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Less than three months after being named Bay FC’s CEO, Stacy Johns has departed to become president of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.

Bay FC co-chair Alan Waxman, cofounding partner of the private equity firm Sixth Street, which owns the club, announced Tuesday that CFO Bernard Gutmann has been promoted to president and will take over day-to-day operations.

Johns, who arrived at Bay FC in February after a stint as chief business officer of the Los Angeles Football Club, was expected to provide steady leadership for a franchise that has dealt with near constant turnover in its highest-profile positions. In the early stages of its third season, Bay FC is already onto its third CEO and second head coach.

Johns started her duties in March and was splitting her time between the Bay Area and Southern California when she informed the club of her decision to take the Sparks job, a team spokesperson said. The job will keep Johns in the Los Angeles region, closer to her family. 

• Bay FC — the local women’s soccer team — has a month off because of men’s soccer

In a February interview with The Standard, Johns said Sixth Street first showed interest in hiring her in September, and she was looking forward to helping Bay FC capitalize on fan interest in Northern California.

“I’ve been approached by several women’s teams over the years, but this one was incredibly interesting to me because of the founding four’s incredible vision and the backing of Sixth Street’s investment on top of that,” Johns said. “The Bay Area’s market for women’s sports is incredible.”

Johns said her relationships in the WNBA, primarily with Valkyries president Jess Smith, helped convince her to work in women’s sports. 

Johns spent more than 16 years working for the Indianapolis Colts before joining LAFC in 2020. She was promoted to chief business officer last year.

Gutmann has no prior experience leading the day-to-day operations of a pro sports franchise, having joined Bay FC 18 months ago after more than two decades in the tech and entertainment industries.

Prior to Bay FC, Gutmann was head of finance at Linktree, where he worked in corporate strategy and international operations. He also worked at Twitch, helping the company secure deals with the NWSL, NFL, MLB, and NBA.

“I’m honored to step into this role at such an important moment for Bay FC,” Gutmann said in a statement. “In my time at Bay, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with an incredible group of people who are deeply committed to building something special both on and off the pitch.”

Last year, Sixth Street hired former English women’s soccer executive Kay Cossington as head of global women’s football and CEO of Bay Collective, a multi-club organization. Cossington hired Bay FC coach Emma Coates, who replaced Albertín Montoya after he stepped down following the club’s second season. 

GM Lucy Rushton, who built the team’s inaugural 2024 roster, abruptly left the organization halfway through its first season.

Bay FC plays its home games predominantly at PayPal Park in San Jose, which it leases from the San Jose Earthquakes. The club is developing a training facility on Treasure Island and has ambitions to build its own stadium in the Bay Area.