Management

AMC Entertainment Inc.

Gerry Lopez is chief executive officer and president of AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC). He has served as CEO and President since March 2009, when he was also elected to the Company’s Board of Directors. Lopez is only the fourth CEO in the company's more than 90-year history. 

Prior to joining AMC, Lopez served as executive vice president of Starbucks Coffee Company and president of its Global Consumer Products, Seattle’s Best Coffee and Foodservice division. In that role, Lopez led Starbucks’ global growth and expansion its businesses beyond the four walls of their retail stores. As he puts it, his group was responsible for “extending the Starbucks experience by taking care of the customer everywhere and anytime they were not in our stores.”

Lopez brings to AMC his understanding of brands, execution, guest experiences and strategic partnerships; and how they combine to produce superior results. He sees countless opportunities in the exhibition business, and firmly believes AMC will play a leadership role in the entertainment arena. Lopez’s management philosophy is simple: hire good people, agree on a direction, provide the tools, and reward results. His mantra, as he puts it, is to “listen, learn, discuss, decide, execute, measure and … repeat.”  

Lopez has served in various public company boards, including TXU Corporation (Dallas, TX) and Safeco Insurance (Seattle, WA). He is currently on the boards of Brinker International (NYSE: EAT); Digital Cinema Implementation Partners (DCIP); Open Road Films (a joint venture with Regal Entertainment); and Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI). 

On the industry and community fronts, Lopez currently sits on the executive board of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO); the University of Missouri’s Trulaske School of Business Strategic Development Board (Columbia, MO); and is a trustee of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP). He has also been a member of the Cranbrook Institute of Science Board of Governors in Bloomfield Hills, MI; and has been recognized by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the Top 100 Hispanic Business Leaders.

Lopez was previously part of the entertainment industry, when he served as president at Handleman Entertainment Resources, which provided category management and music distribution services to Wal-Mart, Best Buy and other major retailers in the U.S. and abroad. In his more than 28-year career he also has served in a variety of executive management positions with International Home Foods, Frito-Lay, Pepsi-Cola and the Procter & Gamble Company.

A native of Oriente, Cuba and a current resident of Kansas City, MO, Lopez earned his Bachelor of Science in business administration from George Washington University and his MBA from Harvard Business School. He and his wife, Elaine, have been married for more than 28 years and have two sons. In their spare time, they enjoy the outdoors, particularly golfing and sailing as a family. They also enjoy watching an action-packed movie, although Elaine leans more toward romantic comedies.  

AMC Entertainment Inc.

Stephen Colanero is executive vice president and chief marketing officer for AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC). He is responsible for the AMC marketing team and their sales-driving and brand-building activities, including AMC Stubs, amctheatres.com and all AMC social media and mobile channels.

Colanero began his AMC career in 2009 and has 20 years of experience in the marketing field, specifically in marketing strategy, branding and consumer entertainment. Most recently, he served as vice president of marketing at RadioShack Corporation. Prior to that, he was the senior vice president of retail bank marketing for Washington Mutual in Seattle. He also worked for Blockbuster Inc. for more than 10 years in a variety of marketing and strategic development roles, ending his career there as senior vice president of strategic marketing.

Stephen received an MBA in Marketing and Strategic Management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Villanova University. He has been married for 19 years to his wife Breta, and has three children, Katie, Audrey and Mia.

AMC Entertainment Inc.

Kevin M. Connor is senior vice president, general counsel and secretary of AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC). Connor joined the company in 2002 as senior vice president, legal for AMC and American Multi-Cinema, Inc.

Prior to joining AMC, Connor was in private practice for 15 years with Seigfreid, Bingham, Levy, Selzer & Gee specializing in corporate, tax and real estate matters. In his role at AMC, he focuses primarily on corporate transactions and dispute resolution.

Connor graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1985 with a Bachelor's degree in English and history; received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1988; and earned an LLM in taxation from the University of Missouri–Kansas City in 1991.

Connor currently serves on the board of directors for the Foundation for Inclusive Religious Education, Brookside Soccer, and the Diocesan Community Foundation. In addition, he enjoys running, playing and coaching soccer and hockey, and playing tennis and platform tennis.

Connor lives in Kansas City, Mo. with his wife Anne, and their five children.

