(CNN) The Phoenix Suns have named Morgan Cato as Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations, making her the first woman of color to hold the Assistant General Manager title for an NBA team, according to the NBA.
The Harvard Business School graduate will report to General Manager James Jones and work with head coach Monty Williams in several areas, including leadership and strategy for coaching development, player engagement and front office personnel operations.
Cato most recently served as the NBA's associate vice president of business operations for League Operations, where she worked on growing the game through strategic initiatives, including a basketball talent pipeline and related programs, the launch of the Basketball Africa League, and advocacy for women and people of color in basketball operations.
"With the league office Morgan played a pivotal role on countless initiatives to grow the game and strategically develop for it to be played at its best," Jones said in a statement Monday.
"The addition of her background and knowledge will allow us to elevate our basketball operations in several areas."
The Suns were a 64-18 record this past regular season, and three games clear of their previous franchise best, before losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference semifinals.