Executive Team

 
Paul Andrews
Executive Vice President

Paul Andrews was promoted to Executive Vice President of Kroenke Sports Enterprises in April 2005.  He works with President and Owner Stan Kroenke on overseeing the day-to-day business operations within KSE.  These entities include:  Pepsi Center, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Mammoth, Colorado Rapids, Dick's Sporting Goods Park and the historic Paramount Theatre in downtown Denver.  He was instrumental in creating TicketHorse, a separate KSE entity that is the ticketing provider for all of the company's teams and venues, which will sell millions of tickets to events each year.

Andrews began his career in professional sports with the Denver Nuggets as an account executive in September 1990.  Demonstrating his desire to learn other facets of the industry, he was put in charge of directing Game Operations in addition to his sales duties in 1991.  Continuing his climb up the Nuggets hierarchy, he was promoted to Ticket Sales Manager in 1994.  Due to his efforts, the Nuggets had their most successful sellout streak in franchise history, numbering 56 games during the course of the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons.  During his tenure, Pepsi Center also has been honored as the NBA's most fan-friendly arena.

When it was announced that the Quebec Nordiques would be moving to Denver in 1995-96 to become the Colorado Avalanche, new opportunities arose for Andrews.  He is credited with designing and instituting the initial seating plans, innovative group sales programs, as well as advanced development of targeted telemarketing for season ticket sales.  Under Andrews's leadership, the Avalanche sold out for more than a decade at McNichols and Pepsi Center, including a 487 home game sellout streak.

In addition to his KSE responsibilities, Andrews has played an integral role in the company's global expansion.  He was part of a team that helped KSE acquire 50 percent of Arsenal Broadband and serves as a KSE representative/liaison for the Arsenal Broadband board.

A native of Colorado, Andrews is a 1983 graduate of Alameda High School and has a bachelor's degree in Marketing from the University of Wyoming.  He and his wife, Marlie, have two sons, Aaron and Trace.

Doug Ackerman
Senior Vice President, Venues

Doug Ackerman joined the Pepsi Center in 1999 following nine years with Ascent Entertainment Group's corporate accounting department.

Ackerman is responsible for all aspects of the Pepsi Center.  He oversees financial reporting, financial transactions, budget preparations and all operations from booking to management of the facilities.

Ackerman is responsible for the Kroenke Sports Enterprises investment in the Paramount Theatre and Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

Prior to his work with Ascent, Ackerman worked for seven years with Ernst & Young.  Ackerman graduated from Ohio Northern University and subsequently earned his CPA certificate.

He and his wife, Trish, reside in Parker with their three children, Ashley, Steven and Ian.

Michael Benson
Senior Vice President, Business Affairs & Treasurer

Michael Benson has been with the Kroenke Sports Enterprises organization since 1996, including three years with its prior parent company, Ascent Entertainment Group.  During his tenure with Ascent, Benson managed corporate finance, treasury and insurance.  His resume also includes a stint in the finance and planning departments of Pulte Mortgage Corporation.

In addition to his executive duties at KSE, Benson is responsible for all treasury, cash management, risk management, 401(k), insurance, retail and human resources for the company.  Additionally, he shoulders Executive Management responsibilities for Inovation, a Kroenke-owned Production and Stage Lighting Company and KSE Imprints, an apparel imprint and embroidery company. 

Benson's efforts led Kroenke Sports and Pepsi Center's efforts on the 2001 NHL All-Star festivities, the Grand Prix of Denver from 2002-2006 and financial aspects of the 2005 NBA All-Star game.  Part of his executive duties in 2008 included negotiating and managing the contract between KSE and the Democratic National Convention.

Born in Eugene, OR, Benson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from the University of Arizona (1991) and a Master of Science degree in finance from the University of Colorado (1996).  He currently sits on the Board of Visit Denver as Head Chair.  He and his wife, Laura, reside in Parker, CO with their three daughters, Carolyn, Meredith and Hailey.

Mark Waggoner
Senior Vice President, Finance

Mark Waggoner enters his 11th year of service with the organization, and is responsible for all of the financial reporting aspects of the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets in conjunction with the National Hockey League and National Basketball Association. Waggoner oversees all financial transactions for both franchises and is responsible for developing and maintaining budgets, working with the teams on matters involving insurance and other benefit programs, in addition to the responsibilities of reporting from human resources, IT, and retail operations.

