May 26, 2022 • 21 mins
Kristen Balboni speaks with Kristi Coleman, the Team President of the Carolina Panthers. The duo reflects on Kristi’s career transitions while balancing motherhood, making an impact in the organization and advice for future generations.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
I didn't even know I wanted to go into sports,
but some people that, you know, they know that when
they're in middle school. I want to be in sports,
you know. And so there's I don't think there's any
right or wrong way, or any right or wrong journey.
But I think it's hard work. It's treating people right
along the way, and that's what's important. Welcome to a
brand new season of The Inspired podcast, presented by Atrium Health.
(00:26):
This is a podcast series for Panthers fans where we
highlight admirable women from across the Carolinas as they share
stories and lessons from their lives and careers. And I
cannot wait to dive in right now with today's guests,
the President of the Carolina Panthers, Christie Coleman. Christie, I
am so thrilled that you are doing this. Thank you
so much. Thank you for having me. I'm excited to
(00:49):
be on this. Thank you well. I appreciate it because
I know how busy you are. And that's actually where
I want to start, which is what does a typical
day look like for you? And I don't just want
to hear about the work stuff. Are you someone that
wakes up at five am. That's my main question. I'm
actually someone that wakes up at three am. I I, um,
I go to bed pretty early. I like to get
(01:10):
about nine ten o'clock. But then I've I just wake
up thinking about stuff. So if people get emails from
me at three in the morning, don't freak out. It's
only because my mind is is racing. But then I
go back to sleep, and you know, then I hit
snooze like ten times when my alarm goes off at
six thirty. So so that's my my morning. But I
I just it's not anything any reason other than just
(01:34):
you know, your mind just keeps it's racing. Do you
find that you sometimes work stuff out in your sleep
and you have more clarity at three am? I'll take notes.
I'll like have my notes on my phone. I'm like
taking just random notes. Um so so yeah, but then
sometimes you wake up and you're like, wait, what was
I doing? Have you ever? I remember I worked at
at ESPN and of course similar you know, twenty four
(01:56):
hour process, and I remember sending a few emails right
when I would wake up at three am to go
into Mike and Mike and I was like, I was
clearly not awake when I sent that email, just typos
all over the place. Oh yeah, I have been there before. So, um,
you wake up at three am, send some emails, get
back up around six thirty. What does your day look
(02:17):
like when you get into the office. So, so my
day actual at six thirty though, I've got a three
year old and five year old that are right by
my bed. Mommy, I have to go potty, you know
that kind of thing in the morning. So we get
them ready for school, Um, make lunches and and that
kind of jazz before coming in. So it's a pretty
eventful morning before eight am at my house. But um,
(02:40):
when I get in, you know, I don't You never
know what the day is going to hold. I think
that's true probably for everybody. Um, and you just kind
of roll with the punches, you know what, whatever comes
at you, you just you deal with it and you
you go on. So UM. So I can't I can't
describe any one day because no one day is the same. Um.
But but it's fun. That's that's what we that's what
(03:02):
makes it exciting to be here. And that's something that
I've always admired about you is that you just seem
like nothing's going to face you. I mean that's what
I always just and I wish I could be more
like that. And you're like, yeah, just roll with the punches.
We've got this going on and this going on. And
something tells me that you're the same at nine o'clock
at night after a crazy day as you are when
(03:23):
you say that, like, yeah, it was a crazy day,
but everything's going great. And I just admire that so much.
So are you someone that can kind of is it?
Is it because you're scheduled so well or you compartmentalize?
How do you just roll with the punches all the
time when you have so much responsibility and two little ones? Um? Well,
you only you can control what you can control, right,
(03:44):
So um, you have to just keep keep that stuff
in perspective. Um, and if you let every little thing
get you down, you know, you never make it through
a day. I feel so Um, you just gotta, you know,
take it as it comes and keep a positive attitude.
I mean, I don't know how to how to say
it any different, but that's kind of my mentality. Yeah.
(04:04):
I always I always take notes when I'm doing these podcasts.
I'm like, oh, okay, how did how does this person
attack this? How does this person deal with this? Um?
Because there's so much that we can all learn, and
I would love to go back through your background and
how you got here. UM, so can you walk me
through how one becomes president of the Carolina Panthers. UM.
(04:26):
I'm still I'm still in shock. I pinched myself every day.
I know. Does it sound hasn't gotten normal yet to
hear yourself described as president of the Carolina Panthers. What's
really funny is people, you know, when I introduced myself
and they're like, oh, what do you do? And I'll say,
you know, I'm the team president. I get this like look,
you know, the the oh oh okay, you know, almost
(04:46):
like surprise. UM. I think maybe part of that is
being female, being young, you know. UM, but it's it's
it's been amazing journey. But I started at Clemson, so
I graduate different Cleanson in two thousand six. UM, got
my masters in two thousand seven, and started with Deloitte
in two thousand eight. UM January of two thousand and eight,
(05:08):
and actually, UM, the Carolina Panthers were my first client
with Deloitte. UM, and to work on the Carolina Panthers engagement. You.
