March 22, 2025 • 8 mins
A true trailblazer across professional sports, Kristi Coleman is the CEO of Tepper Sports & Entertainment (TSE) and President of the Carolina Panthers.
In December 2024, Coleman was named CEO of Tepper Sports & Entertainment, overseeing all business operations for TSE including the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Football Club and Bank of America Stadium. Coleman also serves as President of the Carolina Panthers, a role she has held since February 2022, becoming only the second-ever female president in NFL history.
In her roles, Coleman is responsible for navigating the dynamic challenges of operating in a multibillion-dollar industry – from fostering relationships with league officials, partners and stakeholders, spearheading innovative business opportunities and enhancing fan engagement, to overseeing all aspects of the organization’s business initiatives and developments.
Coleman originally joined the Panthers in 2014, and in her decade with the organization, she has risen from Controller to her executive leadership roles today – a testament to her work ethic, proactive mentality and comprehensive skill set. Recently, Coleman represented TSE as the leader of the Bank of America Stadium renovation project, ultimately securing the Charlotte City Council’s vote for a joint $800 million renovation plan. She also negotiated the extension of the stadium’s naming rights deal with long-time partner, Bank of America, and spearheaded the Panthers’ new indoor practice facility project.
She is deeply committed to the community, sitting on the Board of Trustees for Queens University of Charlotte and the Central Piedmont Community College Foundation, the Executive Committee of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, the Board of Directors of Charlotte Sports and Charlotte Center City Partners and the President Advisory Board of Clemson University. She is also a member of the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council and serves on the finance committee of Girls on the Run.
Coleman’s achievements have earned her numerous accolades, including the Charlotte Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award (2020), the Sports Business Journal Game Changers Award (2024), and the Queens Charlotte BusinessWoman of the Year honor (2024).
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the iHeartMedia Charlotte Women of Impact, celebrating women
in our community, presented by the Carolina Ascent and New
Hope Treatment Centers.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
I am so excited and so honored to have.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
Christy Coleman president of our Carolina Panthers as we celebrate
women making an impact in our community. And Christy, you
are definitely making an impact in Charlotte.
Speaker 4 (00:23):
Thank you, thank you. I'm so happy to be here
with you guys today, so thank you for.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Having me first. St Aft is a congratulations.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
I saw where the Athletic just published the NFL fifty
under forty and of course you made the list.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
Well, it's just a testament to our team. We have
a great team here and I'm so proud of everyone
I work with.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Thank you so much for being such a strong woman
in our community and being such a role model for
young women. Now, when you think of empowering the next
generation of women, what character traits do you think have
been the most instrumental of your success.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
There's just a couple of things I've always been told.
You know, I'm a good listener. I think it's important.
I think a lot of people think you have to
when you get a seat at the table that you
have to speak up. And while I think it is
important to speak up, it's also just as important to listen,
you know, collect your thoughts and then speak up. And
then also just to be kind. It's so important just
(01:18):
to be kind to people. So listen and be kind.
And I think that'll take you far, and.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
It's taken you really far.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Tell us a little bit about your background as the
president of the Carolina Panthers.
Speaker 4 (01:30):
Sure, so for me, you know a lot of people
ask me how do you get into sports and all
of those things, And it's been a serendipitous ride for me.
I've kind of ended up in the right place at
the right time. The Carolina Panthers were my first client
as an auditor at Deloitte, and then I came over
to the team as controller in twenty fourteen and kind
of worked my way up in finance from there. So
(01:51):
I then became the CFO and nineteen team president in
twenty two and then now the CEO of Tepper Sports
and Entertainment.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
That is incredible and inspiring, and I know so many
people look up to you, both men and women, And
you know, when you're a young adult, you feel so
much pressure trying to figure out what you want to
become and what path you should take to get there.
So do you have any advice for the young adults
trying to figure it out?
Speaker 4 (02:17):
Yeah? You know, you have to do what makes you happy,
follow your passions. But when you're in your job, just
do your job. I think if you do a great job,
people will see you and other opportunities will open up.
And I believe that's what's happened for me.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
And based on the lessons you've learned from your experience,
what would you say if you could go back in
time and speak to your younger self.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
I go back to being kind. I think you always
who you talk to matters. You know, you have to
just be kind to people and build your relationships and
build your networks. It doesn't matter who they are, you know.