Mark originally joined the Denver Nuggets in 1986 as the organization’s accountant following five years of service in the public accounting profession in Denver. He was then promoted to his current position in 2002. Waggoner is an active member of both the Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He also serves as the Treasurer for the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets Community Funds as well as the Nuggets Stay In School program.

A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Waggoner graduated from Central Michigan University in 1980 with a B.A. in Business Administration. He proceeded to earn his CPA Certificate in 1982.

Deb Dowling-Canino
Vice President, Community Relations

Deb Dowling-Canino returned to Kroenke Sports Enterprises in 2002 as Vice President of Community Relations.  Previously she served as Special Events Director for the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche from 1993-96.

Her responsibilities include community involvement and initiatives for all KSE entities including the Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Mammoth, Colorado Rapids, Pepsi Center, Dick's Sporting Goods Park and Paramount Theatre.

Dowling-Canino's professional career has included media stints at KHOW and KWBZ Radio as public service, promotion and programming director.   She owned and operated Abracadabra Events, an event production company whose clients included The International at Castle Pines, Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Colorado Special Olympics, Metro State College, Downtown Denver Partnership and Colorado Broadcaster's Association.   In the non-profit sector she has worked with the March of Dimes, AMC Cancer Research Center and Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.  From 1996-2000 Deb and restaurateur-husband Roland Canino owned and operated the highly acclaimed Canino's Trattoria.  In 2009, she was honored with the Contribution Award by Sportswomen of Colorado.

Deb's personal involvement with non-profit and civic organizations in Denver has included volunteer leadership roles with Special Olympics Colorado, ALS Association, Junior League of Denver, Central City Opera, Denver Baseball Commission, Colorado Tourism Board, National Philanthropy Day and others. 

A native of Colorado, Deb graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Technical Journalism.  

Dave Jolette
Vice President, Venue Operations

Dave Jolette has been running the day-to-day operations of the Pepsi Center since the building opened in the fall of 1999 and enters his tenth season in that role.  He was named vice president in May 2003. 

Jolette and his staff oversee the approximately 180 annual events that take place at Pepsi Center, as well as Dicks Sporting Goods Park and Paramount Theatre.  All told, his staff helps put on almost 300 events in a given year. Dave and his staff are currently engaged in partnership with AEG to transform the Broomfield Events Center into a premier concert and entertainment venue in Colorado.

During his tenure at Pepsi Center, Jolette, 44, has helped stage the 2001 NHL All-Star Game and 2005 NBA All-Star Game, as well as NCAA regional basketball tournaments and the wide range of events that come through the KSE facilities.  Dave and his team also managed one of the most important events in Denver's history, the 2008 Democratic National Convention. 

Overall, this marks Jolette's 14th year with the Avalanche and Nuggets, as he was hired as the event manager for McNichols Sports Arena in 1995, the Avalanche's inaugural season.  He was also in charge of event operations for both the Denver Coliseum and Red Rocks.  He joined Kroenke Sports four months before the Pepsi Center opened.

After getting his bachelor's degree from California State-Chico in 1987, Dave operated his own business in California for several years before pursuing a graduate studies in facilities management at the University of Michigan. 

An avid sports and fitness enthusiast, Dave spends his free time running,  biking, swimming and golfing with his family.  He and his wife of 21 years, Stacy, have a daughter, Nicole (17) and a son, Ryan (15).

Mike Kurowski
Vice President, Corporate Sales & Partnership Marketing

Mike Kurowski is entering his 15th season with the organization.  He began his ascent as an account executive, selling and servicing partners for the Denver Nuggets.  Soon after his arrival, the corporate sales group was challenged to create a solid sponsorship base for the Colorado Avalanche.  While Mike and the rest of the sponsorship group exceeded expectations, the next hurdle was to prepare for the opening of the Pepsi Center doors in 1999. 

During this time, and leading up to Mike's new role within Kroenke Sports as director of corporate sales in October 2001, his sales skills consistently placed him at the top of the department.  During his time spent in the director's chair he led the charge in promoting the Colorado Crush and Colorado Mammoth in their successful inaugural seasons as well as sponsorship efforts for the Colorado Rapids.  In 2004, he was promoted to his current role of vice president. 

In 2007, the Colorado Rapids moved into their new home at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.  Naming rights, founding partners and numerous marketing partnerships for this state of the art sports and entertainment complex were successfully obtained under Kurowski's leadership.

