Anne Graffice joined Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: HOFV, HOFVW) as Executive Vice President of Public Affairs in December 2019. In that role, Ms. Graffice oversaw community, investor, corporate, media, and government relations and managed all corporate social responsibility initiatives for the Company. In 2023, Ms. Graffice became the Executive Vice President of Global Marketing and Public Affairs, expanding her responsibilities to focus on growing the Company’s brand across all business verticals, developing an integrated communication strategy, and balancing earned and paid media to drive growth company-wide. Ms. Graffice serves as a key voice representing HOFV’s strategic goals, including driving wide-ranging fundraising efforts, supporting diversity planning, and promoting the Company’s mission and value proposition to investors, consumers, and the media. In 2020, Ms. Graffice was a key contributor to the transaction that made Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company public through a merger with a Special Purpose Acquisition Company.
Previously, Ms. Graffice successfully served in a similar role at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which she joined in May 2016 as Vice President of Development & Strategic Adventures. She served as the Hall’s primary corporate and community relations contact, oversaw diversity programs and policies, managed development and engagement for the Hall of Fame Village, and developed programming for the Center for Excellence.
Prior to that, Ms. Graffice served as Executive Director of Alumni Engagement at the University of Mount Union, where she was responsible for a departmental budget and endowment fund of over $200 million, as well as helping the university secure $25 million through an 18-month campaign. She has also served as Chairperson of the Stark County Convention and Visitors Bureau, where she focused on driving economic development in the region through tourism initiatives.
Ms. Graffice currently serves as a board member of ArtsinStark: Stark County’s Center for Arts & Culture. She also sits on the boards of VisitCanton, Stark County’s Development Effort Strengthening Stark, the Special Improvement District Board, and Stark County’s Moving Forward, a county-wide board of CEOs committed to DE&I. Past board involvement includes the Alliance Area Domestic Violence Shelter, Alliance Chamber of Commerce, and volunteering at the Alliance Food Pantry.
Ms. Graffice previously spent nearly a decade in wealth management and long-term retirement planning. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Mount Union College and a Master of Business Administration with a leadership concentration from Tiffin University.
Ms. Graffice and her husband Jeff live in Alliance, Ohio, and are the proud parents of two daughters.