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The Utah Jazz have promoted Katie Benzan to general manager of their Salt Lake City Stars G League affiliate, making her the youngest active GM in the G League and youngest female GM in league history at 27 years old.
Benzan replaces Marquis Newman, who has been elevated to director of pro scouting in Utah’s front office after three seasons leading the Stars. She will also serve as the Jazz’s manager of pro scouting.
Newman guided the Stars to three consecutive playoff appearances and oversaw the signings of two-way players Micah Potter, Oscar Tshiebwe, Jason Preston, and Elijah Harkless. He also played a key role in signing two-time All-Star Isaiah Thomas and helped hire former Stars coaches Scott Morrison and Steve Wojciechowski, both now on Will Hardy’s Jazz staff.
A Cyprus High School and University of Utah graduate, Newman joined the Jazz in 2014 as a basketball operations assistant and became the Stars’ assistant GM in 2021 under Bart Taylor, now Utah’s VP of player personnel.
“Marquis has done an outstanding job leading that process over the past three seasons,” Jazz President of Basketball Operations Austin Ainge said. “I’ve gotten to know Marquis during his time in the league and have always been impressed with his basketball acumen.”
Benzan spent the 2024-25 season as Stars assistant GM and Jazz coordinator of pro scouting, becoming the first woman in team history to hold a front office position. She previously worked as a basketball generalist for two seasons.
“Katie is incredibly bright and has been diligent in studying her craft,” Jazz GM Justin Zanik said. “She brings a unique perspective to our organization and has proven to be a valuable addition to our front office over the past three seasons.”
A Massachusetts native, Benzan earned All-Ivy League First Team honors in three seasons at Harvard (2016-20) before transferring to Maryland, where she received All-Big Ten Second Team and AP Honorable Mention All-America recognition.