AMC Entertainment Inc.

Mike Czinege is chief information officer for AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC). He is responsible for AMC's information technology team and guides it to deliver quality technology initiatives.

Czinege began his AMC career in 2008 and has more than 30 years of experience in the technology and business consulting fields. Most recently, he served as chief information officer of Applebee's International, Inc. Prior to that, he was executive vice president of North American operations for Celerant Consulting and vice president of Cap Gemini Ernst & Young (CGEY). At CGEY, Czinege served as chief executive officer of the Telecommunications, Media and Network Outsourcing business. He has also held positions as a partner with Ernst & Young LLP where he serviced a number of large, multi-national clients, and as a partner at United Research, where he was responsible for its global consumer products and packaged goods practice.

He graduated from the University of Cincinnati with Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in business administration. He serves as a member of the Helzberg School of Management Advisory Board at Rockhurst University, while living in Kansas City, Mo., with his wife, Nancy, and children, Tyler, Megan and Todd.

AMC Entertainment Inc.

Elizabeth Frank is executive vice president and chief content & programming officer for AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC). She oversees the sourcing, scheduling and promotion of movies and diverse content in all of AMC's theatres, including studio partnerships, film buying, alternative and special content, and programming series. In addition, Frank also plays a key role in working with AMC's parent Company, The Wanda Group.

Frank began her AMC career in 2010 as senior vice president, strategy and strategic partnerships, where she was responsible for developing and managing AMC's partnerships and business ventures, as well as setting the overall strategic framework and long-range vision while working closely with the company's board of directors.

She has more than 20 years of experience developing and implementing growth strategies for organizations such as Time Warner and Viacom. Prior to joining AMC, as senior vice president, global programs for AmeriCares, she expanded the medical relief organization's program scope, globalized resource acquisition, and enhanced operational effectiveness. Before serving as vice president, corporate strategic planning for Time Warner, she spent nine years at McKinsey & Company as a partner serving media and consumer clients in the United States and Europe.

She currently serves on the board of directors for Open Road Films, (AMC's joint venture with Regal Entertainment) and AmeriCares. Frank graduated from Lehigh University with a bachelor's degree in business administration and received her Master of Business Administration from Harvard University.

Frank lives in the Kansas City area with her husband and three children.

AMC Entertainment Inc.

Robert J. Lenihan was appointed president of programming for AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC) in 2009. Lenihan oversees all of AMC's programming efforts, as well as the company's Century City office in Los Angeles, Calif. In addition, he leads the programming team, which explores new ways of enhancing the company's leading position in movie marketing and expanded programming flexibility.

Lenihan has 35 years of experience in the industry beginning as a film booker for United Artists Theatres in San Francisco. Prior to joining AMC, he served as senior vice president of film at Village Roadshow Gold Class Cinemas, and previous roles have included senior vice president and head film buyer positions at Mann Theatres, Act III Theatres, Century Theatres and Sundance Cinemas. He also served as executive vice president at Loews Cineplex from 1998 to 2002, supervising film, marketing and real estate.

Lenihan is a 1976 graduate of Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J. and currently resides in Manhattan Beach, Calif.

American Multi-Cinema, Inc.

John D. McDonald is executive vice president, U.S. Operations for American Multi-Cinema, Inc. (AMC). He has worked for AMC for more than 37 years and is responsible for overseeing all of the company's operations.

McDonald began his AMC career in 1975 as a film crew member. He was promoted to manager in 1976 and general manager in 1978. In 1983, he was promoted to the west division training director, and then he relocated to Florida to serve as operations manager for the southeast division in 1987. In 1992, McDonald relocated to Kansas City, Mo., to work in corporate operations and was promoted to senior vice president, corporate operations in 1995. Three years later, he became executive vice president of United States and Canada Operations prior to becoming executive vice president of United States Operations in 2009. He was named to his current position in 2011.

McDonald currently serves on the National Association Theatre Owners (NATO) advisory board, the NATO conventions task force, and as Chairman of the NATO technology committee. He attended California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, Calif. and lives in Leawood, Kan. with his wife, Sally, and their children, Michael, Nicholas, Elizabeth and Benjamin.

AMC Entertainment Inc.

