Golden State Warriors Owner Christopher Cohan announced today that Robert Rowell, the team's Chief Operating Officer for the previous two years, has been promoted to Team President, effective immediately. The 36-year-old Rowell has been a member of the Warriors' front office staff in various capacities for the past eight years.

"This is a much-deserved promotion for Robert," said Cohan. "It has been a pleasure for me to watch his growth and development as one of the top young executives in professional sports over the last several years. We are extremely fortunate to have him as an integral part of our organization, where his dedication, innovation, foresight and leadership ability will continue to guide the Warriors in a positive direction in all aspects of our business."

Rowell will enter his 9th season with the Warriors NBAE Photos/Rocky Widner

A recipient of Street & Smith's Sports Business Journals Forty Under 40 Award in 2001 - which honors the top 40 executives in professional sports under the age of 40 - Rowell is a member of the NBA Board of Governors and is Golden State's NBA Chief Marketing Officer. He joined the Warriors in August of 1995 as an assistant controller before becoming part of the club's management team as director of finance/controller for two seasons. Following that appointment, he served a three-year stint as the club's vice president of business operations and was later promoted to COO on April 30, 2001.

During his tenure with the Warriors, Rowell has spearheaded the creation of the club's marketing arm - Great Time Out Entertainment (GTOE) - served as a major figure in the success of NBA All-Star 2000 (hosted by the Warriors) and has strategically guided a team that has established an increase in attendance each of the last three seasons, including an all-time franchise record last season. Additionally, under Rowell's direction, the Warriors website - www.warriors.com - has enjoyed one of the league's most dramatic increases in on-line sales (nearly 200% from last year).