They required that you were there from January to June
because them that was there like audit schedule, if you will.
So six months of my year every year was spent
at the Panthers stadium. UM. So, I feel very fortunate
(05:30):
from that perspective. And when I would come in every
day to the stadium, everyone would just be happy and smiling.
And I always felt like, man, I wish I could
be a part of that. It must be cool to
be to be there. And what was the other six months?
I don't want to start. I just I'm curious, what
re you in the office. So there has manufacturing clients
and different clients with Deloitte, ok so um, so I
got to see a bunch of different companies and a
(05:52):
bunch of different things. But the Panthers were, you know,
the cool job to be on UM. In two thousand fourteen,
Mike u Din, the previous controller and CFO, had called
me to come on board. So they offered me the
controller job from Deloitte. So I came over in two
thousand fourteen UM and of course Mr Richardson sold the
team in two thousand eighteen UM and then uh Mike
(06:16):
Juden called me and said that he was resigning. And
then he said, you know, Dave Pepper is probably gonna
call you, so you need to figure out what you
want to do. I called Dave, and Dave, you know,
said meet me tomorrow, meet tom click and I tomorrow
at um uh what is that restaurant? I can't remember
the name of the restaurant, but meet us uptown for lunch.
(06:37):
So I did, and they offered me the CFO job
while I was on maternity leave. Oh my gosh. And
then um so that was two thousand nineteen, and then
fast forward to now February two and here I am
a team president. So it's been quite a journey and
and a great experience throughout. But I would say there
wasn't one moment where I was like, oh, I'm going
(06:57):
to be president or I want to be president. Six
months ago, it wasn't even, you know, really even a
thought in my mind. So I'm just really appreciative of
Dave and Nicole to give me this opportunity and to
to see something in me. So and we are appreciative
that you are our president. I remember emailing you was like, yes,
I am so excited. I said, you were someone that
(07:18):
I've admired and looked up to and just thrilled that
that we now get to work under you, with you
as the president of the Carolina Panthers. It's incredible. I
have to go back, though, because I didn't know this,
that you were offered the job of CFO while you
were on maternity leave, and of course a little bit
of a vested interest in this because I just came
back from maternity leave. So did you start your first
(07:39):
day back from maternity leave was as chief financial Officer? Yeah?
So it was you know when I got so many
things go through your mind, like can I do this?
What you know, I now have two kids, two boys
at home? And what if I fail? What if? What
if this? What if I'm not good? And I you
(08:00):
have all of these thoughts, um And I remember calling
my mom and calling you know, different my different family
members and telling them about this, and and my mom
was just like, you know, you have to do you
have to try it, you know, at least see if
you can do it. And the worst thing that can
happen is you fail. So it's like, so why not
(08:20):
give it a try? And I yes. So I came
back from maternity leave and I was CFO and luckily,
um it was nice Dave had Mike Dudent's stayed on
as a I guess consulting for us and so he
was right there to support and help through for about
six months after. So that was that was really nice.
(08:41):
And how was that transition? Obviously, as you said, you
had my student, but how was that transition just on
a daily basis? Now a mom of two, I remember that.
I mean, I'm still in those days of just you're
not sleeping necessarily, you're coming back and you're taking on
this new responsibility. How do you look back on that
time once you decided to make the move. So, I
(09:02):
mean it was a conversation with my husband for sure,
and we were trying to figure out daycare at the time,
Like you know, I didn't want to be the first
our kids to be the first one to daycare and
the last ones to leave. So we had to make
a decision, you know, how are we gonna do this?
