From Biology to Baseline: USTA’s Kirsten Corio on Leading a $500 Million Operation
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The path to overseeing commercial operations for the United States Tennis Association (USTA) isn’t always straightforward. For Kirsten Corio,it began with a degree in biology,a field seemingly distant from the world of sports business. Now,as the USTA’s chief commercial officer,she leads a team generating over $500 million in annual revenue,encompassing everything from ticket sales to global media rights.
Corio recently shared her insights with Fortune from her office at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center during the U.S. Open, offering a glimpse into her leadership philosophy, networking strategies, and the unique demands of her role.
The Dual Cadence of the U.S. Open
Corio’s responsibilities center around the U.S. Open, overseeing key revenue streams like ticket sales, hospitality, global media rights, sponsorship, and merchandise.She emphasizes the strength of her team, noting many members have over 20 years of experience.”In the off season, the 49 weeks that we’re not operating here, we’re really in strategy, ideation, brainstorm and budgeting mode, and then we move the cadence to operations, planning and execution,” she explained.
This contrasts sharply with the intensity of the three-week tournament. “It’s like if you took an NBA season, and crammed it into three weeks,” Corio said. “It’s a sprint, and it’s all hands on deck.”
From Consulting to Ownership
Prior to joining the USTA in 2018, Corio spent nearly a decade at IMG, a global sports and entertainment company. She held various roles, including vice president of global partnerships. “I was very fortunate to be in a role where I was able to work across a lot of diffrent sports and a lot of different business units,” she said.”I was on the team marketing and business operations group, which focused on identifying and disseminating best practices across teams. “Being able to take what I learned and put it into action and to own the risk of the decisions that you make and to reap the rewards of the decisions that you make [at the USTA] was a big change, but also one that I was really excited for and welcomed.”
Leadership Lessons and the Power of Mentorship
Corio attributes much of her leadership development to the mentorship she’s received throughout her career.She specifically highlighted Stacey Allaster, the USTA’s CEO of professional tennis and U.S. Open tournament director, as a key influence. Allaster, Corio explained, “believes in lifting up her staff and enabling and empowering them to make decisions and own their success.”
Allaster frequently references Billie jean King’s famous quote, “pressure is a privilege,” extending its application from the court to the business realm. Corio also praised Allaster’s advocacy for female leadership,particularly in an industry where portrayal has historically been limited. Former USTA CEO and chief revenue officer Lew Sherr is another mentor Corio credits, describing both Allaster and Sherr as embodying “empathetic leadership” while concurrently demanding excellence.
Networking: Building Bridges, Not Burning Them
When asked about networking, Corio offered simple yet powerful advice: “Be open. You never know who you’re going to talk to or who you’re going to meet in a room that may be a future lifelong friend and potential future colleague or teammate or mentor.” She stressed the importance of maintaining relationships, stating, “Build bridges. Don’t burn them.Those of us who have kept those bridges intact have translated really easily and authentically into lifelong friendships.”
An Unconventional Path to sports Business
Corio’s journey to her current role is far from typical. while studying biology at Boston College, she initially considered a career as a veterinarian.”I grew up loving science, and I really liked biology,” she said. Though, she soon realized she desired a more socially engaging and dynamic career.
A role at a consulting firm working with the NBA on one of the first Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems proved to be the pivotal moment. “That was the transition for me. That was the bridge. That was the break from post-college to sports business.” Corio acknowledges her path may not be easily replicable, but emphasizes the enduring value of openness and relationship-building. “To go back to the lessons of being open and building bridges,good things may follow. You never know. those lessons served me well, even back then.”
