Jun 20, 2007, 21:00 GMT
Washington, DC - Washington Sports and Entertainment, which includes the Washington Wizards, president Susan O'Malley has opted to not to extend her contract with the company.
O'Malley became the first female president of an NBA franchise when she took control of the then-Washington Bullets in May of 1991. A 20-year veteran of the organization, O'Malley had immediate and remarkable success, turning around the business fortunes of the basketball franchise after only one season. Since then, her responsibilities grew to manage the entire Abe Pollin sports and entertainment empire.
Her term expires on June 30 and she will work with Abe Pollin, who is the chairman of Washington Sports and Entertainment, on selecting a successor for her position, and will stay on to advise Pollin through a transition period culminating with the Verizon Center's 10th Anniversary celebration in December.
'I want to thank the Pollin family for this exceptional opportunity,' said O'Malley. 'Mr. Pollin put an enormous amount of faith in me and my abilities and I have learned a great deal from him. At the same time, the company itself is in a very good place, with our basketball team continuing to be successful both on and off the floor, and the Verizon Center, which is attracting fans in record numbers, undergoing a facelift to celebrate its 10th anniversary. This is a good time to make this transition and to pass the torch to someone else to guide Washington Sports and Entertainment.'
While President of Washington Sports and Entertainment, O'Malley's responsibilities included all business operations of the Verizon Center, Washington Wizards and the Ticketmaster Washington-Baltimore franchise.
'Susan has been my right hand through the past 20 years and has helped guide the fortunes of our company,' said Pollin. 'She has simply been fantastic in every way, from the moment she came here to the present, and I will always be thankful for her guidance and leadership. I wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors.'
Under O'Malley's guidance, the Verizon Center (then MCI Center) was constructed. She took a franchise that ranked last in most sales and customer service categories and instituted programs and procedures that brought about dramatic change and the team's season ticket renewal rates were consistently ranked among the NBA's best.
Also, she oversaw the business operations of the Washington Capitals from 1995-99, including the Capitals only appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1998. She also helped establish the Washington Mystics WNBA franchise in 1998.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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