I think about when I used to come to the
Carolina Panthers. A lot of the people I would see
when I was in my audit days were sitting in
cubes and then all of a sudden, you know, I
(02:59):
come over and work for the team and they're now
the people in offices. So you never know, you have
to build those relationships and be kind to everyone and
you never know where it'll take you.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
And you don't just speak it, you actually walk in that.
Because I met you at the Wells Fargo Championship.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
It was a celebrity golf tournament and you.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Were the nicest, I mean, absolute nicest, most welcoming.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
I was terrified.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
I'm a horrible golfer, and you calm my nerves because
I was so stressed out. It's intimidating when you're golfing
with like guys that you know golf on that course
all the time, and you just your smile and your
warmth and you just radiate light.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
And I was so thankful for you that day.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
Oh thank you. That was That was a fun event.
We did good. We were great golfers out there. It
was It was definitely a fun event.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
So if you could go back to your younger self,
would you do anything differently?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Would you change your path in any way?
Speaker 4 (03:55):
You know, you look back at your life and there's
always different decision points, different things that you make. And
I just feel so fortunate you know where I am,
and again I go back to you just have to
be passionate. I'm fortunate I get to integrate my family
into my work, and so I'm not sure I would
I would change anything. I think life kind of takes
(04:16):
you you where you're supposed to be.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Have you ever experienced barriers in your career?
Speaker 4 (04:22):
You know, I'd like to say no, but we all have,
you know. And when I think about this question, I'm
reminded of sitting at NFL owners meetings with Dave Tepper
and Nicole Tepper and Dave, you know, looking around the
room and being like, Christy, stand up, look around the room,
and I'm like, what am I looking for? He's like,
there's not very many people in here that look like
(04:44):
you like this, like we've got to change this, Like
this is really important for you to see. You know,
you're one of the few women, young women in this room.
And so while you know, I've been very fortunate to
work for great people. Dave and Nicole have been so
wonderful to me. I've never felt like they've held me back.
In fact, they've they've done it. I've been promoted, so
(05:06):
it's been great. But you know, I haven't had that experience,
And I think that goes to working for great people
who see the value in diverse leadership.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Now you haven't always been with the Carolina Panthers at
those other companies, did you ever feel like you had
to break down barriers?
Speaker 4 (05:24):
You know, I worked for Deloitte before coming over to
the Carolina Panthers, and that was a wonderful experience for me.
I got to learn really build my work ethic and
how to how to really you know, work hard, and
you know, oftentimes there. I was also surrounded by a
lot of men and not a lot of you know,
a lot of women, are a lot of people that look
(05:44):
like me. But I've been again, I've been very fortunate
to work with great people, and I think you have
to do that. You have to surround yourself, make sure
you're working for companies that value you and value your purpose.
And I've been fortunate to work for great companies in
that way.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
I think is so cliche to say, but if you
love what you do, you'll never work a day in
your life.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
And it is so true.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
Yeah, no, it is. It is. I have to pinch
myself every day. I love coming into work. It's my
happy place to be at Bank of America Stadium and
out at HRAM Health Performance Park. It's been a wonderful
experience and again, it's so great to be able to
integrate my family. I have two young boys, eight and
six year old boys that love sports, love you know.
I'm hopefully one day they'll consider me the cool mom,
(06:28):
but right now I'm just mom and that's okay. But
I'm glad they get to experience this life with me.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
I was gonna say, you have to be the coolest
mom ever and they have to be so proud. How
do you balance being such a strong business woman and
having a family.
Speaker 4 (06:45):
You know, I don't think that there's one over the other.
You can have both. And it's again I use the term.
I don't like to use the term balance because I
think that's hard, but I use the term integration because
I've really tried to integrate my family into this. When
we am training camp here in Charlotte, you know, I
brought my boys. I have this game, this we have
a match with Charlotte FC this weekend. My young son,
(07:08):
Charlie will be right by my side. You know, you
can't always do that, but where you can, I do,
and I think that's important.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
In those moments that they'll never forget, those are core
memories that they're going to treasure for the rest of
their life. Now when you when you go home and
it's dinner time, do you cut work off and say, oh, everybody,
put your phone away.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
We try to do that, especially my boys. You know,
they love their iPads. So I try to set a
good example to say, Okay, no phones, no iPads, none
of that. Like, tell me your favorite part of your
day and your least favorite part of your day, and
we go through through those conversations. So yeah, I mean,
you have to be present where you are and I
try to do that.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
And your husband's got to be like over the top proud.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Oh yeah, he's he's probably our biggest homer, our biggest
not just my biggest fan, but the both teams fan.
