Bio

Donna Julian is Executive Vice President & Spectrum Center General Manager for Hornets Sports & Entertainment. In this role, she directs all aspects of arena administration, including operations, booking, guest experience, public safety and marketing for the venue that is the home of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets. Julian initially joined the organization on February 1, 2005, and was part of the team that opened Spectrum Center in October 2005. Under her leadership, the arena has hosted more than 20,000,000 fans at more than 1,900 events, including sporting events, concerts, family shows, conventions and more. Spectrum Center has been the site of two of the largest events ever to visit the city of Charlotte, the 2012 Democratic National Convention and the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend, and has hosted the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament twice and NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament action on four occasions.

Julian was selected as one of Sports Business Journal’s Game Changers in 2020 and was one of VenuesNow’s inaugural All-Stars in 2019. She serves on the North Carolina Emergency Response Commission representing the public assembly venue sector, the Governor’s COVID-19 Large Gatherings Task Force, the Executive Committee of the NC Live Coalition, the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Sports Leadership Council and the Leadership Development Committee of the International Association of Venue Managers. Prior to coming to Charlotte, Julian spent 15 years as General Manager of 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore. She was elevated to General Manager after serving in a number of roles in sales, marketing and event administration for Centre Management, the operating company for the Capital Centre (later USAir Arena), home of the Washington Bullets and Washington Capitals.

Julian previously served as Chair of the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Carolinas and remains an active Big Sister to Little Sister Hannah. She also serves as a member of several industry committees: member of the Women Executives (WE) Selection Committee, Executive Committee member of the N.C. Sports Leadership Council and she serves on National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Foundation Board. Julian received her bachelor’s degree in athletics administration from Ohio University, where she was a four-year letter winner and co-captain of the tennis team as a senior, as well as a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She and her husband, David, live in Matthews, North Carolina, and have two sons, Griffin and Donovan.