David Jenkins, who is entering his 15th season with the Browns, has been named the team's Executive Vice President-Chief Operating Officer, as announced today by Dee and Jimmy Haslam. As EVP-COO, Jenkins will lead the team's daily business operations and its long-term vision, directing all organizational goals related to financial management, revenue generation, stadium operations, legal, information technology, business analytics and administration.
"Throughout our time in Northeast Ohio, Dave has been a dependable representative of the Browns who always genuinely considers the long-term well-being of our football team, the people within our organization and the City of Cleveland," said the Haslams. "Dave has continually earned more responsibilities due to his performance and leadership, and we are confident he will excel in this new role as he will direct our business operations in a manner that prioritizes support of our football team, fan base and community."
"I have been incredibly fortunate to spend the past 14 years with the Browns, and I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to continue to serve the team and city that mean so much to my family," said Jenkins. "Dee and Jimmy have established clear directives for everyone in our organization – to build the consistently winning team Cleveland deserves; to take exceptional care of our fans; and to be leaders in our community by making a meaningful impact throughout Northeast Ohio. As they have said best, our role is to be reliable stewards of the organization on behalf of our passionate fans, and we owe it to them to focus on and ultimately achieve those goals."
Prior to being elevated to COO, Jenkins spent the past three seasons as the team's executive vice president and past five as chief financial officer. He oversaw all finance-related departments of the organization – budgeting and strategic planning, financial reporting, audit and risk management, and in 2016, added stadium operations, legal, information technology and administration to his assignments. His expanded responsibilities now also include the franchise's ticket operations, sales and retention, suite and premium sales, corporate partnership sales and activation and concessions and merchandising.
Jenkins will also continue to serve as the Browns' primary government relations contact, working closely with the City of Cleveland and City of Berea on club related matters.
After joining the Browns in October 2004 as a financial and business analyst, Jenkins held positions as the club's director of finance (2006), vice president of finance (2007-10) and senior vice president of finance & administration (2010-12). In 2007, he was the team's representative at the National Football League's management training program at Stanford University and was a participant in the Leadership Cleveland Class of 2009.
A Certified Public Accountant in the State of Ohio, Jenkins began his professional career at Arthur Andersen LLP, where he served as a senior auditor from 1997-2002. He also worked in business development and auditing at KPMG LLP, Proviti Inc. and STERIS Corporation prior to joining the Browns.
Jenkins, who is on Baldwin-Wallace University's Board of Trustees, is a member of the board of directors for the Cleveland Browns Foundation, the Downtown Cleveland Alliance, the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, Cleveland Development Advisors and Lakewood Catholic Academy, and previously contributed as a board member of the MetroHealth Foundation, Cuyahoga Community College Foundation, Achievement Centers for Children, Greater Cleveland Food Bank and the Berea Chamber of Commerce. While with the Browns, he also served as an adjunct professor at his alma mater, Baldwin-Wallace University, where he taught a class on finance in the sports industry.
A native of East Rochester, N.Y., Jenkins earned his B.S. in Business Administration from Baldwin-Wallace in 1997. He now resides in Westlake with his wife, Ada, and sons, Tony and Sonny.
