Jerry Colangelo

Co-Chairman Principal Partner, JDM Partners

Jerry Colangelo is one of the most respected and well-known figures in sports and business. The Arizona Republic named him the "Most Influential Sports Figure in the State of Arizona" for the 20th Century, and he is regularly among the "Most Influential' business persons in the Valley in the Phoenix Business Journal. Nationally, Colangelo has been among The Sporting News' most powerful people in sports for over the last decade and in 2008 was listed 60th in Business Week's annual "The Power 100" ranking of the 100 most powerful people in sports.

Mr. Colangelo became involved in USA Basketball in April 2005, and in 2008 he was named the chair of USA Basketball's Board of Directors for the 2009-2012 term. Mr. Colangelo developed a USA Senior National Team that won the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship to qualify the U.S. men for the 2008 Olympic Games and ultimately reclaimed the gold medal.

Mr. Colangelo has been the face of the NBA Phoenix Suns franchise since their inaugural season in 1968. With the Suns, his roles have included general manager, head coach, president, managing general partner, chief executive officer and his current role as chairman. On Nov. 4, 2007, Mr. Colangelo became the 12th member of the Phoenix Suns' Ring of Fame, the club's most elite group. Colangelo spent two seasons with the Chicago Bulls before moving to Phoenix to help start the expansion Suns. His impact on the game of basketball has been so significant he was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in April 2004.

Mr. Colangelo brought Major League Baseball to the Phoenix in 1998 and served as Chairman and CEO of the 2001 World Champion Arizona Diamondbacks. Mr. Colangelo was also the key element in facilitating the move of the NHL's Winnipeg Jets to Arizona in 1996, where they became the Phoenix Coyotes.

Chairman of the NBA's Board of Governors from 2001 through 2005, Mr. Colangelo has had influence on the growth of the NBA as a member of the league's Finance Committee, Long Range Planning Committee, Expansion Committee and Competition and Rules Committee. Mr. Colangelo added to his NBA involvement with a position on the founding committee for the WNBA, helping advance professional women's basketball in the U.S.

Currently a principal partner of JDM Partners, LLC a real estate development company, Mr. Colangelo is also chairman of the board of the Council of Leadership Education and a past chairman of Collaboration for a New Century, Southwest Leadership Foundation, the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame, Leadership Foundations of America, Arizona State University's Dean's Council of 100 and the Honor Board for Junior Achievement of Central Arizona, and he served as president of Valley Big Brothers and was chairman of the board of the Christian Businessmen's Club.

Colangelo has served on the board of directors of the Phoenix Art Museum, Greater Phoenix Economic Council, Athletes in Action and Phoenix Suns Charities. He is a lifetime member of the Phoenix Thunderbirds, an organization dedicated to the promotion of Phoenix through sports. He is currently a Vice Chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and is Vice Chairman of the National Italian American Foundation and Young Life International, past vice president of the Phoenix Downtown Partnership, past chairman and CEO of Phoenix Community Alliance, and he was a leader in the establishment of Employers Against Domestic Violence.

Colangelo was recognized by Phoenix mayor Phil Gordon who proclaimed March 26, 2004, Jerry Colangelo Day in the city of Phoenix. The Valley of the Sun United Way also bestowed its highest honor, the Spirit of Caring award, to Colangelo on June 30, 2005, for his passion for improving lives in the community.