So so it makes my life a little bit easier
from that perspective.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
He's like, I got the coolest life in the world.
Wait for a high school reunion. Now you're like the
coolest family there. Now, if you could give any advice
to young women as they set out on their careers,
what would you give them?
Speaker 4 (08:18):
You know, I again, I go back to just be
kind to people. You know, the kindness I think takes
you the furthest and it's it's not hard to do, right,
It's it's a very easy thing. And work hard, you know,
you got to. You gotta work hard in this world
and there's no substitution for that.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
iHeartMedia. Charlotte Women of Impact celebrating women in our community,
presented by the Carolina Ascent and New Hope Treatment Centers.
This is the iHeartMedia Charlotte Women of Impact, celebrating women
in our community, presented by the Carolina Ascent and New
Hope Treatment Centers.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
I am so excited and so honored to have.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
Christy Coleman president of our Carolina Panthers as we celebrate
women making an impact in our community. And Christy, you
are definitely making an impact in Charlotte.
Speaker 4 (00:23):
Thank you, thank you. I'm so happy to be here
with you guys today, so thank you for.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Having me first. St Aft is a congratulations.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
I saw where the Athletic just published the NFL fifty
under forty and of course you made the list.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
Well, it's just a testament to our team. We have
a great team here and I'm so proud of everyone
I work with.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Thank you so much for being such a strong woman
in our community and being such a role model for
young women. Now, when you think of empowering the next
generation of women, what character traits do you think have
been the most instrumental of your success.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
There's just a couple of things I've always been told.
You know, I'm a good listener. I think it's important.
I think a lot of people think you have to
when you get a seat at the table that you
have to speak up. And while I think it is
important to speak up, it's also just as important to listen,
you know, collect your thoughts and then speak up. And
then also just to be kind. It's so important just
(01:18):
to be kind to people. So listen and be kind.
And I think that'll take you far, and.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
It's taken you really far.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Tell us a little bit about your background as the
president of the Carolina Panthers.
Speaker 4 (01:30):
Sure, so for me, you know a lot of people
ask me how do you get into sports and all
of those things, And it's been a serendipitous ride for me.
I've kind of ended up in the right place at
the right time. The Carolina Panthers were my first client
as an auditor at Deloitte, and then I came over
to the team as controller in twenty fourteen and kind
of worked my way up in finance from there. So
(01:51):
I then became the CFO and nineteen team president in
twenty two and then now the CEO of Tepper Sports
and Entertainment.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
That is incredible and inspiring, and I know so many
people look up to you, both men and women, And
you know, when you're a young adult, you feel so
much pressure trying to figure out what you want to
become and what path you should take to get there.
So do you have any advice for the young adults
trying to figure it out?
Speaker 4 (02:17):
Yeah? You know, you have to do what makes you happy,
follow your passions. But when you're in your job, just
do your job. I think if you do a great job,
people will see you and other opportunities will open up.
And I believe that's what's happened for me.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
And based on the lessons you've learned from your experience,
what would you say if you could go back in
time and speak to your younger self.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
I go back to being kind. I think you always
who you talk to matters. You know, you have to
just be kind to people and build your relationships and
build your networks. It doesn't matter who they are, you know.
I think about when I used to come to the
Carolina Panthers. A lot of the people I would see
when I was in my audit days were sitting in
cubes and then all of a sudden, you know, I
(02:59):
come over and work for the team and they're now
the people in offices. So you never know, you have
to build those relationships and be kind to everyone and
you never know where it'll take you.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
And you don't just speak it, you actually walk in that.
Because I met you at the Wells Fargo Championship.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
It was a celebrity golf tournament and you.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Were the nicest, I mean, absolute nicest, most welcoming.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
I was terrified.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
I'm a horrible golfer, and you calm my nerves because
I was so stressed out. It's intimidating when you're golfing
with like guys that you know golf on that course
all the time, and you just your smile and your
warmth and you just radiate light.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
And I was so thankful for you that day.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
Oh thank you. That was That was a fun event.
We did good. We were great golfers out there. It
was It was definitely a fun event.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
So if you could go back to your younger self,
would you do anything differently?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Would you change your path in any way?
