Orchard Park, N.Y. (WBEN/AP) - With just one week until the start of training camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford, New York, the Buffalo Bills have announced some changes atop the business side of the organization.
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The Bills and Ron Raccuia, who worked as the team’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), have parted ways.
Moving forward, Bills owner/CEO Terry Pegula will take over the role as President of the team. He will work closely with a new management committee consisting of:
- John Roth: Executive Vice President/COO
- Kathryn D’Angelo: General counsel and Senior Vice President of Business Administration
- Josh Dziurlikowski: Senior Vice President of Finance and Business Administration
In addition, Penny Semaia has been hired as the Vice President of Stadium Relations.
“We would like to thank Ron for his many years hard work, and dedication with the Bills and PSE,” said Pegula in a team statement. “We wish he and his family the best of luck in his future endeavors.”
Raccuia’s departure is considered a surprise after he essentially oversaw the daily operations of Pegula Sports and Entertainment, where he had worked since 2017. He took over as the point person on stadium negotiations after Kim Pegula fell ill.
It was only six weeks ago when Raccuia shared the stage with Terry Pegula and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Bills' new stadium, which is being built across the street from the team’s existing home. The plan includes $850 million in public money, and the stadium is set to open in time for the 2026 season.
Though the framework of the deal was conditionally approved in March 2022, the Bills, state and county representatives spent much of the following year finalizing the details, including a 30-year lease that essentially preserves the franchise in Buffalo for the long term.
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When it comes to the need management committee, Roth was recently named the COO of the Buffalo Sabres and Pegula Sports and Entertainment (PSE), and will continue to work in all three roles. With the Bills, he will oversee the team’s ticketing, business development, and the media and content departments.
Prior to joining the Sabres and PSE, Roth worked the previous 24 years at Fidelity Investments as an investor and served as portfolio manager. He earned an MBA at Sloan School of Management at MIT and BA in economics from Colby College.
D’Angelo, who was recently named general counsel of the Bills prior to this latest promotion, will oversee the Bills' security, human resources, and marketing departments in her new role. She joined the Bills' legal team in 2016 and was elevated to interim general counsel in 2022 before being named general counsel earlier in 2023.
A Western New York native, D'Angelo earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Northeastern University and earned her law degree at the University at Buffalo Law School.
As for Dziurlikowski, he most recently worked as the Bills' Vice President of Finance and will now oversee the team’s community relations, operations and guest experience, and information technology departments. He was hired by the Bills in 2007 as assistant controller and was promoted to controller in 2013 before being named Vice President of Finance in 2021.
He is a native of Southeastern Michigan and earned a BBA and master of accounting from the University of Michigan.
Semaia was hired after working as the Senior Associate Athletic Director, Student Life at the University of Pittsburgh. He will work closely with Bills' Vice President of Stadium Development John Polka, and Vice President of Creative/Stadium Design Frank Cravotta during the construction phase of the new Bills stadium along Abbott Road.
“After taking time over the past several months to evaluate the business side of our operation, we wanted to revamp and improve our structure,” Pegula said. “We have a tremendous amount of confidence in this management committee we have constructed. I have had a high level of trust and strong working relationships with John, Kathryn and Josh over the years and expect them each to successfully continue to lead our business operations in the years to come. Penny’s wealth of experience at the collegiate level and personality will add to our team as he transitions into his new role with the Bills and our new stadium.”
It’s unclear what Pegula referred to as needing to be revamped and improved upon in the team's business structure. Though the COVID-19 pandemic dealt a blow to much of the North American sports landscape, the Bills have enjoyed a run of success and heightened popularity in winning three straight AFC East titles.
As part of the shift to the new stadium, the Bills have partnered with Legends — a company co-owned by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and the New York Yankees — to oversee the team's introduction of seat ticketing licenses as well as provide food and beverage services. The switch to Legends Hospitality ends the Bills' long-standing partnership with Buffalo-based Delaware North.
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