Steve Koonin Explained

Steve Koonin
Team:Atlanta Hawks
Position:Chief Executive Officer
League:NBA
Birth Date:6 June 1957
Birth Place:Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
College:University of Georgia

Steve Koonin (born June 6, 1957) is the chief executive officer of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. He is the former president of Turner Broadcasting System. Koonin chairs the Georgia Aquarium and is on the boards of TKO Group Holdings, Rubicon Technologies, Fox Theatre, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Emory Healthcare, and the Woodruff Arts Center.

Early life and education

Koonin was born in 1957 in Atlanta, Georgia. He studied marketing at the University of Georgia. Koonin is Jewish.[1]

Career

Coca Cola Company

Koonin spent more than a decade at The Coca Cola Company.[2] [3] While serving as Coca Cola's VP of sports and entertainment marketing, Koonin was honored as the SportsBusiness Journal Sports Executive of the Year.

Turner Broadcasting System

He worked at Turner Broadcasting System for over 14 years, and served as the organization's president.[4]

Atlanta Hawks

In April 2014, the Atlanta Hawks hired Koonin as CEO of the Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena.[5]

By the end of 2015, the Hawks organization built 25 community basketball courts over five years in disadvantaged communities across the city of Atlanta.[6] [7] During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Atlanta Hawks leveraged partnerships with Emory Healthcare to provide thousands of meals weekly for workers on the front lines.[8] [9] [10] [11] [12] In June 2020, Atlanta Hawks were the first NBA team to commit their arena for use as a polling site – the largest voting center in the state of Georgia – during the 2020 election.[13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]

Boards and accolades

Koonin serves as the chairman for the Georgia Aquarium. He is on the boards of TKO Group Holdings, Rubicon Technologies, Fox Theatre, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Emory Healthcare, and the Woodruff Arts Center.[19] [20] Koonin was a former member of the board of GameStop, resigning in 2020.[21]

Koonin has been listed on Atlanta Magazine’s 55 Most Powerful People shaping Atlanta, Atlanta Business Chronicle's 100 Most Influential Atlantans, and Georgia Trend's 100 Most Influential Georgians.[22] [23] [24] Atlanta Sports Council awarded Koonin a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.[25] [26] [27]

Personal life

Koonin is married to Eydie Koonin, an Atlanta-based real estate agent. They have two children: David Koonin, a sports media agent with Creative Artists Agency,[28] and Amy Beth Koonin Taylor.[29] In 2013, Steve and his wife Eydie created the Koonin Scholars Fund at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication which provides scholarships for students.[30]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Kevin . Arnovitz. Reselling the Hawks to Atlanta . ESPN. January 8, 2015. "In the '80s, when all the Jews used to inhabit the Omni, there was a social component to going to the game," Koonin, who is Jewish, said. "It was your social life. It looked like synagogue on the High Holidays. .
  2. Web site: Koonin-Bio-2016-17. 2021-07-08.
  3. Web site: Steve Koonin trades Coke for Turner. John. Dempsey. May 17, 2008.
  4. Web site: Atlanta Hawks CEO Steve Koonin to join WWE Board of Directors. 2021-04-21. www.bizjournals.com.
  5. Web site: Hawks Staff Steve Koonin Bio. Atlanta Hawks.
  6. Web site: Courting Atlanta: Hawks rehab basketball courts to teach kids teamwork. 2021-04-21. www.bizjournals.com.
  7. Web site: College Park to open new b-ball courts with Hawks. Noreen. Cochran. MDJOnline.com. 15 June 2018 .
  8. Web site: 2020-04-01. Hawks' CEO Steve Koonin on 'Business Unusual,' Coronavirus Response. 2021-04-21. Front Office Sports. en-US.
  9. Web site: Ladner. Ben. Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Help Provide Meals for Emory Healthcare Workers. 2021-04-21. Sports Illustrated Atlanta Hawks News, Analysis and More. 27 March 2020 . en.
  10. Web site: How the Atlanta Hawks are leveraging partnerships to provide COVID-19 relief. 2021-04-21. www.bizjournals.com.
  11. News: Journal-Constitution. Sarah K. Spencer-The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionLigaya Figueras- The Atlanta. Hawks fund program to feed Emory health care workers treating COVID-19 patients. 2021-04-21. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. English.
  12. Web site: 2020-03-27. Atlanta Hawks supports Emory Healthcare COVID-19 caregivers with meal program. 2021-04-21. news.emory.edu. en.
  13. Web site: Atlanta Hawks CEO Steve Koonin on how COVID-19 is changing basketball. Jeff. Beer. November 6, 2020. Fast Company.
  14. News: Hawks' State Farm Arena to become Georgia's largest voting precinct. Sarah K.. Spencer. The Atlanta. Journal-Constitution. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  15. Web site: Could Atlanta Hawks' State Farm Arena swing the presidential race?. Dan. Wolken. USA Today.
  16. Hawks to Use Arena as Polling Station For 2020 Elections. Michael. Shapiro. Sports Illustrated. 29 June 2020 .
  17. Web site: Atlanta Hawks Arena To Host Voting Site, Team Challenges Rest Of NBA To Follow. NPR.org.
  18. Web site: 'Election central': Hawks CEO Steve Koonin on how team plans to transform arena into voting site. www.nba.com.
  19. Web site: Atlanta Hawks CEO Steve Koonin to join WWE Board of Directors. April 14, 2021.
  20. Web site: Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce COUNCIL LEADERS. April 18, 2021.
  21. Web site: 2020-03-09. GameStop shakes up its board. 2021-04-21. Dallas News. en.
  22. Web site: Unlocked: Meet Atlanta Business Chronicle's 2018 Power 100. 2021-04-21. www.bizjournals.com.
  23. Web site: 2018-12-31. 100 Most Influential Georgians of 2019: Propelling Positive Change. 2021-04-21. Georgia Trend Magazine. en-US.
  24. Web site: Atlanta's 55 Most Powerful. 2021-04-21. Atlanta Magazine. October 2015 . en-US.
  25. Web site: Atlanta Sports Council to honor Hawks CEO Steve Koonin with 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award. 12news.com.
  26. News: Atlanta Sports Council to honor Hawks' Koonin for 'lifetime achievement'. Tim. Tucker. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  27. Web site: Atlanta Hawks' Steve Koonin to receive Atlanta Sports Council's Lifetime Achievement Award. Gwinnett Daily Post. 27 July 2020 .
  28. Web site: Biscan. Ashley. January 21, 2020. Atlanta Hawks CEO Celebrated His Son's Wedding Day With The Home Team.
  29. News: Wedding Announcement: Koonin-Taylor . Atlanta Jewish Times. January 24, 2020.
  30. Web site: Middleton. Parker. 2013-04-15. Turner Entertainment President creates Koonin Scholars Fund at UGA's Grady College. 2021-04-21. UGA Today. en-US.

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