When it comes to sports and entertainment at the Meadowlands, no one has had a bigger impact than Ron VanDeVeen.
From his start at the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority to stops at the IZOD Center and, ultimately, the top office at MetLife Stadium, VanDeVeen has seen it all — the biggest concerts (Rolling Stones, Beyonce and Taylor Swift), the biggest sporting events (the Super Bowl and World Cup final) — and everything in between.
This summer brought perhaps his crowning achievement.
VanDeVeen led MetLife Stadium through the hosting of eight matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including the final on July 19 — the most-watched event in the sport’s history — drawing a combined 645,186 fans across the tournament, the highest total attendance of any World Cup venue.
On Monday, MetLife Stadium announced that VanDeVeen will transition to a new role, Chief Programming Officer, effective Sept. 1. Mark Stefanacci, the stadium’s current Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, will step in as President and CEO.
For VanDeVeen, the move caps ten years running the building and 19 years before that at the NJSEA, where he started as a cleaning supervisor and worked his way up through stadium operations, bookings, college athletics and corporate sales — eventually running Giants Stadium and the IZOD Center.
He joined the company that operates MetLife Stadium in 2009 as SVP of Events and Guest Experiences and was named President and CEO in April 2016.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to lead MetLife Stadium over the past ten years,” he said. “I’m grateful to the Mara, Tisch and Johnson families for the opportunity to be a part of their history. I have made countless memories, cultivated relationships that will last a lifetime, and witnessed some of the most incredible events in history.
“The greatest privilege, however, was that of collaborating with the best professionals in the business.”
Under VanDeVeen, MetLife hosted Super Bowl XLVIII, Copa America Centenario, WrestleMania 29 and 35, an NHL Stadium Series game, Supercross, and the Army-Navy Game, along with tours from the Rolling Stones, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen and Kenny Chesney.
The building has been named the world’s highest-grossing stadium every year since it opened in 2010. The accolades piled up too: VanDeVeen was inducted into the Innovation Institute for Fan Experience Hall of Fame in 2025, picked up the Meadowlands Chamber Award the same year, and was named a 2026 VenuesNow All-Star.
VanDeVeen is switching roles, not leaving entirely. He’ll continue overseeing bookings for the stadium’s two most important tenants, the Giants and Jets, along with the concerts, soccer matches and other events that fill out the calendar.
“I’m especially proud to pass the baton to Mark Stefanacci, who has been a key member of my staff throughout my tenure,” VanDeVeen said. “He will do an excellent job leading the team and the venue into the next chapter.”
Stefanacci has been with MetLife Stadium since 2012 and spent 14 years before that at the NJSEA, where he managed legal matters for Giants Stadium, the IZOD Center, and the Meadowlands and Monmouth Park racetracks. He helped negotiate the ground lease for MetLife Stadium, chaired the government relations committee ahead of Super Bowl XLVII, and played a role in landing the World Cup.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to lead MetLife Stadium into its next chapter and recognize that I am following a legend,” Stefanacci said. “There is only one Ron VanDeVeen, fortunately, I will be able to continue to work with Ron along with the best staff in the stadium business.”
Giants President and CEO John Mara and Jets Chairman and CEO Woody Johnson both saluted VanDeVeen.
“Ron’s leadership and guidance have been central to MetLife Stadium’s success,” Mara said.
Johnson called VanDeVeen’s run “the driving force behind MetLife Stadium’s rise as the world’s premier sports and entertainment destination.”