Do we get a nanny and and that kind of jazz,
and that's what we ended up doing. So so that
(09:23):
was a big step for us, was just childcare. What
are we gonna do? And big question marks. But my
husband has been so supportive and just so great, and
he's such a Panthers fan, so I can't I ever
complain about where he's like, Oh, it's not that bad,
you know. So UM. So I've got a great support
system at home, but at work, you know, not just Mike,
(09:46):
but the team. I have had a great team in place, um,
And and that's that makes all the difference. And I
want to go back to what you said about um
maybe even so months ago, being president wasn't something that
was on your radar. Have you ever thought about younger Christie,
(10:07):
who the first client was the Caroline Panthers. Would she
believe that the first time that she walked into the
stadium that she was going to be president in a
in a very short time. No? I, UM, you know,
when I when I took the job as controller, it
was a big, big decision for me because I thought,
(10:28):
I really thought I was going to be the controller
for the rest of my life. Because people in sports
don't really leave. They you know, they're happy and they
love their teams and they stay, which is great. But
when you're young and coming in and you know, with
an ambition, ambitious, you you know, you kind of look
and you're like, well, what's next for me? What can
(10:48):
be next? So when I accepted the job as controller,
I just thought, you know, I'm just going to be
a controller for the rest of my life. And I
was I was okay with that. I was like, Okay,
I'm gonna spend time with my family. I'm gonna you know,
I didn't have kids at the time. I had just
gotten married, but it was like, okay, what's next from
from a family perspective. So so no, I had no
(11:09):
I thought I would just be a controller forever. I
wanted to be CFO, so that was always a as
a finance person, and you know, that was always a
goal and an ambition of mine. But to be team president, um,
it wasn't wasn't on my radar, but I felt like
I could. I always felt like I could make an impact.
So so not not necessarily a five year part of
(11:31):
my five year plan or ten year of land but um,
but when they it's funny when they called, when Dave,
when I got the call about CFO, I was I
was nervous, I was scared and I was fearful, like
I'm not going to be able to do this. When
I got the call about Okay being president. I had
no fear or no, I wasn't scared. It was I
(11:54):
got this, you know. So so it's it's interesting in
that two year gap, how I guess I grown um
in the organization. But and also you would just come
out of navigating through a pandemic as the CFO of
Temper Sports and Entertainment. So yeah, I'm sure that had
something to like what hey, what else could be thrown
at us? Like we you know you navigated that so well.
(12:17):
I do want to ask you about we talked about
that transition, as you said, UM to CFO. How has
the transition been UM from CFO of Temper Sports and
Entertainment the parent company UM to now president of the
Panthers just on a daily basis, because I imagine that
even though both are just enormous amounts of responsibility, the
(12:39):
departments that you interact with UM are are different. I
would imagine, Yes, it's it's been very different. So uh,
like I I work with social media now and marketing,
which is you know, from a CFO perspective, is very different.
But it was, UM, it's been great. Uh, the transition.
I would say, I feel very for I've had the
(13:01):
support from David Nicole, Um, coach Rule Scott, everybody you
know at the top levels has been so supportive. But
then even you know when you go to the ticket
office and you go down to you know, the different departments,
everybody has been just very supportive. And it it makes
you it makes it easier, I guess I would say, um,
(13:21):
and I feel fortunate from that perspective. And we also
get to see you. You are always walking around seeing
everyone saying hi, which I know means a lot to
to me in our department. And so now that you
are interacting with all of these to every department of
the Panthers as an organization. Um, knowing that you have
a finance background, are there departments that you previously didn't
(13:43):
interface with a lot that you go, oh, I really
enjoy that side of things, or I've learned a lot. Um,
Have there been experiences like that We've dived into stuff
that you didn't know? Oh, of course, And I guess
I mean schedule released sitting here minutet eight o'clock when
Angela pushed the button for schedule release, and it's it's
(14:03):
just I love watching it as a fan and so
getting to see the you know, what goes on behind
the scenes for that, and going to the house that
they've rented and all that. It's just it's so fun.
It makes it that much more exciting. Like I almost
want to bring my finance the finance team out to
just to see, you know, you're paying these bills, but
this is what it's you know, this is it and
it's so fun. So I've really enjoyed being behind the scenes,
(14:27):
if you will, on some of these projects. A little
bit of an aside, but one thing that always stands
out to me, especially with with Angela, who runs our
social department, or anyone, is how calm everyone is when
they press that button for the I can't I was there.
I was there last year with them, and you know,
Angela and Amy her predecessor before that, they can be
(14:48):
doing ten different things and they're tweeting out to two
millions of fans and just oh yeah, the most important
video of of the month is going out and they're
just so calm, cool and collected, which I would not.
I would have read. I would read the tweet eighteen
times before I published it and then still gone, okay,
what is this? Okay? You know saying, yeah, that's exactly
how she was trying to get a graphic right, and
(15:09):
she's getting help from Reggie and it was literally within
the minute that it needed to go up, and she
was just like, O can you get this? Okay? Got it?
And I feel like it. You know, you just want
to be just shocked that they're not more. I know,
I'm nervous for them, and they're not nervous, which I
guess is why Angela is so great at running that department.
And I would not be because I'm just going I'm
you know, holding the table like okay, is everything okay?
(15:31):
I was the same way it was. It was fun though,
So I'm really enjoying getting to see the behind the
scenes of of of those different areas. And I love
that you talk about being a fan because that's another
thing that immediately the first time I met you, um
something that anyone who has met you would know that
you are a fan of the team, not just your husband.
