2026 Women Of Live: Lakeisha Roberts

Lakeisha Roberts
Monumental Sports & Entertainment | Vice President, Booking

INVESTING IN YOUR SKILLS AND VOICE | “Competence earns credibility, but visibility creates opportunity. Speak up in the rooms where decisions are made. Advocate for your ideas and your impact. Your work is important, but don’t assume it will speak for itself; make sure you do.”

Capital One Arena is going through formative changes as it enters the second year of a massive $800 million renovation, but you wouldn’t even know it when you look at Pollstar’s recent top arena grosses chart. Even with its doors closed for six months last year, the venue still made it on the list and continues to be busy hosting NBA and WNBA teams, an NHL franchise and an NCAA men’s basketball program.

The building didn’t skip a beat, and credit goes to leadership, which includes Lakeisha Roberts, for making the transition from shutting down and reopening seamless.

“In 2025, Capital One Arena kicked off an ambitious, three-summer transformation designed to elevate the venue into a true world-class home for our athletes, fans, and the D.C. community. The vision? A best-in-class arena experience from concourse to courtside,” said Roberts, vice president of booking for Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which operates the arena. “Phase one began in April 2025, and the doors closed for six months — which, in arena time, feels like a lifetime. There was a buzz of nervous excitement leading up to reopening day. And then, finally, the doors opened. Fans poured in. The lights went down. The energy returned. It felt like coming home, just with better finishes, brighter spaces, and a whole new level of experience.”

As someone who has always enjoyed concerts and religiously watched the Grammys, Roberts understands the value of live music. She especially learned the impact it can have on communities when she interned with the Kansas City Chiefs and later T-Mobile Center.

She says she treated such roles like a “front-row education” to better understand how live events come together. Her curiosity and passion helped her rise through the ranks at Monumental to become an executive at one of the busiest arenas in the country – and she urges the next generation of young women in the business to own their ambitions.

“Don’t shrink your goals to make others comfortable. Be clear about what you want, claim it with confidence, and pursue it with intention,” she says. “At the same time, invest in both your skills and your voice. Competence earns credibility, but visibility creates opportunity.”