Rewriting The Game Plan: How NYU Stern Transformed One ESPN Exec’s Career

As senior director of media operations at ESPN, Kimberly Aguilo keeps the playbook tight. Her team, dispersed across the country, powers the behind-the-scenes coordination that helps bring live sports to millions.

But after nearly a decade in the job, as the media landscape evolved, Aguilo realized something had to change.

That something was her.

“I hit this moment where I wanted to invest in myself again,” says Aguilo, who marks 10 years at ESPN this month. “Postpartum, mid-career, leading a major reorganization — I needed to stretch. I needed to grow.”

FROM THE STUDIO TO THE CLASSROOM — AND BACK AGAIN

Aguilo, the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, chose NYU Stern’s Executive MBA program in New York, commuting from Washington, D.C., where she lives with her husband and daughter. She says the move was both strategic and personal.

“New York is where my ESPN colleagues are. It’s where the industry pulse is,” she says. “I could live at home with my family, deepen my network in the city, and finally pursue the degree I’d once been too afraid to go after.”

Aguilo originally considered an MBA a decade earlier. But the cost seemed insurmountable, and she opted to build her career first. That decision paid off — she rose to an executive role without formal business training. Still, she found herself bumping up against a ceiling.

“I work closely with our revenue and yield management teams, and while I understood finance conceptually, I didn’t always have the vocabulary to prove it,” she says. “Stern’s finance curriculum gave me fluency.”

But the biggest surprise came from the soft skills. “In classes like Leadership in Organizations with Professor Nate Pettit, and Developing Managerial Skills with Suzy Welch, I learned how to lead during uncertainty. How to bring people along during change. And that was exactly what I was doing at ESPN.”

BRINGING THE CLASSROOM TO THE CONTROL ROOM

In fall 2023, Aguilo led a major reorganization within ESPN’s media operations — building a new team across geographies and functions. “It was a lot of change, all at once. But thanks to Stern, I had the tools. I could recognize what my team needed — clarity, reassurance, alignment — and I could deliver that.”

ESPN’s media operations may not have the environmental footprint of other industries, but Aguilo’s recent coursework in sustainability showed her how to apply big-picture thinking to any complex issue. A class with Professor Alison Taylor gave her a framework for decision-making with long-term impact.

“I think of challenges now as the most fun Sudoku puzzles,” she says. “It’s all about integrating input from different angles to build consensus. That mindset came directly from the classroom.”

And the commute — those hours on Amtrak between DC and NYC — turned into a hidden gift.

“They became intentional spaces to reflect,” Aguilo says. “What did I learn in class? How can I apply it on Monday? It created this rhythm of learning and implementation that made everything stick.”

ADVICE FOR FUTURE MBAs

Aguilo doesn’t sugarcoat the workload. Between work, school, and family, balance required military-grade time management. Her strategy? Ruthless prioritization and structured scheduling.

“From 9 to 5, I work. 5 to 8:30 is for my family. And after that, it’s school — group projects, readings, prep. You have to give yourself permission to say no. You can’t do it all at once, but you can do what matters.”

For Aguilo, pursuing an MBA wasn’t just a career move — it was an act of reclamation.

“I didn’t go to NYU for undergrad because I didn’t think I was good enough. This time, I applied. And I got in. And I showed up, every weekend, every class.”

As she prepares to graduate and return to her home state of California, Aguilo carries more than a new credential. She carries a new sense of confidence — and a mission to model what leadership can look like in a rapidly changing world.

“I wouldn’t trade the last two years for anything,” she says. “This was for me. And I’m so proud of that.”

DON’T MISS AT NYU STERN, A NEW HIGHLY INTROSPECTIVE COURSE FOR MBAs HAS A FAMOUS TEACHER