You come at this from a fan's perspective, So how
(15:52):
does that influence the way that that you run the team?
It is important to look at it from the fans,
but also the employees, and you know, you you have
to start thinking of of everyone as a fan. So
everyone should be treated well. Everyone should be um part
of the team. And so I think when you come
at it from that lens, you change your perspective a
(16:14):
little bit. You know, like everyone, everyone deserves a chance. Everyone.
You want everyone to be a part of it. So
because you never know who those fans. Maybe absolutely, I
was a fan of the team before I got here
and got to work um with this organization. And speaking
of social media, I remember the first time I got
to meet the people behind social media as as a fan.
(16:36):
I've been following the Panthers Twitter for ten years and
oh my god, they were like superstars to me. And
I still get that feeling like you do, which is well,
I get to work with these people every single day, um,
all acrossing our game day production staff everyone. Um We're
sitting here in the podcast studio right now and I'm
listening to two games on the radio before getting here.
(16:56):
So it still strikes me in in the same way
um at it does you, which I think is incredible.
I wanna I wanna get some advice from you. So
if a young girl said, hey, Christie, I sent you
an email and said one day, I want to be
the president of the Carolina Panthers. Like you, what would
you tell that young girl? Go for it? Yeah, go
(17:19):
for it. Is there any right way to start your path? Um?
Or two? You came you know from a from a
financial background. But are there any little pieces of advice
in terms of, you know, the way that people should
should prepare for big leadership roles like this? I don't.
I don't know how you you prepare in a sense
(17:40):
of like I didn't even know I wanted to go
into sports, Like I don't. But some people that you know,
they know that when they're in middle school, I want
to be in sports, you know. And so there's I
don't think there's any right or wrong way, or any
right or wrong journey. But I think it's hard work.
It's treating people right along the way, and that's what's important.
It goes back to what you just said is you
(18:01):
never know who those fans will be one day. You
never know whose path you'll cross later on. Um, that's
that is great advice. Okay, you're talking about your two
little boys and how you know six thirty am, they
are up, They are are ready to take their potty breaks.
They've got you gotta get lunch ready and stuff. I
don't know if you have any free time, but if
(18:23):
you do, what do you and your family like to
do for fun? So we go to the lake, we
have we keep about at like Norman, and we love
we love La life. And when we're not on the
lake and we vacation, we go to Ala Palm Charleston. Um,
so it's really our places are a happy place is Charleston.
(18:43):
And like Norman, are you able to put the phone
down or the emails when you get you know you're
you're out on the lake for a day. Are you
ever able to say, oh, Okay, I don't have to
check my work email right now or is it just
something that you've just incorporated into your life. Um, it's
(19:04):
it's kind of Um, I don't I don't know how to.
I'm thinking about this because you want to have a break.
Everybody needs a break and everybody needs time to to
get away and enjoy the time with your family. And
I think, um, I saw it on someone's wall one time,
like you just need to be present wherever you are,
(19:25):
be present, And so I do think it's it's important
when I'm with my family and my kids. That I'm
with my family and my kids. Now, does that mean
I don't like check my phone and just to see Um, No,
I do, and I probably shouldn't, but I do. Um,
but I love it, you know, I I love I
love my family, I love my kids, but I also
love my job. I love the organization. So it's it's
(19:48):
hard to turn completely off, but but I try to
in the moment. Well, that's the best of both worlds
though that if you if you love both, you know,
that doesn't feel like work. If you want to check
in while you're out on the boat, you know, just
make sure everything is is going great. So do you
guys do all the like the water skiing and the
I'm impressed, Well, we're tu bang. So that was the
(20:09):
new thing last summer with the boys, Yes, that would be.
That is a lot of fun, no doubt about it.
I want to end this. We did this a little
bit last season with the current Panthers employees, and I
think this will be such a great question for you,
considering you are such a fan. Um, what's been your
favorite Panthers memory to date so far? I know that
there are many more in the future, But do you
have one that just sticks out to you. So I
(20:33):
the game two thousand fifteen season against Arizona Cardinals. That game,
oh my goodness, I mean the boom boom, boom, you know,
all night long. It was just it was so fun.
And leading up to that game we had snow issues
and all these things, and it was like it was
a real team effort to put that game on and
(20:53):
then to be there I cheering the team on and
oh my gosh, everyone in the stands was standing up.
It was. It is so great. So that that's my
favorite memory I have Panthers. I have goose bumps. I
just watched it on TV, and that's one of my
favorite memories. I can't imagine being there in person, Like
you said, after everything that it took to get to
that point, that's incredible. Well, Christie, I just want to
(21:15):
thank you so much for the time and sharing all
of your knowledge and expertise and giving us a glimpse
into what it's like to be president of the Panthers.