Mike's team consists of a solid group of sales and service professionals with a tremendous amount of inventory and demanding responsibilities ahead. 

Prior to his time spent with Kroenke Sports, Mike's experience as an account executive was fine tuned with a Florida-based advertising agency.  His abilities helped land several key accounts that ultimately led to his hiring with the Nuggets and his relocation back to Denver.

A native of Colorado, Mike grew up in Littleton and attended Columbine High School. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Green Bay and currently resides in Littleton with his wife, Christy, and their three boys, Cason, Kade, and Camden.

Kurt J. Schwartzkopf
Chief Marketing Officer, Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche

As Chief Marketing Officer for the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche, Schwartzkopf oversees all marketing, creative, interactive media, ticket sales & service, box office operations, game entertainment, fan development and community relations for the clubs.

Before joining Kroenke Sports Enterprises in July of 2008, the 38-year-old Schwartzkopf spent seven years with the Los Angeles Kings and STAPLES Center.

A graduate of Colorado State University, Schwartzkopf also has nine years’ experience with FELD Entertainment, Inc., most recently serving as Vice President of Event Sales and Marketing for the Western United States and Canada. Overseeing the Los Angeles based region for FELD, he was responsible for all marketing, promotions, public relations and ticket sales for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Disney On Ice, Disney Live! and High School Musical the Ice Tour in over 50 cities.

Kurt and his wife Cindy reside in Highlands Ranch with their two daughters – Riley and Karter.

Stephen Stieneker
Vice President, General Counsel

Stephen L. Stieneker joined Kroenke Sports Enterprises in 2005 as vice president and general counsel, overseeing the company’s legal operations and all compliance matters.

A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, Stieneker previously served Janus Capital Group as assistant general counsel, vice president of public affairs and chief administrative officer of investments.

He resides in Denver.

Shawn Stokes
Vice President, Venue Projects

Shawn Stokes joined the Pepsi Center in 1999 as director of production. In September of 2003, he was promoted to vice president, venue projects.  In 2004, Stokes was at the center of the Opera Shop acquisition by Kroenke Sports Enterprises and took a position inside the company as vice president of business development. 

Prior to joining the Pepsi Center, Stokes was a Regional Director of Operations for House of Blues as well as Universal Music Group and MCA Records.  As a promoter representative, Stokes toured with high caliber bands like U2, Metallica, Jimmy Buffett, Elton John and the Rolling Stones.

Prior to becoming a promoter representative, Stokes was a stage rigger and carpenter for several artists including; Sinead O'Connor, Peter Gabriel and Lenny Kravitz in addition to other live music and theatrical projects.  

He was born in Albuquerque, N.M.

Charles R. Wright
Vice President, New Business Development and Vice President, Finance

As the vice president for new business development for Kroenke Sports, Wright is responsible for analyzing new investment opportunities for KSE.  He is also the CFO of the Kroenke Group, a holding company that includes ownership of several sports franchises, cultural and entertainment entities and real estate holdings.

Wright serves as Vice president, Finance and CFO for the Colorado Rapids and the KSE Dick's Sporting Good's Park complex in Commerce City.  He has been the General Manager of the Colorado Rapids and has served on the MLS and SUM Board of Governors as well as several Board committees.  He currently serves on the MLS and SUM Finance Committees.  

Wright also served as the Governor for the Colorado Mammoth at the National Lacrosse league (NLL) for several years, and chaired the Finance Committee for four years and the Executive Committee for one year.

Previously, he spent over 20 years as an outside professional financial advisor, including over 14 years as a partner with Ernst & Young.  Wright possesses a wealth of financial management and merger and acquisition experience, particularly with respect to sports franchises and arenas, and was instrumental in deals which led to the acquisition of the Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver (currently Memphis) Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards and the facilities used by those teams.  Wright is also a shareholder and officer of an indoor soccer franchise.

A frequent speaker on mergers & acquisitions and sports industry subjects, Wright has written over 20 articles for professional publications on a wide range of topics.  He also holds several professional certifications (CPA, CMA, CIRA, CMC) and belongs to a number of professional organizations.

His educational credentials include a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from Duke University and an MBA in Finance and Accounting from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University, where he received the Faculty Award for Distinguished Achievement.  He has also served on the Board of Trustees of several charitable organizations, and is currently on the Board of Mile High United Way.