yulia nar
Kim Miale does not fit the NFL agent stereotype.
At 5 feet 4 inches tall, she’s petite. She looks closer to 25 than 38. And she is ultra-feminine in not just how she looks but how she speaks.
Miale also employs a steeliness and resolve that has produced results that most veteran NFL agents only fantasize about.
She has represented or co-represented three top-10 NFL draft selections the last three years — Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley, Rams running back Todd Gurley and Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette.
Miale is in line to do it again this year by representing Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, widely regarded as a top-10 pick for this month’s draft.
“She’s relentless,” says Michael Yormark, Roc Nation president and chief of branding and strategy. Yormark works with Miale on marketing deals for her clients, including Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
“I’ve been in this business a long time,” said Yormark, who was formerly president and CEO of the NHL Panthers. “I feel more confident with Kim Miale negotiating a deal that I am involved in than any attorney I’ve ever worked with, and that is a big statement.”
After working as an attorney and NFL agent on her own, Miale joined Roc Nation Sports in 2013, shortly after it was launched by Jay-Z. Rival agents who at first credited the rap mogul for her success have been quieted as she continues to achieve and sign top talent.
Miale, who is also general counsel of Roc Nation Sports, doesn’t like to talk about herself. But she believes her story can give hope to others who are pursuing their dream. “You can transition into the career you really want. You can take a very different and unique path to get to where you want to go,” she said.
— Liz Mullen
Age: 38
Where born: Providence, R.I.
Education: Providence College, B.A., English and political science; Suffolk University Law School, J.D.
Family: Husband, John Kelley
What gets you fired up? Overtime football games.
What do you wish you could tell yourself 10 years ago? Do not let other people tell you what you cannot do or achieve.
Profession other than your own you’d most like to attempt: Broadcasting.
Guilty pleasure: Reality TV.
Something your friends would consider “so you”: Wearing heels to a football game.
Charity supported: The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Person in the industry you’d most like to meet: Phil Knight.
Ideal day off: A day at the beach in Newport, R.I., with my family.
Most thrilling/adventurous thing I’ve done: A jet ski tour around Bora Bora and swimming with stingrays.