Congratulations again, Thank you. Kristen. Yes,
I didn't even know I wanted to go into sports,
but some people that, you know, they know that when
they're in middle school. I want to be in sports,
you know. And so there's I don't think there's any
right or wrong way, or any right or wrong journey.
But I think it's hard work. It's treating people right
along the way, and that's what's important. Welcome to a
brand new season of The Inspired podcast, presented by Atrium Health.
(00:26):
This is a podcast series for Panthers fans where we
highlight admirable women from across the Carolinas as they share
stories and lessons from their lives and careers. And I
cannot wait to dive in right now with today's guests,
the President of the Carolina Panthers, Christie Coleman. Christie, I
am so thrilled that you are doing this. Thank you
so much. Thank you for having me. I'm excited to
(00:49):
be on this. Thank you well. I appreciate it because
I know how busy you are. And that's actually where
I want to start, which is what does a typical
day look like for you? And I don't just want
to hear about the work stuff. Are you someone that
wakes up at five am. That's my main question. I'm
actually someone that wakes up at three am. I I, um,
I go to bed pretty early. I like to get
(01:10):
about nine ten o'clock. But then I've I just wake
up thinking about stuff. So if people get emails from
me at three in the morning, don't freak out. It's
only because my mind is is racing. But then I
go back to sleep, and you know, then I hit
snooze like ten times when my alarm goes off at
six thirty. So so that's my my morning. But I
I just it's not anything any reason other than just
(01:34):
you know, your mind just keeps it's racing. Do you
find that you sometimes work stuff out in your sleep
and you have more clarity at three am? I'll take notes.
I'll like have my notes on my phone. I'm like
taking just random notes. Um so so yeah, but then
sometimes you wake up and you're like, wait, what was
I doing? Have you ever? I remember I worked at
at ESPN and of course similar you know, twenty four
(01:56):
hour process, and I remember sending a few emails right
when I would wake up at three am to go
into Mike and Mike and I was like, I was
clearly not awake when I sent that email, just typos
all over the place. Oh yeah, I have been there before. So, um,
you wake up at three am, send some emails, get
back up around six thirty. What does your day look
(02:17):
like when you get into the office. So, so my
day actual at six thirty though, I've got a three
year old and five year old that are right by
my bed. Mommy, I have to go potty, you know
that kind of thing in the morning. So we get
them ready for school, Um, make lunches and and that
kind of jazz before coming in. So it's a pretty
eventful morning before eight am at my house. But um,
(02:40):
when I get in, you know, I don't You never
know what the day is going to hold. I think
that's true probably for everybody. Um, and you just kind
of roll with the punches, you know what, whatever comes
at you, you just you deal with it and you
you go on. So UM. So I can't I can't
describe any one day because no one day is the same. Um.
But but it's fun. That's that's what we that's what
(03:02):
makes it exciting to be here. And that's something that
I've always admired about you is that you just seem
like nothing's going to face you. I mean that's what
I always just and I wish I could be more
like that. And you're like, yeah, just roll with the punches.
We've got this going on and this going on. And
something tells me that you're the same at nine o'clock
at night after a crazy day as you are when
(03:23):
you say that, like, yeah, it was a crazy day,
but everything's going great. And I just admire that so much.
So are you someone that can kind of is it?
Is it because you're scheduled so well or you compartmentalize?
How do you just roll with the punches all the
time when you have so much responsibility and two little ones? Um? Well,
you only you can control what you can control, right,
(03:44):
So um, you have to just keep keep that stuff
in perspective. Um, and if you let every little thing
get you down, you know, you never make it through
a day. I feel so Um, you just gotta, you know,
take it as it comes and keep a positive attitude.
I mean, I don't know how to how to say
it any different, but that's kind of my mentality. Yeah.
(04:04):
I always I always take notes when I'm doing these podcasts.
I'm like, oh, okay, how did how does this person
attack this? How does this person deal with this? Um?
Because there's so much that we can all learn, and
I would love to go back through your background and
how you got here. UM, so can you walk me
through how one becomes president of the Carolina Panthers. UM.
(04:26):
I'm still I'm still in shock. I pinched myself every day.
I know. Does it sound hasn't gotten normal yet to
hear yourself described as president of the Carolina Panthers. What's
really funny is people, you know, when I introduced myself
and they're like, oh, what do you do? And I'll say,
you know, I'm the team president. I get this like look,
you know, the the oh oh okay, you know, almost
(04:46):
like surprise. UM. I think maybe part of that is
being female, being young, you know. UM, but it's it's
it's been amazing journey. But I started at Clemson, so
I graduate different Cleanson in two thousand six. UM, got
my masters in two thousand seven, and started with Deloitte
in two thousand eight. UM January of two thousand and eight,
(05:08):
and actually, UM, the Carolina Panthers were my first client
with Deloitte. UM, and to work on the Carolina Panthers engagement. You.