Speaker 4 (03:55):
You know, you look back at your life and there's
always different decision points, different things that you make. And
I just feel so fortunate you know where I am,
and again I go back to you just have to
be passionate. I'm fortunate I get to integrate my family
into my work, and so I'm not sure I would
I would change anything. I think life kind of takes
(04:16):
you you where you're supposed to be.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Have you ever experienced barriers in your career?
Speaker 4 (04:22):
You know, I'd like to say no, but we all have,
you know. And when I think about this question, I'm
reminded of sitting at NFL owners meetings with Dave Tepper
and Nicole Tepper and Dave, you know, looking around the
room and being like, Christy, stand up, look around the room,
and I'm like, what am I looking for? He's like,
there's not very many people in here that look like
(04:44):
you like this, like we've got to change this, Like
this is really important for you to see. You know,
you're one of the few women, young women in this room.
And so while you know, I've been very fortunate to
work for great people. Dave and Nicole have been so
wonderful to me. I've never felt like they've held me back.
In fact, they've they've done it. I've been promoted, so
(05:06):
it's been great. But you know, I haven't had that experience,
And I think that goes to working for great people
who see the value in diverse leadership.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Now you haven't always been with the Carolina Panthers at
those other companies, did you ever feel like you had
to break down barriers?
Speaker 4 (05:24):
You know, I worked for Deloitte before coming over to
the Carolina Panthers, and that was a wonderful experience for me.
I got to learn really build my work ethic and
how to how to really you know, work hard, and
you know, oftentimes there. I was also surrounded by a
lot of men and not a lot of you know,
a lot of women, are a lot of people that look
(05:44):
like me. But I've been again, I've been very fortunate
to work with great people, and I think you have
to do that. You have to surround yourself, make sure
you're working for companies that value you and value your purpose.
And I've been fortunate to work for great companies in
that way.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
I think is so cliche to say, but if you
love what you do, you'll never work a day in
your life.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
And it is so true.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
Yeah, no, it is. It is. I have to pinch
myself every day. I love coming into work. It's my
happy place to be at Bank of America Stadium and
out at HRAM Health Performance Park. It's been a wonderful
experience and again, it's so great to be able to
integrate my family. I have two young boys, eight and
six year old boys that love sports, love you know.
I'm hopefully one day they'll consider me the cool mom,
(06:28):
but right now I'm just mom and that's okay. But
I'm glad they get to experience this life with me.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
I was gonna say, you have to be the coolest
mom ever and they have to be so proud. How
do you balance being such a strong business woman and
having a family.
Speaker 4 (06:45):
You know, I don't think that there's one over the other.
You can have both. And it's again I use the term.
I don't like to use the term balance because I
think that's hard, but I use the term integration because
I've really tried to integrate my family into this. When
we am training camp here in Charlotte, you know, I
brought my boys. I have this game, this we have
a match with Charlotte FC this weekend. My young son,
(07:08):
Charlie will be right by my side. You know, you
can't always do that, but where you can, I do,
and I think that's important.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
In those moments that they'll never forget, those are core
memories that they're going to treasure for the rest of
their life. Now when you when you go home and
it's dinner time, do you cut work off and say, oh, everybody,
put your phone away.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
We try to do that, especially my boys. You know,
they love their iPads. So I try to set a
good example to say, Okay, no phones, no iPads, none
of that. Like, tell me your favorite part of your
day and your least favorite part of your day, and
we go through through those conversations. So yeah, I mean,
you have to be present where you are and I
try to do that.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
And your husband's got to be like over the top proud.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Oh yeah, he's he's probably our biggest homer, our biggest
not just my biggest fan, but the both teams fan.
So so it makes my life a little bit easier
from that perspective.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
He's like, I got the coolest life in the world.
Wait for a high school reunion. Now you're like the
coolest family there. Now, if you could give any advice
to young women as they set out on their careers,
what would you give them?
Speaker 4 (08:18):
You know, I again, I go back to just be
kind to people. You know, the kindness I think takes
you the furthest and it's it's not hard to do, right,
It's it's a very easy thing. And work hard, you know,
you got to. You gotta work hard in this world
and there's no substitution for that.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
iHeartMedia. Charlotte Women of Impact celebrating women in our community,
presented by the Carolina Ascent and New Hope Treatment Centers.
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