If she could play any position in football, Amy Trask says she would be on the defensive or offensive line -- tackling opponents or protecting teammates against being tackled. Trask fills both roles off the field for the Oakland Raiders, as the first and only female CEO in the National Football League. Her own success grows from the skills she admires in her fantasy football positions: a hard-hitting approach blending strength, strategy and tenacity.
Her Vital Stats
Born: 1961 in New York state; raised in southern California
Education: B.A. in political science, 1982, University of California-Berkeley; law degree, 1985, University of Southern California
Title: CEO, Oakland Raiders
Team record: This year won its first American Football Conference Western Division title in 10 years, but lost the AFC play-off game and a shot at the Super Bowl.
Family life: Follows the team everywhere; divides her "off" time between homes in northern and southern California with her husband of 15 years, Rob.
Her kickoff: Trask developed a passion for football during college, drawn by "the cerebral aspects and the raw speed, power and strength of the athletes." An internship with the Raiders during her second and third years of law school fostered an admiration for a club she says "historically has given chances to people that the mainstream of society has not...If you can contribute, [then] your gender, the color of your skin, your ethnicity, your age just don�t matter." When she was invited to join the club two years out of law school, she recalls, "I said I�d be there in two minutes. It was a dream come true."
Her Vital Stats
Born: 1961 in New York state; raised in southern California
Education: B.A. in political science, 1982, University of California-Berkeley; law degree, 1985, University of Southern California
Title: CEO, Oakland Raiders
Team record: This year won its first American Football Conference Western Division title in 10 years, but lost the AFC play-off game and a shot at the Super Bowl.
Family life: Follows the team everywhere; divides her "off" time between homes in northern and southern California with her husband of 15 years, Rob.
Her kickoff: Trask developed a passion for football during college, drawn by "the cerebral aspects and the raw speed, power and strength of the athletes." An internship with the Raiders during her second and third years of law school fostered an admiration for a club she says "historically has given chances to people that the mainstream of society has not...If you can contribute, [then] your gender, the color of your skin, your ethnicity, your age just don�t matter." When she was invited to join the club two years out of law school, she recalls, "I said I�d be there in two minutes. It was a dream come true."