They required that you were there from January to June
because them that was there like audit schedule, if you will.
So six months of my year every year was spent
at the Panthers stadium. UM. So, I feel very fortunate
(05:30):
from that perspective. And when I would come in every
day to the stadium, everyone would just be happy and smiling.
And I always felt like, man, I wish I could
be a part of that. It must be cool to
be to be there. And what was the other six months?
I don't want to start. I just I'm curious, what
re you in the office. So there has manufacturing clients
and different clients with Deloitte, ok so um, so I
got to see a bunch of different companies and a
(05:52):
bunch of different things. But the Panthers were, you know,
the cool job to be on UM. In two thousand fourteen,
Mike u Din, the previous controller and CFO, had called
me to come on board. So they offered me the
controller job from Deloitte. So I came over in two
thousand fourteen UM and of course Mr Richardson sold the
team in two thousand eighteen UM and then uh Mike
(06:16):
Juden called me and said that he was resigning. And
then he said, you know, Dave Pepper is probably gonna
call you, so you need to figure out what you
want to do. I called Dave, and Dave, you know,
said meet me tomorrow, meet tom click and I tomorrow
at um uh what is that restaurant? I can't remember
the name of the restaurant, but meet us uptown for lunch.
(06:37):
So I did, and they offered me the CFO job
while I was on maternity leave. Oh my gosh. And
then um so that was two thousand nineteen, and then
fast forward to now February two and here I am
a team president. So it's been quite a journey and
and a great experience throughout. But I would say there
wasn't one moment where I was like, oh, I'm going
(06:57):
to be president or I want to be president. Six
months ago, it wasn't even, you know, really even a
thought in my mind. So I'm just really appreciative of
Dave and Nicole to give me this opportunity and to
to see something in me. So and we are appreciative
that you are our president. I remember emailing you was like, yes,
I am so excited. I said, you were someone that
(07:18):
I've admired and looked up to and just thrilled that
that we now get to work under you, with you
as the president of the Carolina Panthers. It's incredible. I
have to go back, though, because I didn't know this,
that you were offered the job of CFO while you
were on maternity leave, and of course a little bit
of a vested interest in this because I just came
back from maternity leave. So did you start your first
(07:39):
day back from maternity leave was as chief financial Officer? Yeah?
So it was you know when I got so many
things go through your mind, like can I do this?
What you know, I now have two kids, two boys
at home? And what if I fail? What if? What
if this? What if I'm not good? And I you
(08:00):
have all of these thoughts, um And I remember calling
my mom and calling you know, different my different family
members and telling them about this, and and my mom
was just like, you know, you have to do you
have to try it, you know, at least see if
you can do it. And the worst thing that can
happen is you fail. So it's like, so why not
(08:20):
give it a try? And I yes. So I came
back from maternity leave and I was CFO and luckily,
um it was nice Dave had Mike Dudent's stayed on
as a I guess consulting for us and so he
was right there to support and help through for about
six months after. So that was that was really nice.
(08:41):
And how was that transition? Obviously, as you said, you
had my student, but how was that transition just on
a daily basis? Now a mom of two, I remember that.
I mean, I'm still in those days of just you're
not sleeping necessarily, you're coming back and you're taking on
this new responsibility. How do you look back on that
time once you decided to make the move. So, I
(09:02):
mean it was a conversation with my husband for sure,
and we were trying to figure out daycare at the time,
Like you know, I didn't want to be the first
our kids to be the first one to daycare and
the last ones to leave. So we had to make
a decision, you know, how are we gonna do this?
Do we get a nanny and and that kind of jazz,
and that's what we ended up doing. So so that
(09:23):
was a big step for us, was just childcare. What
are we gonna do? And big question marks. But my
husband has been so supportive and just so great, and
he's such a Panthers fan, so I can't I ever
complain about where he's like, Oh, it's not that bad,
you know. So UM. So I've got a great support
system at home, but at work, you know, not just Mike,
(09:46):
but the team. I have had a great team in place, um,
And and that's that makes all the difference. And I
want to go back to what you said about um
maybe even so months ago, being president wasn't something that
was on your radar. Have you ever thought about younger Christie,
(10:07):
who the first client was the Caroline Panthers. Would she
believe that the first time that she walked into the
stadium that she was going to be president in a
in a very short time. No? I, UM, you know,
when I when I took the job as controller, it
was a big, big decision for me because I thought,
(10:28):
I really thought I was going to be the controller
for the rest of my life. Because people in sports
don't really leave. They you know, they're happy and they
love their teams and they stay, which is great. But
when you're young and coming in and you know, with
an ambition, ambitious, you you know, you kind of look
and you're like, well, what's next for me? What can
(10:48):
be next? So when I accepted the job as controller,
I just thought, you know, I'm just going to be
a controller for the rest of my life. And I
was I was okay with that. I was like, Okay,
I'm gonna spend time with my family. I'm gonna you know,
I didn't have kids at the time. I had just
gotten married, but it was like, okay, what's next from
from a family perspective. So so no, I had no
(11:09):
I thought I would just be a controller forever. I
wanted to be CFO, so that was always a as
a finance person, and you know, that was always a
goal and an ambition of mine. But to be team president, um,
it wasn't wasn't on my radar, but I felt like
I could. I always felt like I could make an impact.
