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Bobcats Executive Staff Bios
Chairman
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An NBA legend, Michael Jordan was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2009. As a player, Jordan virtually rewrote the record book. He played 13 seasons for the Chicago Bulls, leading the league in scoring a record 10 times. His 30.1 points per game average is the highest in NBA history and, with 32,292 points, he ranks third on the all-time scoring list. Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA Championship titles and was named NBA Finals MVP during each of those series. A five-time regular season MVP, in 1991 and 1992, he became the only player to win back-to-back regular season and Finals MVP awards.
In March 2010, Jordan became the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, after four years as part of the team’s ownership group and its Managing Member of Basketball Operations. Jordan is the first former player to become the majority owner of an NBA franchise.
Jordan burst onto the national stage as a freshman at the University of North Carolina, leading his team to the NCAA Championship with a dramatic game-winning shot. Following a stellar college career during which he was a two-time College Player of the Year and first team All-America, Jordan was chosen with the third pick of the 1984 NBA Draft. Jordan is a two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner, most famously as a member of the 1992’s “Dream Team.”
After a brief stint as an owner and executive with the Washington Wizards in 2000-01, Jordan returned to the court as a player for the team for the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons before retiring.
Off the court, Michael Jordan has also proven to be a successful businessman. Since its creation, his Jordan Brand (a division of NIKE) has been an innovator of athletic shoes and apparel. The Jordan Brand has grown to become a market leader under Jordan’s creative design input. As one of the world’s most popular and recognizable figures, Jordan’s endorsement portfolio includes Gatorade, Upper Deck and Hanes, among others. In 2004, Jordan formed Michael Jordan Motorsports as a result of his passion for motorcycle racing. Among Jordan’s other Jordan’s business ventures are several thriving restaurants.
Jordan serves as the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Chief Wish Ambassador and supports many other charitable causes including the James R. Jordan Boys and Girls Club in Chicago and the Jordan Institute for Families at the University of North Carolina, among others. His annual Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational golf tournament has raised over $6 million for several worthy charities since its inception.
CURTIS POLK
Vice Chairman
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In May 1998, FAME merged with SFX Entertainment, the country’s leading producer, promoter and presenter of live entertainment events. Polk was involved in the integration and consolidation of all the sports properties under the SFX Entertainment umbrella into a single business entity.
During the summer of 1996, Polk negotiated four of the five highest contracts in NBA history. He negotiated Alonzo Mourning’s $105 million contract with the Miami Heat and Dikembe Mutombo’s $56 million contract with the Atlanta Hawks. Polk was the key player in asserting Juwan Howard’s rights during the contract dispute between the NBA and the Miami Heat; he subsequently negotiated Howard’s $105 million deal with the Washington Bullets. He assisted David Falk in negotiating Michael Jordan’s record-setting contracts in 1996 and 1997.
Polk served as Co-Producer of Space Jam, starring Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes. Space Jam, Warner Bros. first full-length film featuring the Looney Tunes, grossed a record-setting $29.3 million during its opening weekend. Polk also was an Executive Producer of Michael Jordan to the Max, an IMAX format movie released in May 2000.
A 1981 graduate of the University of Maryland, Polk earned his law degree at the National Law Center at George Washington University in 1988 and served on the Center’s Law Review. Polk was named to the Sporting News’ “100 Most Powerful People in Sports” list in 1997 and 1998. He was also selected to the Sports Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” in 1999.
The 51-year old Polk began his career as a Certified Public Accountant for Touche Ross and Co. in Washington, DC in 1983.
Polk and his wife, Amanda, are involved in many Washington charities including Johns Hopkins affiliate, Suburban Hospital, Kids Enjoy Exercise Now (KEEN) and DC Humane Society.
