Metro-east native lands top Seahawks job, just in time for the Super Bowl

East St. Louis’ Gina Green didn’t just witness one of the greatest events in recent Seattle Seahawks history, she helped make it possible.

Though she wasn’t on the field scoring touchdowns, Green is an MVP in her own way. As the director of facilities for the Seahawks home at Lumen Field, Green made sure the entire stadium – from the concessions to the various technologies – was ready for the National Football Conference championship game on Jan. 25 when the Seahawks defeated the Los Angeles Rams.

Green started the leadership position just weeks before. On Sunday, Green and her siblings were at Levi’s Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area for Super Bowl LX to witness the Seahawks defeat the New England Patriots.

“Who in their lifetime can say that in a 60-day time span they went from being an ‘OG rookie’ to going to the Super Bowl?” Green mused. “It’s nuts, it’s crazy. I literally can’t wrap my head around that this is my life.”

Rooted in the City of Champions

Green, 55, said her upbringing in East St. Louis has influenced so much of her journey to this point.

Her parents engrained humility and service into their children, Green said. Her younger sister, Lena Green-Fykes, recalls how their mom gave food to others.

Growing up, Green said she’d go to work with her father and grandfather. They ran Green’s Electric and were also electrical inspectors for East St. Louis. She witnessed her father work from sunrise until late at night, all while making time to do jobs for elderly community members pro bono.

“Those were my heroes,” Green said. “It’s not just that they wanted to be business owners, they led with kindness.”

Green-Fykes said she always saw her sister as a natural leader.

“People followed her without her even trying,” Green-Fykes said. “She pushed herself hard, but she also pushed the rest of us to be better. Looking back, you could already see the leader she was becoming. She had drive, courage and determination long before any title or career ever came into the picture.”

Green-Fykes said her and Green’s mother, Rufina Beaman, shaped them “in a different but just as powerful way.” Beaman grew up in the Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean and went to Guam for a better education, Green said.

Then, the military family Beaman nannied for in Guam asked her if she wanted to come to the United States with them.

Beaman left everything she knew when she was 17.

The early years weren’t easy. America was big and overwhelming. Beaman married Milton and had Green, her first child, but soon Milton was drafted. The family lived in Germany for a short time, and with her husband in the military, Beaman grew very homesick.

Beaman said her faith, though, got her through.

“She showed us how to adapt and overcome,” Green-Fykes said of their mom. “She … had to learn how to navigate a new place, a new family and a new life. That strength and resilience became a part of who we are.”

Beaman said her mission was to set her children up for success, and that meant instilling the importance of education in them. Even though Beaman left high school when she had Green, she later returned, and later built a successful medical career while Green’s Electric flourished.

“Growing up, they watched their parents work so hard to give them an education,” Beaman said.

Path to the Seattle Seahawks

Green graduated from Assumption High School in 1988 as a multi-sport athlete. She later earned two engineering degrees. While in college, Green did infantry equipment repair for the military and also worked for Ameren.

Green later switched focus from just electrical construction to general construction and management. Over the years, she has worked for large casinos in Las Vegas and New Mexico, helping spearhead day-to-day tasks and new construction, she said.

Last year, a recruiter told Green they knew an employer who was looking for someone with hospitality and facilities experience. Green fit the bill.

That employer was the Seattle Seahawks. Green became the director of facilities for Lumen Field in December.

Of all the things Green learned throughout her decades-long career, she said there are a few lessons that stick out the most:

“Don’t limit yourself,” she said. “Stay grounded, and put a name to what matters most to you – and stay rooted in what that means to you.”

For Green, those North Stars point back to her childhood.

“I believe in moving in purpose, I value everybody around me, and I provide support when they need it,” Green said.

This story was originally published February 7, 2026 at 6:00 AM.