, ticket and premium sales and marketing, brand representation, consumer research, strategy and analytics, event and hospitality management, and more. Elevate’s global client roster includes teams, brands and venues from among the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, international football and soccer, professional tennis, racing, Division I Athletics and more.
Toscani Weems’ notable pace is founded upon her background as an award-winning, Division I Track & Field and Cross Country athlete at The College of William & Mary. A product of George Washington University’s business school and Fellowship Program, Toscani-Weems began her career with Comcast-Spectacor in Marketing and Public Relations roles, supporting teams and events across multiple Comcast-Spectacor and Global Spectrum venues. She credits Comcast-Spectacor and her record-breaking career in Marketing and Public Relations with the Harlem Globetrotters, as the foundational roles that shaped her proficiency in communications, branding, media buying, ticketing, community relations, and more. In 2021 Toscani Weems was honored as a Philadelphia Business Journal “40 Under 40” honoree.
Toscani Weems is most fulfilled in her role as mother to her children Carter (10) and Eleanor (7). She credits her momentum in work and life as her greatest learning in response to her family’s journey with her son’s Cerebral Palsy. A ten-year liver transplant survivor, Toscani Weems’ son Carter is wheelchair bound, non-verbal and epileptic following a traumatic brain injury caused by the onset of a rare metabolic disorder shortly after birth. While his mother is Coaching his sister, Carter can often be found on the sidelines of basketball courts and field hockey and lacrosse fields.