FRED WHITFIELD
President, Chief Operating Officer & Alternate Governor
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Since coming to Charlotte, Whitfield has overseen the most dramatic growth in both franchise and arena history. From simultaneously signing an arena naming rights deal with Time Warner Cable and a television broadcast rights deal with Fox Sports, to doubling the number of corporate partners and launching the Cats Care community initiative with the largest donation ever made to Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools by a professional sports franchise, Whitfield has presided over a significant increase in every business metric the company keeps. He is also responsible for positioning Time Warner Cable Arena as the premiere destination for sports and entertainment in the Carolinas, attracting the CIAA, ACC and NCAA Tournaments, global concert tours like Paul McCartney, who made Charlotte one of just 11 stops in North America, and the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, Whitfield brings a portfolio that includes the Jordan Brand, a division of Nike, Inc.; the Washington Wizards; Nike Basketball; Falk Associates Management Enterprises (F.A.M.E.); and a private law practice.
Before joining the Bobcats, Whitfield most recently served as Director of Business and Legal Affairs for Jordan Brand, where he managed endorsements and sports marketing strategy. Jordan Brand’s clients include some of the top athletes in professional sports, including Ray Allen, Carmelo Anthony, Derek Jeter, Joe Johnson, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade. From 2000 to 2003, Whitfield served as Director of Player Personnel and Assistant Legal Counsel for the Washington Wizards. While there, he was responsible for the team’s salary cap administration, contractual issues and player scouting. He is widely credited with facilitating the methods to correct the team’s troubled salary cap situation, enabling that franchise to rebuild through trades and free agency.
Whitfield served as Director of Player Development for Nike Basketball prior to joining the Wizards. At Nike Basketball, he was responsible for scouting new potential endorsers, negotiating endorsement contracts and overseeing business relationships for more than 150 NBA players. His career in sports began as a player agent representing professional athletes with F.A.M.E. as Director of the Carolinas Region, based in Greensboro. Before joining F.A.M.E., Whitfield established and managed a successful law practice in Greensboro.
A graduate of Campbell University, Whitfield was an all-south, team MVP and captain basketball player and was inducted into the school’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. He earned a B.B.A. degree in economics and then completed his M.B.A. at Campbell in marketing while serving as assistant basketball coach for the Camels. From there, he earned a Juris Doctorate degree from North Carolina Central University School of Law where he served as Student Bar Association President.
Whitfield also formed HoopTee Charities, Inc, a North Carolina based non-profit corporation whose mission is to provide scholarships for disadvantaged youngsters to attend camps and other educational youth based programs throughout the Carolinas. In addition, for the past 28 years he has run the Achievements Unlimited Basketball School in Greensboro and Charlotte serving more than 9,000 kids, including many who attend on need-based scholarships. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, YMCA of Metropolitan Charlotte and Charlotte Center City Partners. In addition, most recently, Whitfield received the prestigious Thurgood Marshall Award of Excellence (2011) and YMCA George Williams Award (Volunteer of the Year 2012).
Whitfield and his wife Mary reside in Charlotte.
ROD HIGGINS
President of Basketball Operations
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Before joining the Bobcats, Higgins spent three seasons as General Manager of the Golden State Warriors. Prior to that, he spent three seasons as Assistant General Manager for the Washington Wizards, where he worked with Bobcats Chairman & CEO Michael Jordan, his one-time teammate with the Bulls. His responsibilities there included collaborating on all basketball decisions, including transactions and trades, and working with player personnel and scouting. Before moving to the front office with the Wizards, Higgins was an assistant coach from 1994-2000 with the Warriors.
In 13 seasons as an NBA player, Higgins averaged 9.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 779 games spread between Golden State, Chicago, Seattle, San Antonio, New Jersey, Sacramento and Cleveland. Originally selected by the Bulls in the second round of the 1982 NBA Draft, Higgins appeared in 33 playoff games, averaging 7.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists. He spent seven seasons with the Warriors, including playing the first five games of the 1994-95 campaign for the team before moving to the bench as an assistant coach on November 19, 1994. Higgins still ranks among the Warriors all-time leaders in free throw percentage (seventh), three-point field goals (eighth) and three-point field goal attempts (ninth), as well as among the franchise playoff leaders in three-point field goal attempts (fifth), three-point field goals (tied for sixth), free throw percentage (seventh), blocked shots (eighth) and steals (tenth).