Mark A. McDonald is executive vice president, development for AMC Entertainment Inc. He has worked for AMC for 34 years and oversees the company's development strategy while managing the real estate, design, properties, and construction and fixturing departments for the company.

McDonald began his career with the company as a part-time manager at AMC Puente 6 in City of Industry, Calif. He advanced to assistant director of operations for the west region in 1987 and vice president of finance in 1993. In 1995, he moved to Tokyo, Japan, to oversee AMC's Asia venture as senior vice president, Asia and was promoted to executive vice president, international operations and film in 1998. In 2009, he was named to his current position. During his career, McDonald has been involved with several innovative initiatives developed within the company, including the deployment of Self-Serve Box Office and Teleticketing systems in California during the late 1980s.

McDonald graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economic history in 1980 and from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a Master's degree in business administration in 1989.

He lives in Overland Park, Kan., with his wife Judy and their three children.

AMC Entertainment Inc.

Craig R. Ramsey, executive vice president and chief financial officer of AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC), oversees all financial areas of the company, including accounting, information systems, asset/liability management and investor relations.

Ramsey began his career with AMC in 1995 as director of financial reporting. He was promoted to vice president, finance in January 1997, to senior vice president in August 1998 and to chief financial officer in February 2000. Ramsey is a certified public accountant. His professional affiliations include membership in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Financial Executives Institute and the Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Ramsey graduated with distinction from the University of Kansas, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and business administration. He and his wife have been married for more than 40 years and have four grown children. They are current residents of the Kansas City area.

AMC Entertainment Inc

Christina Sternberg is senior vice president, corporate strategy for AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC) where she is responsible for the overall strategic framework and long-range vision for the company, and identifying and pursuing growth opportunities while working closely with the board of directors.

Sternberg began her 14-year career at AMC in 1998 as a controller, and following a series of steady promotions in the finance, legal and development departments, in 2012 she advanced to her current position. Christina is a member of AMC's senior leadership team. Under her leadership, AMC has developed and opened 40 theatres in more than 20 markets, mostly in the top 25 DMAs, including AMC's popular dine-in theatre concept.

She is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and Urban Land Institute.

Sternberg received an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University as well as a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California-Davis. She resides in Kansas City, Mo., with her husband of 14 years, Michael, and their three children, Dianna, Truman and Vivian.

AMC Entertainment Inc.

Keith P. Wiedenkeller is senior vice president and chief people officer for AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC). In this position, Wiedenkeller is responsible for all aspects of human resources including recruitment, diversity, training, organizational development, compensation & benefits, recognition, community relations, internal communication and employee relations.

Wiedenkeller started in "the movie business" as an usher in 1975. He began his career with AMC as a manager in 1985, working his way up through various operations, training and human resources roles before being named to his current role in 2002.

During his tenure at AMC, Wiedenkeller has been instrumental in developing and implementing a variety of ground-breaking initiatives. His efforts have earned the company numerous awards, including "Best Employer" recognition from the Missouri Governor's Council on Disability and the US Business Leadership Network, as well as "Best Place to Work" awards from Ingram's Magazine and the Kansas City Business Journal.

Wiedenkeller earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Missouri–Kansas City and is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). He currently serves as president and founding member of the Business Leadership Network of Greater Kansas City and is on the Board of Directors of the US Business Leadership Network. His insights on human resources are regularly featured in Film Journal International magazine. He is also a top-ranked speaker, presenting on HR topics at numerous local, state and national seminars and conferences.

Wiedenkeller resides in the Kansas City area with his wife of 28 years, and "way too many" dogs.

AMC Entertainment Inc.

Michael W. Zwonitzer is senior vice president of finance for AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC), where he oversees AMC's financial planning, research and analysis functions, as well as investor relations.

Zwonitzer began his AMC career in 1998 as manager of financial reporting. He became manager of finance in November 2000, was promoted to the director role in 2002 and then named vice president in September 2004 before advancing to his current position of senior vice president in 2009.

During his tenure, Zwonitzer has been involved in numerous financial initiatives, including acquisitions of the General Cinemas and Loews and Kerasotes theatre chains as well as the company's transition from being publicly traded to privately held.

Zwonitzer graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Missouri in 1994. He is a member of Financial Executives International and lives in Kansas City, Missouri.