A younger version of Christina “CJ” Jefferson might have guessed that she would grow up to become a ceramicist or a professional roller derby player. Her guess would have been close.
Jefferson, who leads the diversity and inclusion efforts for the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, helps to shape and mold one of the NFL’s most valuable franchises. And she still relies on the lessons she learned from derby.
“It helped me understand how to motivate people, how to pick myself back up, how to try things, and if it didn’t work, try something else again,” Jefferson said of her days on the roller derby track. “It helped me be a better leader, and also, just to have fun with whatever you’re doing.”
Jefferson’s willingness to try new things has been a boon to the 49ers’ inclusion efforts.
In 2024, the organization launched the first internally designed LGBTQ+ collection of any NFL team, as well as a first of its kind Black Excellence Collection and Asian and Pacific Islander Collection “APEX.” The 49ers are the first NFL organization to have an LGBTQ+ employee resource group, or ERG, a voluntary group in the workplace for employees with shared identities or experiences.
Jefferson is among the out LGBTQ people in sports who make up the Rising 50 as part of the 2025 Outsports Power 100.
Roller derby brought community and love
Christina Jefferson, right, makes a move for the jammer in a roller derby match in Ohio. (Photo/Rachel Turner)
Jefferson took to roller derby in her early 20s while living in Ohio. Roller derby is a sport that has a rich history, one founded in gender equity and inclusion. It makes sense that Jefferson, who has brought efforts towards increased equity at every point in her career, would be attracted to the sport.
For Jefferson, a self-described “art kid” and accomplished ceramicist, derby was a way to enjoy a team sport and its community. A community so bountiful, in fact, it led to Jefferson meeting her future wife, Julie Driscoll, who was at the time a roller derby referee.
Jefferson and Driscoll started off as friends. The pair stayed in touch as Jefferson’s career took her all over the country, before they started to date in 2012. The couple were married in 2015 and live together in San Francisco.
Related
Christina Jefferson and Julie Driscoll were married in San Francisco on Oct. 15, 2015. (Photo/Chloe Jackman)
Walking the walk with the San Francisco 49ers
Jefferson is proud of how both she and her peers at the 49ers work to make sure that fans and fellow employees are seen and celebrated. She described herself to a Jewish website as a “unicorn” in the corporate world, with the site highlighting that she is a “Black, lesbian Jew with a bunch of tattoos.”
“I continue to be amazed and so proud of them, because it’s hard to be the first,” Jefferson said, referring to the 49ers employees who are members of the LGBTQ+ resource group. “A lot of them have been the first in either their organizations or in their sports.”
Among the programs developed by Jefferson is Students at the Stadium, which she described as mentoring individuals pursuing a career in professional sports. As part of the program, the organization brings 250 young people to learn about every aspect of the business, first-hand from staff.
There’s also the ERG Training Camp, a convergence of all of the different employee resource groups not just from the 49ers, but from other Bay Area professional sports teams. It’s an example of Jefferson’s lasting impact on the Bay Area and professional sports.
Additionally, Jefferson has helped launch many of the 49ers’ Capsule Collections merchandise. Each of the team’s collections are led by a different 49ers employee resource group. The 49ers have five ERGs: APEX (AAPI Professional Exchange), B.U.I.L.D. (Black Unity In Leadership and Development), L.E.A.D. (Latinx Empowerment Advancement Development), P.L.U.S. (Pride, Leadership & Unity in Sports) and Women Connect.
It is Jefferson’s everlasting curiosity — and pursuit of equity — that has led to such success in her career.
Christina Jefferson leads the diversity and inclusion efforts for the San Francisco 49ers.
From Sephora to the San Francisco 49ers
Before landing at the 49ers, Jefferson spent almost six years at Sephora, where she was able work her way through the ranks to eventually become their Senior Manager, Inclusion and Diversity. Then came the call that brought Jefferson’s background in sports and inclusion to a head, the one from the San Francisco 49ers.
“I realized that [the 49ers] saw … that there were people who continued to find a space, and want a space in sports, and that they wanted someone who could help them get there,” Jefferson said. “That became my job here and I am so glad I said yes.”
Related
Jefferson grew up in Indiana and began her career in retail near Columbus, Ohio, in her early 20s. She went to school to be a ceramicist and began her career in retail as a way to supplement her artistic pursuits.
While working in retail, she began to see a new opportunity. After stints at Macy’s, TJ Maxx and J. Crew, she climbed the ranks of Banana Republic and Gap and saw that there was a severe lack of diversity in management roles.
“They had potential to be leaders, but they never saw themselves in those positions, and their leaders never saw themselves in those positions,” Jefferson said of her retail co-workers. “And so, what I want to do is help [those] people.”
The impact Jefferson has had on the queer community, among other marginalized voices, is huge. She has both led through example, as well as given future generations — both locally and internationally — more equity. Something that would certainly bring joy to a young derby-playing ceramicist in Ohio.
“We do nothing without making sure that, when you walk into our doors, that you understand that you belong as well, and that’s across the board,” Jefferson said.
Subscribe to the Outsports newsletter to keep up with your favorite out athletes, inspiring LGBTQ sports stories, and more.