Higgins played four years at Fresno State University (1978-82), where he led the Bulldogs in scoring in each of his last three seasons and guided the team to two PCAA Championships. A First Team All-Conference selection as both a junior and senior, he earned Honorable Mention All-America honors from both the Associated Press and The Sporting News as a senior.
Higgins and his wife, Concetta, have two sons, Rick and Cory. Rick works for the Bobcats as a basketball operations assistant and Cory was a three-time All-Big 12 guard at the University of Colorado before graduating in May 2011.
RICH CHO
General Manager
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A native of Burma who immigrated to the United States with his family in 1968 when he was three years old, Cho became the first Asian-American general manager in American major league sports when he served as General Manager of the Portland Trail Blazers in 2010-11.
Prior to his stint in Portland, Cho spent the previous 10 seasons as Assistant General Manager of the Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder. Cho entered the NBA as an intern with the SuperSonics in 1995 while earning a law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law. After serving as a part-time consultant for the SuperSonics in 1997, Cho was hired as the team’s Director of Basketball Affairs in 1998 before being promoted to Assistant General Manager in 2000. A member of the Washington State Bar, Cho also served as Vice President of Legal for the SuperSonics from 2005-07 in addition to his duties as Assistant GM. In that role, he was responsible for all legal work involved with sponsorship agreements, licensing issues, employment contracts and immigration issues. Following the team’s move to Oklahoma City, Cho also oversaw the Thunder’s D-League affiliate, the Tulsa 66ers, and their run to the championship game in 2009-10.
Cho earned an engineering degree from Washington State University and worked as an engineer at Boeing in Seattle from 1989-94 before leaving to enroll at Pepperdine University School of Law in order to pursue his passion in professional sports. His law degree from Pepperdine includes an emphasis in sports law, contract negotiations and dispute resolution.
During his internship with the SuperSonics, Cho, along with two Microsoft programmers, helped design and implement one of the NBA’s most advanced and comprehensive college and professional player-evaluation systems that integrates player statistics, scouting information and contract details.
An avid explorer of restaurants and cuisine, Cho enjoys staying active by playing basketball, tennis, ping-pong and softball in his spare time. He and his wife, Julie, have two daughters, Miranda and Annika.
BILL DUFFY
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial and Administrative Officer
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Duffy began his career in the sports industry as Treasurer of the Miami Dolphins and Robbie Stadium Corp. From there he was named Director of Compliance for the NFL Management Council before returning to the team side as Vice President of Business Operations and Chief Financial Officer for the San Francisco 49’ers, and Executive Vice President of Administration for the Buffalo Bills. After twelve years in the NFL, Duffy was named Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the NHL’s Florida Panthers and then for Atlanta Spirit, LLC which owns and operates the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers, NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and Philips Arena in downtown Atlanta. While in Atlanta Duffy became a Principal in The Aspire Group, a global sports and entertainment firm with clients in the NBA, NHL, Canadian Football League, Major League Baseball and National Collegiate Athletic Association. Through The Aspire Group, Duffy served as a consultant and interim Chief Financial Officer at BSE for seventeen months.
Duffy earned an undergraduate degree from Princeton University and a Master's degree from New York University. He is also a Certified Public Accountant. Duffy and his wife, Cathryn, have two daughters, Erin and Caitlin.
PETE GUELLI
Executive Vice President and Chief Sales and Marketing Officer
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Guelli brings more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience to the Bobcats, including 11 years with the Buffalo Bills. He initially joined the Bills in July 1999 as Senior Manager of Rochester Operations and was promoted to Executive Director in 2003 and Vice President in 2006 before being named Senior Vice President of Business Ventures in 2008. While with the Bills, Guelli developed the business plan surrounding the relocation of the team’s training camp to Rochester in 2000 and spearheaded the development and execution of the team’s business model in Toronto, which included a joint venture with Rogers Communications to play eight games over five seasons in Toronto. In addition to overseeing the regionalization of the club’s business strategies, Guelli was also responsible for business-to-business sales operations, including sponsorships, advertising and luxury suites, as well as the sales of team-controlled inventory for television, radio and Internet.
