HI, I'M MICHELLE.

Michelle Kennedy joined the Predators in March 2008 as In-House Counsel. Kennedy, also a certified public accountant (CPA), accepted the additional charge of Chief Financial Officer for the Predators and Powers Management in 2010 while continuing to serve as the organization’s General Counsel. In 2017, Kennedy was named the organization’s Chief Operating Officer and in July of 2023, Kennedy was named the organization’s President and an Alternate Governor, also retaining the role of Chief Operating Officer.  

Kennedy often has the opportunity to speak to groups about SMASHVILLE, Smashville Loyal, the 7th Man and the amazingly unique bond that all of those groups share with the Predators organization. Without their support, Bridgestone Arena would not have been recognized as Arena of the Year on multiple occasions by Pollstar magazine, IEBA, CMA and ACM. The same fan support and unique bond referenced above solidified the organization’s status as a Top Workplace with The Tennessean for the 12th consecutive year and also played a large role in the organization being named the No. 1 professional sports franchise by ESPN.  

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“We are one of the busiest buildings in the world and we have earned our fair share of accolades but we can always be better and that is what we strive for each day!  It has been a tremendous privilege to be a part of this organization for the last 17 years and as good as it has been, I’m confident that the best is yet to come.  We have evolved as an organization and are excited about what lies ahead, not only in Bridgestone Arena but at the Ford Ice Centers and the growing footprint of affiliates, with the introduction of SS&E in early 2021, the opening of F&M Bank Arena in the summer of 2023, and the recent rollout of plans for the reimagination of the entire block on which Bridgestone Arena sits. I look forward to kicking off this season… last season was not what any of us expected so we are eager to get back on track in our pursuit to be the No. 1 sports and entertainment venue in the United States with its centerpiece as the Stanley Cup Champion Nashville Predators hockey team.” 

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Kennedy currently serves as the Chairman of the Nashville Predators Foundation; she, along with every player, coach and employee of this great organization embraces the commitment to give back to the community that has given so much to it over the years. Kennedy shares the organization’s belief that the work of the foundation is as integral to the mission of the organization as ice hockey and entertainment. “Our commitment to this community is second to none… we owe everything to them. Our fans and our community quite literally saved us from relocation in 2007; they are a huge part of this organization and we look for ways every day to give back and show how proud we are to be a part of this community.” 

Kennedy began her career as an auditor at KPMG International, an advisory, audit and tax services company. After nearly five years in public accounting, she joined Vanderbilt University as an Associate Director of Athletics. For six years, she was responsible for oversight of the department’s business operations, including finance, ticket operations, facilities, game and event management, as well as oversight of marketing and corporate sponsorship activities. Kennedy continued to work in a consultative capacity for Vanderbilt while attending law school from 2004-07. 

Kennedy was recognized in 2024 as one of Nashville’s Most Powerful Women by Nashville Post and Nashville Scene and she was named a 2023 Woman of Influence by the Nashville Business Journal.  During the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Kennedy was featured on NBC's female sports initiative platform, On Her Turf, in an episode of Hockey is for Her, which focused on women in and around the National Hockey League. Kennedy was also a speaker at the 14th Annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston in 2019. In addition to being named to the Sports Business Journal’s “Game Changers Class of 2018,” Kennedy was a finalist for Nashville Business Journal’s 2015 CFO of the Year and was featured in Nashville Lifestyles Magazine in the 2016 Top 10 “Women in Business” issue. She has been an adjunct professor at David Lipscomb University, and, in addition to the Nashville Predators Foundation, Kennedy currently serves on the Vanderbilt University Women’s Volleyball Advisory Board (SERVE),  Vanderbilt University’s Anchor Impact Advisory Board, and governance boards of the Nashville Humane Association, the Nashville Police + Public Safety Alliance and the YWCA. 

Kennedy obtained a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Vanderbilt University in 1992 and a Juris Doctorate from Vanderbilt University in 2007. A native of Hawesville, Ky., Kennedy now resides in Nashville.