VenuesNow 2026 All-Star Honoree: Tameka Rish

Tameka Rish
Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer
AMB Sports & Entertainment

WORLD CUP FEVER
Helped Falcons’ stadium bring record crowds for soccer smash.

This year, Tameka Rish has been extraordinary. To start with, she got married – an achievement which she describes as the highlight of her list of accomplishments for 2026. However, the next most important thing is something greater than any individual: seeing Atlanta enter the global arena.

Rish, who oversees operations at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, helped the city host eight FIFA World Cup matches and drew record crowds to one of the country’s largest fan festivals.

She helped organize more than 20 companies and 700 volunteers for a community day, during which storefronts were repainted, abandoned buildings were muraled and trash was cleared – a grassroots initiative to ensure that the World Cup’s legacy continued beyond the final match.

“As a longtime Atlantan, it was a proud moment to see an event like the World Cup bring people together and focus an entire day on an area that doesn’t usually get that kind of attention,” Rish says.

The philosophy of hospitality that Rish promotes, the one she refers to as “Welcome Home,” is evident in everything from offering flip-flops at a concert available for fans who wear cowboy boots at a Chris Stapleton show to completely renovating the stadium’s Halo board technology.

This same concern for others is reflected in her advocacy outside of work: she is a strong supporter of women and children who have survived human trafficking and an active promoter of girls’ flag football, as this gives young women the opportunity to take part in the team experience that had a formative effect on her own life.

Looking ahead, Rish is already building toward what’s next: a NWSL franchise set to kick off in 2028, followed closely by Super Bowl LXII. For a leader who insists there’s “no finish line,” it’s fitting that her biggest year yet is already giving way to an even busier one. Through it all, one thread holds: a deep, personal commitment to making Atlanta shine for the world, and for the people who call it home.