Kim Stone

Kim Stone joined the Warriors and Chase Center from the Miami HEAT and AmericanAirlines Arena, where she was promoted to Executive Vice President of Business Development this fall after serving 12 years at General Manager of the arena. As GM, Stone managed the strategic planning and financial management for AmericanAirlines Arena and the Miami HEAT, who hosted four consecutive NBA Finals (2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014) and consistently ranked as the #1 Arena in Florida and top 10 in the USA according to Pollstar. In addition, she was responsible for all arena operations and several business areas, including season ticket retention, business intelligence, data analytics, digital strategy and innovation, food and beverage, event production and operations and guest services.

As GM of AmericanAirlines Arena, Stone was responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the award-winning venue, which was named the Best Arena Experience for 2016-17 by the NBA. Under her guidance, in 2014, the facility became the world’s first sports and entertainment facility to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Recertification by the U.S. Green Building Council for being an international leader in operational sustainability. In her time as General Manager, Stone oversaw more than $60 million in arena enhancements and renovations that have kept AmericanAirlines Arena among the most state-of-the-art facilities.

Stone rose through the ranks of the Miami HEAT organization during her 23-year tenure. Hired initially into the Sports Media Relations department in 1996, she spent three years in that area before leading the organization’s efforts to launch the WNBA’s Miami Sol in 1999 as Senior Director of Operations. Stone’s responsibilities changed in 2002 when she became Chief of Staff to HEAT President, Business Operations, Eric Woolworth. Prior to joining the HEAT, Stone was the Sports Publicity Director for the University of Texas women’s athletics department from 1992-94. She came to South Florida in 1990 as an assistant in the University of Miami’s sports information office, where she worked with many sports, including the 1991 National Champion football squad.

Stone’s accolades are varied and numerous. In 2013, Venues Today named her to their “Women of Influence” list and the Sports Business Journal has recognized her talents twice: as a “2016 Game Changer” and in June 2017 as a “Power Player In Venue Management.” In the summer of 2009, the South Florida Business Journal honored Stone as part of its inaugural class of “Influential Business Women.” And in 2014, Stone’s alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communications, inducted her into their Hall of Fame.