Alum McPheron-Kreitter a Hit As UFC Executive Assistant

Alum McPheron-Kreitter a Hit As UFC Executive Assistant

 By Dan Silvia, Communications Manager

Want to know what it’s like to operate inside the Octagon?

Kim McPheron-Kreitter knows as well as anybody. Not in the same way as Ronda Rousey or Miesha Tate, but as the Executive Assistant to the Chief Operations Officer and the Chief Financial Officer at UFC, McPheron-Kreitter is definitely running with the heavyweights of the Las Vegas-based mixed martial arts organization.

It’s McPheron-Kreitter’s job to handle the details for COO Lawrence Epstein and CFO Nakisa Bidarian.

“I am a project manager, event planner, payment processor, travel coordinator, personal assistant, office coordinator, relationship manager, communication liaison, etc.,” said McPheron-Kreitter, who earned her Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management from Bellevue University in 1995. “The executive assistant role has changed so much over the years which is why I really enjoy it – the ability to take on various tasks and responsibilities is endless.”

After graduating from Grand Island (Neb.) High School, McPheron-Kreitter attended Central Community College before joining the Air Force.

“A friend of mine met with an Air Force recruiter, was telling me about it, and I thought what do I have to lose!” she said. “I scheduled a meeting, the recruiter was a great salesperson, and I signed up!  It was the best thing I ever did!”

McPheron-Kreitter served for eight years before separating from the military in 1998.

“I was in the administrative career field in the military, so I had the opportunity to work in so many different areas – security forces, the base commander’s staff, maintenance squadron, and transportation squadron - I really enjoyed all of my assignments for different reasons,” she said. “But, my favorite/most interesting assignment was the opportunity to deploy to Saudi Arabia at the same time as my husband.  Few military couples are given that opportunity and to experience the military’s overseas objectives and in a different culture together – we still talk about it years later.”

After her active duty career concluded, McPheron-Kreitter worked in a variety of civil service jobs before landing at PayPal as a Community Events Manager in 2006. When her husband, Doug Kreitter, retired from the Air Force, the family (daughter Madison is now 11 years old) moved to Las Vegas and McPheron-Kreitter connected with UFC as the Executive Assistant to the Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Financial Officer.

“I wanted to find a position in the casino or sports industry.  I applied for an executive assistant position at the UFC thinking there was no possible way I would get a call because you probably need to know somebody who knows somebody in the company, so I was very surprised when I did!” McPheron-Kreitter said.

So what’s different about working for UFC as opposed to PayPal or the military?

“The UFC is definitely a faster pace. It has grown so much since I first started with triple the number of employees, offices now around the world, more events per year, and many more distribution channels.  The original owners are still with the UFC, so it has also been interesting to watch the company evolve,” she said.

McPheron-Kreitter came to Bellevue University to complete her bachelor’s degree while stationed at Offutt Air Force Base just a few miles south of the school.

“Like other military members, I was in search of a school/program that would take into account my military experience, training, and associate’s degree. Bellevue University offered an accelerated bachelor’s degree program in the evenings that was perfectly aligned with my military commitment,” she said. “It was extremely beneficial to be part of a program where my classmates were not just other military members, but people from outside of the military who were actually in positions in companies and offering their ‘real world’ experiences in class.”

McPheron-Kreitter, who holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Oklahoma, credits her Bellevue University education with expanding the way she thinks beyond black and white.

“I still recall my first interview as I was preparing to separate from the Air Force. We were in Las Vegas and I had applied everywhere! I wasn’t having much luck, but then got a call from a small hotel/casino who wanted me to interview for a marketing coordinator position. When I interviewed, one of the senior vice president’s first few questions to me was ‘can you think outside of black and white’?” she said. “This was her concern with hiring military members since life in the military is so regimented.  I attribute my ability to think in “gray” terms to my bachelor’s program.  Having teachers and students with ‘real world’ experiences was instrumental in shaping my thought process after I separated from the military.”