Guelli began his career with Giltspur Inc., a division of Viad Corp. Based in the company’s Rochester office, he rose to Director of Major Accounts, where he created the division’s new business development department and negotiated consulting relationships with properties including the NFL, the NHL, Walt Disney, Hitachi, Xerox and Kodak.
A native of Rochester and a graduate of SUNY Brockport, Guelli and his wife, Patty, have two sons, Gunner and Grayson.
SETH BENNETT
Senior Vice President of Marketing
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Prior to joining the organization, Bennett was the Owner and Founding Principal of The Event Authority, where he produced 400 live events and negotiated corporate partner contributions for college and high school athletic programs and various entertainment events. He also established a national client and sponsorship base that included Nike, Burger King and the Kings of the Courts national tour, Brand Jordan, Geico, FBR Inc., Foot Locker, Nationwide Insurance, ALLTEL and Boost Mobile.
Bennett has produced nine Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Football Classics; the Jordan Brand All-American Basketball Classic, held at Madison Square Garden in New York City; and the corporate entertainment for the widely popular PGA Tour FBR Open in Phoenix. Bennett also produced the HoopTee Celebrity Golf Classic and major college football games featuring the University of Southern California and Virginia Tech.
Prior to his jump into entrepreneurship, Bennett spent eight years in intercollegiate athletic marketing, promotions, event/game operations and advertising at North Carolina A&T State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Bennett, who is a member of the board of directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Charlotte, was a football player at N.C. A&T and earned his B.A. in Public Relations in 1993. Bennett and his wife, Michelle, have one son, Seth Michael.
FLAVIL HAMPSTEN
Senior Vice President of Ticket Sales and Database Marketing
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Prior to joining the Bobcats, Hampsten served as a Director of Team Marketing and Business Operations at the National Basketball Association (NBA) in New York. While at the league office, he was responsible for analyzing the business operations and identifying areas of strengths and opportunities for a select number of NBA, WNBA, and NBA D-League teams. In doing this, he was able to provide assistance in maximizing all areas of the business, including season ticket sales, group ticket sales and retention.
Hampsten has also served as the Vice President of Sales and Service for the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL) and Jobing.com Arena. During his tenure with the Coyotes, he oversaw a department that set every franchise record in ticket sales including season tickets, renewal rates, luxury suites, group tickets and individual tickets sold. He was able to achieve a 99% growth in full season tickets with the engineering and construction of a dynamic direct marketing department focused on sales research, customer segmentation, and direct marketing activities.
A graduate of Mount Union College, he also earned an MBA in Marketing from Arizona State University. Hampsten currently resides in Charlotte with his wife Ashlee and their daughter Brooklyn.
DONNA JULIAN
Senior Vice President of Arena & Event Operations for Bobcats Sports & Entertainment and the General Manager of Time Warner Cable Arena
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Prior to joining Bobcats Sports & Entertainment, Julian spent 15 years as General Manager of 1st Mariner Arena. She assumed management of 1st Mariner Arena after serving in a number of roles in sales, marketing and event administration for Centre Management, the operating company for the Capital Centre (later USAir Arena), home to the Washington Bullets, Washington Capitals and numerous other events. In 2002, she was named to the Baltimore Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40 list, honoring her achievements as a leading Baltimore executive.
Julian has been a member of the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) since 1990. She is a graduate, former teacher and former member of the Board of Regents of the IAVM School for Venue Management. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the Charlotte Children’s Theatre and previously served on the Board of Directors of the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors’ Association (BACVA) and the Board of Directors of the Maryland Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Julian received her bachelor’s degree in athletics administration from Ohio University, where she was a four-year letter winner and co-captain of the tennis team as a senior. She and her husband, David, have two sons, Griffin and Donovan.