So so not not necessarily a five year part of
(11:31):
my five year plan or ten year of land but um,
but when they it's funny when they called, when Dave,
when I got the call about CFO, I was I
was nervous, I was scared and I was fearful, like
I'm not going to be able to do this. When
I got the call about Okay being president. I had
no fear or no, I wasn't scared. It was I
(11:54):
got this, you know. So so it's it's interesting in
that two year gap, how I guess I grown um
in the organization. But and also you would just come
out of navigating through a pandemic as the CFO of
Temper Sports and Entertainment. So yeah, I'm sure that had
something to like what hey, what else could be thrown
at us? Like we you know you navigated that so well.
(12:17):
I do want to ask you about we talked about
that transition, as you said, UM to CFO. How has
the transition been UM from CFO of Temper Sports and
Entertainment the parent company UM to now president of the
Panthers just on a daily basis, because I imagine that
even though both are just enormous amounts of responsibility, the
(12:39):
departments that you interact with UM are are different. I
would imagine, Yes, it's it's been very different. So uh,
like I I work with social media now and marketing,
which is you know, from a CFO perspective, is very different.
But it was, UM, it's been great. Uh, the transition.
I would say, I feel very for I've had the
(13:01):
support from David Nicole, Um, coach Rule Scott, everybody you
know at the top levels has been so supportive. But
then even you know when you go to the ticket
office and you go down to you know, the different departments,
everybody has been just very supportive. And it it makes
you it makes it easier, I guess I would say, um,
(13:21):
and I feel fortunate from that perspective. And we also
get to see you. You are always walking around seeing
everyone saying hi, which I know means a lot to
to me in our department. And so now that you
are interacting with all of these to every department of
the Panthers as an organization. Um, knowing that you have
a finance background, are there departments that you previously didn't
(13:43):
interface with a lot that you go, oh, I really
enjoy that side of things, or I've learned a lot. Um,
Have there been experiences like that We've dived into stuff
that you didn't know? Oh, of course, And I guess
I mean schedule released sitting here minutet eight o'clock when
Angela pushed the button for schedule release, and it's it's
(14:03):
just I love watching it as a fan and so
getting to see the you know, what goes on behind
the scenes for that, and going to the house that
they've rented and all that. It's just it's so fun.
It makes it that much more exciting. Like I almost
want to bring my finance the finance team out to
just to see, you know, you're paying these bills, but
this is what it's you know, this is it and
it's so fun. So I've really enjoyed being behind the scenes,
(14:27):
if you will, on some of these projects. A little
bit of an aside, but one thing that always stands
out to me, especially with with Angela, who runs our
social department, or anyone, is how calm everyone is when
they press that button for the I can't I was there.
I was there last year with them, and you know,
Angela and Amy her predecessor before that, they can be
(14:48):
doing ten different things and they're tweeting out to two
millions of fans and just oh yeah, the most important
video of of the month is going out and they're
just so calm, cool and collected, which I would not.
I would have read. I would read the tweet eighteen
times before I published it and then still gone, okay,
what is this? Okay? You know saying, yeah, that's exactly
how she was trying to get a graphic right, and
(15:09):
she's getting help from Reggie and it was literally within
the minute that it needed to go up, and she
was just like, O can you get this? Okay? Got it?
And I feel like it. You know, you just want
to be just shocked that they're not more. I know,
I'm nervous for them, and they're not nervous, which I
guess is why Angela is so great at running that department.
And I would not be because I'm just going I'm
you know, holding the table like okay, is everything okay?
(15:31):
I was the same way it was. It was fun though,
So I'm really enjoying getting to see the behind the
scenes of of of those different areas. And I love
that you talk about being a fan because that's another
thing that immediately the first time I met you, um
something that anyone who has met you would know that
you are a fan of the team, not just your husband.
You come at this from a fan's perspective, So how
(15:52):
does that influence the way that that you run the team?
