On June 23, 2020, Sheila Ford Hamp succeeded her mother, Martha Firestone Ford, as Principal Owner and Chair of the Detroit Lions. From 2014-19, Mrs. Hamp served as one of the team's vice chairs during her mother's ownership.
Mrs. Hamp carries the Ford Family's proud legacy that was first established by her father, William Clay Ford, who passed away on March 9, 2014, after serving as the sole owner of the franchise for 50 seasons (1964-2013). Mr. Ford's ownership grew into a deeply-rooted family tradition that now includes multiple generations of the Ford Family. At the end of the 2020 season, Mrs. Hamp, with the assistance of President and CEO Rod Wood, Chief Operating Officer Mike Disner and Senior Football Advisor to Ownership Chris Spielman, laid out a clear vision for the organization. With the goal of establishing the Lions as a workplace built on a collaborative culture, the search for new leadership resulted in the arrival of Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell.
Holmes was named Executive Vice President and General Manager on January 14, 2021 after spending 18 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams (2003-20) in a variety of roles, including most recently director of college scouting. That same week, Campbell, a former tight end with more than 20 years of NFL experience as a coach and player, was named the team's new Head Coach. These key hires, born from Mrs. Hamp's vision for a culture of communication, collaboration and innovation, have helped lay a foundation for success across the Lions organization that will continue to grow into the 2026 NFL season.
Under the guidance of Mrs. Hamp, the Lions have recorded winning records in each of the last four seasons (9-8 in 2022, 12-5 in 2023, 15-2 in 2024, 9-8 in 2025), marking the first time the franchise has accomplished this since 1969-72. On the field, the team set records during the 2024 regular season, posting the most wins (15), touchdowns scored (70) and points scored (564) in a single season in franchise history. The Lions captured their second-consecutive NFC North title that year with a 31-9 Week 18 win over rival Minnesota and secured the number-one seed in the NFC for the first time in team history. In 2023, the Lions advanced to the NFC Championship Game for just the second time in team history following two playoff wins over the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – the first-ever playoff games in Ford Field history. The Lions' NFC North Division title in 2023 marked the team's first division championship since 1993.
Mrs. Hamp has helped elevate the Lions to the national spotlight during her time as Principal Owner and Chair. In 2024, Hamp and the Lions leadership team helped showcase Detroit to the sporting world as the city hosted the 2024 NFL Draft. More than 775,000 fans attended the annual NFL spectacle, setting a new NFL Draft record. In the last two years, the club has also unveiled new uniforms, partnered with Meijer to rename the team's practice facility in Allen Park, and revamped the team's training camp festivities. Through Hamp's vision, the Lions participated in the NFL's premier behind-the-scenes television series Hard Knocks in 2022, which provided an inside look at Lions Training Camp through collaboration with NFL Films and HBO.
Since 2021, Mrs. Hamp and Wood have coordinated a new organizational leadership structure that included the hiring of three new senior positions in Maggy Carlyle, Chief Legal Officer, Brian Facchini, Chief Communications and Brand Officer, and Lindsay Verstegen, Chief People and Diversity Officer. The revamped leadership team has since helped establish long-term goals for the Lions that focus on football and organizational excellence, fan engagement, brand reputation and stadium experience.
During her first year as Principal Owner and Chair, Mrs. Hamp created a Culture Task Force that was designed to improve organizational culture through enhanced employee engagement, alignment and openness. The work of the Task Force, which included an employee-wide survey to address areas of improvement, led to Mrs. Hamp establishing various sub-committees that now allow employees to strategize and achieve work solutions together across the Allen Park and Ford Field offices.
Mrs. Hamp's hands-on approach to leading the Lions also extends to the league level. In 2021, she participated in the NFL's Women's Careers In Football Forum, where she, along with Cleveland Browns Managing and Principal Partner Dee Haslem, led a "From Firsts To The Future" panel discussion with young women about breaking into careers in professional football. She also serves on the NFL's Fan Engagement and Major Events Committee, as well as the NFL Foundation Committee.
At the age of five, Mrs. Hamp, the second of four children, began attending Lions games at Briggs (Tiger) Stadium and Lions Training Camp at Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. As a teenager, her love of the Lions and knowledge of the game of football would impress many, including then NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle. Now as Principal Owner and Chair, Mrs. Hamp focuses that love, knowledge and commitment to the team that has been part of her family for decades.
Beyond her involvement with the Lions, Mrs. Hamp and her husband, Steve, are very active in numerous community and charitable organizations. She is on the board of the Purple Rose Theatre Company in Chelsea, Mich. Mrs. Hamp also is a Trustee Emeritus of the Board of The Henry Ford. In addition, she is the Chair of the Board for Detroit Lions Foundation, and serves on the boards for the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House and USA Football.
Mrs. Hamp was a member of the ground-breaking group of students who were in the first class of women to graduate from Yale University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree. While at Yale, she played varsity tennis and earned Major Y honors during her college career. Following her graduation from Yale, she earned her Master of Arts degree in teaching and early childhood education from Boston University.
Sports have always been an integral part of Mrs. Hamp's life. In addition to her accomplishments as a college tennis player, she competed as a junior tennis player at the national level and won a Michigan state tennis title at age 17. She also coached youth soccer for more than 10 years in her current hometown of Ann Arbor, where she and her husband, Steve, raised their family.