KAY LOWERY
Senior Vice President of Human Resources
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Before joining the Bobcats she served as Human Resources Manager for J.D. Edwards in Charlotte, where she facilitated the human resources function during the company’s acquisition of YOUcentric.
She was part of YOUcentric during that company’s beginning and implemented the company’s benefits and human resources policies.
Lowery previously worked for Berenfield Containers as human resources administrator and also worked for the Daily Herald Newspaper’s human resources department in suburban Chicago after graduating from the University of Iowa.
She holds a professional human resources certification.
KIM HENDERSON
Vice President of Community Affairs and Executive Director of the Cats Care Foundation
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Henderson comes from Presbyterian Hospital/Novant Health where she most recently served as Senior Director of Corporate Relations and Sponsorships. Henderson is no stranger to BSE, having built and managed Novant’s partnership with the Bobcats since the team’s inaugural season in 2004.
She serves on the Discovery Place Board of Trustees, Autism Speaks Board of Directors, Johnson C. Smith University Board of Visitors and is a member of Women Executives. Henderson has served on the boards of directors for the Arts and Science Council, United Way of the Central Carolinas and WTVI, Charlotte's public television station. Henderson has also served on local committees including Junior League, American Heart Association and Playground Build. She also participated in the Community Building Initiative, LDI Class of VII.
Henderson graduated from Western Michigan University, earned her MBA from McColl School of Business at Queens University of Charlotte, completed the Harvard Business School Program for Management Development and acquired her Project Management certificate from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Henderson also received the Charlotte Business Women of the Year Fellowship in 2011.
Henderson is married to Patrick McLoughlin and has a daughter, Evelyn Megan.
ANDREW SHURE
Vice President of Ticket Operations
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In October 2010, Shure was promoted to Senior Director of Ticket Operations after serving the three previous years as a Director in the department. In his current role, he is responsible for all inventory management and ticket production for Bobcats season tickets and for overseeing the relationship with Ticketmaster to develop marketing strategies for current and future events.
Shure got his start in professional sports in the New York Mets ticket office in August 1999, serving as Computer Operations Coordinator from 1999-2004 and then Manager of Ticket Operations from 2004-05.
A 1992 graduate of Boston University, Shure earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics before earning his Juris Doctor degree in 1996 from Northeastern University School of Law. He and his wife, Susan, have two children, Alexa and Ian.
ANDRÉ WALTERS
Vice President of Legal Affairs
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In his current role, Mr. Walters serves as the lead attorney for the Charlotte Bobcats basketball franchise, Time Warner Cable Arena and Cats Care Foundation, Inc., responsible for providing legal counsel and advice to BSE’s various departments, while also handling the organization’s risk management functions, including insurance and litigation matters. His responsibilities include reviewing, drafting and negotiating many of the company’s agreements relating to player transactions, arena events, sponsorships, luxury and premium seating sales, labor and employment matters, television and radio broadcasting, marketing, and other key areas of BSE’s operations. Additionally, Mr. Walters serves as BSE’s primary counsel responsible for advising top basketball operations personnel on issues concerning the operational procedures and Collective Bargaining Agreement of the National Basketball Association.
Prior to joining the Bobcats, Mr. Walters was an Associate with the Baltimore law firm of Naka, Huttar and Oldhouser, LLP, where he reviewed, negotiated and drafted agreements and served as the closing attorney for various multi-million dollar commercial lending and real estate transactions.
Mr. Walters earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Delaware. He is a licensed attorney in the State of Maryland and is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association and the Charlotte Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel. He also serves on the Board of the Dowd YMCA in Charlotte, North Carolina, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Charlotte, and is a Council Member of the Sports and Entertainment Section of the North Carolina Bar Association. A native of Wilmington, Delaware, Mr. Walters currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife Antoinette and their son Matthew.