It is important to look at it from the fans,
but also the employees, and you know, you you have
to start thinking of of everyone as a fan. So
everyone should be treated well. Everyone should be um part
of the team. And so I think when you come
at it from that lens, you change your perspective a
(16:14):
little bit. You know, like everyone, everyone deserves a chance. Everyone.
You want everyone to be a part of it. So
because you never know who those fans. Maybe absolutely, I
was a fan of the team before I got here
and got to work um with this organization. And speaking
of social media, I remember the first time I got
to meet the people behind social media as as a fan.
(16:36):
I've been following the Panthers Twitter for ten years and
oh my god, they were like superstars to me. And
I still get that feeling like you do, which is well,
I get to work with these people every single day, um,
all acrossing our game day production staff everyone. Um We're
sitting here in the podcast studio right now and I'm
listening to two games on the radio before getting here.
(16:56):
So it still strikes me in in the same way
um at it does you, which I think is incredible.
I wanna I wanna get some advice from you. So
if a young girl said, hey, Christie, I sent you
an email and said one day, I want to be
the president of the Carolina Panthers. Like you, what would
you tell that young girl? Go for it? Yeah, go
(17:19):
for it. Is there any right way to start your path? Um?
Or two? You came you know from a from a
financial background. But are there any little pieces of advice
in terms of, you know, the way that people should
should prepare for big leadership roles like this? I don't.
I don't know how you you prepare in a sense
(17:40):
of like I didn't even know I wanted to go
into sports, Like I don't. But some people that you know,
they know that when they're in middle school, I want
to be in sports, you know. And so there's I
don't think there's any right or wrong way, or any
right or wrong journey. But I think it's hard work.
It's treating people right along the way, and that's what's important.
It goes back to what you just said is you
(18:01):
never know who those fans will be one day. You
never know whose path you'll cross later on. Um, that's
that is great advice. Okay, you're talking about your two
little boys and how you know six thirty am, they
are up, They are are ready to take their potty breaks.
They've got you gotta get lunch ready and stuff. I
don't know if you have any free time, but if
(18:23):
you do, what do you and your family like to
do for fun? So we go to the lake, we
have we keep about at like Norman, and we love
we love La life. And when we're not on the
lake and we vacation, we go to Ala Palm Charleston. Um,
so it's really our places are a happy place is Charleston.
(18:43):
And like Norman, are you able to put the phone
down or the emails when you get you know you're
you're out on the lake for a day. Are you
ever able to say, oh, Okay, I don't have to
check my work email right now or is it just
something that you've just incorporated into your life. Um, it's
(19:04):
it's kind of Um, I don't I don't know how to.
I'm thinking about this because you want to have a break.
Everybody needs a break and everybody needs time to to
get away and enjoy the time with your family. And
I think, um, I saw it on someone's wall one time,
like you just need to be present wherever you are,
(19:25):
be present, And so I do think it's it's important
when I'm with my family and my kids. That I'm
with my family and my kids. Now, does that mean
I don't like check my phone and just to see Um, No,
I do, and I probably shouldn't, but I do. Um,
but I love it, you know, I I love I
love my family, I love my kids, but I also
love my job. I love the organization. So it's it's
(19:48):
hard to turn completely off, but but I try to
in the moment. Well, that's the best of both worlds
though that if you if you love both, you know,
that doesn't feel like work. If you want to check
in while you're out on the boat, you know, just
make sure everything is is going great. So do you
guys do all the like the water skiing and the
I'm impressed, Well, we're tu bang. So that was the
(20:09):
new thing last summer with the boys, Yes, that would be.
That is a lot of fun, no doubt about it.
I want to end this. We did this a little
bit last season with the current Panthers employees, and I
think this will be such a great question for you,
considering you are such a fan. Um, what's been your
favorite Panthers memory to date so far? I know that
there are many more in the future, But do you
have one that just sticks out to you. So I
(20:33):
the game two thousand fifteen season against Arizona Cardinals. That game,
oh my goodness, I mean the boom boom, boom, you know,
all night long. It was just it was so fun.
And leading up to that game we had snow issues
and all these things, and it was like it was
a real team effort to put that game on and
(20:53):
then to be there I cheering the team on and
oh my gosh, everyone in the stands was standing up.
It was. It is so great. So that that's my
favorite memory I have Panthers. I have goose bumps. I
just watched it on TV, and that's one of my
favorite memories. I can't imagine being there in person, Like
you said, after everything that it took to get to
that point, that's incredible. Well, Christie, I just want to
(21:15):
thank you so much for the time and sharing all
of your knowledge and expertise and giving us a glimpse
into what it's like to be president of the Panthers.
Congratulations again, Thank you. Kristen. Yes,
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