User:Stevemillsae

Stephen C. Mills Athletes & Entertainers Wealth Management, Chief Executive Officer And Founding Partner

Biography:

Stephen C. Mills is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and a Founding Partner of Athletes and Entertainers Wealth Management (A&E). Partnering with Barclays Wealth, A&E advises its high profile clients on how to build and maintain financial success, focusing on preparing for life after active professional sports careers.

Mills’ latest venture follows more than a quarter century of distinguished experience in the sports industry. Over the course of his dynamic career, Mills grew from an entry-level account executive at the National Basketball Association to one of the highest-ranking African-American executives in professional sports. With his myriad personal and professional relationships with some of the country’s most well-known and influential sports and business leaders, including League Commissioners, Fortune 500 CEOs, Hall of Fame athletes and Grammy Award winning entertainers, Mills brings a unique wealth of expertise and insight to his business perspective. Mills played a leadership role at Madison Square Garden (MSG and/or the Garden) for ten years, culminating in his position as President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of MSG Sports. As President and COO, he oversaw all facets of the Knicks, Rangers, Liberty and Hartford Wolfpack businesses, as well as all other sports-related activities at the Garden, including college basketball, boxing, tennis and track & field. Among the many highlights of Mills’ career at MSG was the reestablishment of the Garden as “the Mecca of Boxing,” with numerous high profile bouts, as well as the resurgence of the arena’s historic tennis tradition. Mills also oversaw the first-ever, regular season, professional outdoor basketball game, when the New York Liberty staged its Liberty Outdoor Classic at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Prior to his time at the Garden, Mills played an integral role at the National Basketball Association (NBA) for more than 16 years, ultimately as Senior Vice President of Basketball and Player Development. His duties included managing the league’s relationships with all domestic and international basketball organizations, including FIBA, NCAA and USA Basketball, as well as overseeing the NBA's developmental programs and player initiatives. Mills also played a key role in the creation of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and served on the team responsible for negotiating numerous NBA and WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreements. Mills was actively involved in the establishment of the NBA's participation in the 1992 Olympic Games and the creation of the "Dream Team". He was also appointed by FIBA and the Atlanta Olympic Organizing Committee to the positions of Sports Advisor and Competition Supervisor for the 1996 Olympics.

Over the course of his long career, Mills has been honored by a host of organizations and institutions. He was named "Business Executive of the Year" by Black Enterprise magazine. He was selected by then-Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as part of the second annual African American Heritage Celebration, which recognized top executives from all business areas, and on two occasions has been selected as one of Sports Illustrated’s "101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports”. In 2006 Mills received the Princeton University ABPA “Distinguished Alumni Award”. He received the Trailblazer Award from the Metropolitan Black Bar Association as its 2002 "Executive of the Year" and was named 1999 "Sports Executive of the Year" by the Rainbow Coalition.

An accomplished basketball player, Mills started three seasons as guard for Hall of Fame coach Pete Carril at Princeton University, where he was an All-Ivy player and helped lead the Tigers to two Ivy League championships and an NCAA berth in 1981. He also played professionally for one season in South America in 1981.

Mills earned a degree in sociology from Princeton in 1981, where he recently co-taught a course with Professor Harold A. Feiveson entitled, “Dilemmas in Athletics", which explored select ethical, educational, social and economic issues in collegiate and professional sports.

Mills has served on a number of Boards that reflect his philanthropic interests and commitments. He was a member of the Board of Trustees for the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Board of Directors for USA Basketball. He currently serves on the Hospital for Special Surgery Advisory Board, the Board of Directors of the Princeton University Varsity Club, as well as Harlem Junior Tennis.

He and his wife, Beverly, have two daughters and reside in South Orange, New Jersey.