Steve Poppen enters his 15th season with the Vikings in 2013, currently serving as Vice President of Finance & Chief Financial Officer. Poppen, who joined the Vikings in 1999, is responsible for all financial aspects of the team, including business planning, budgeting, day-to-day financial and administrative operations, human resources, information technology, facilities, and new stadium project financing.
Over the last several years, Poppen played a leadership role in the Vikings attempts to pass new stadium legislation, an exhaustive effort that culminated with Governor Mark Dayton signing the stadium bill into law on May 14, 2012. Moving forward, Poppen will lead the Vikings financing efforts for the new publicly-owned and operated stadium to be built in Downtown East Minneapolis. As part of the Vikings stadium team, he will work closely with the newly-formed Stadium Authority on the design and construction of the facility and will focus largely on the team’s $477 million private commitment to the project.
Steve Poppen enters his 15th season with the Vikings in 2013, currently serving as Vice President of Finance & Chief Financial Officer. Poppen, who joined the Vikings in 1999, is responsible for all financial aspects of the team, including business planning, budgeting, day-to-day financial and administrative operations, human resources, information technology, facilities, and new stadium project financing.
Over the last several years, Poppen played a leadership role in the Vikings attempts to pass new stadium legislation, an exhaustive effort that culminated with Governor Mark Dayton signing the stadium bill into law on May 14, 2012. Moving forward, Poppen will lead the Vikings financing efforts for the new publicly-owned and operated stadium to be built in Downtown East Minneapolis. As part of the Vikings stadium team, he will work closely with the newly-formed Stadium Authority on the design and construction of the facility and will focus largely on the team’s $477 million private commitment to the project.
A native of Watertown, SD, Poppen spent eight years before joining the Vikings as a Certified Public Accountant in the business assurance group of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Kansas City. In 2006, Poppen participated in the NFL-Stanford Program for Managers at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, a program developed by the NFL to promote growth of leaders within the League. Poppen helped engineer the dramatic renovations to Winter Park during the 2006 off-season that featured a total remake of the locker room and equipment facilities and an upgrade of the athletic training areas. In 2009, he joined the NFL’s Green Committee to enhance environmental awareness among clubs. Poppen has been key in the Vikings Planet Purple initiatives to operate the franchise in a more Earth-friendly way.
Poppen received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Evangel University in Springfield, MO, in 1991. An active member of his community, Poppen served on the board of Minnesota Teen Challenge, a faith-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation program for Minnesota adults and teens, from 2002-2012. Poppen sits on the Executive Committee of the Minneapolis Downtown Council board, an organization promoting business development in downtown Minneapolis, and he holds a position with the Minnesota State Fair Foundation board of directors, including serving as the chair of the Audit Committee. The State Fair Foundation was created to preserve and improve the historic Minnesota State Fair buildings and grounds and support State Fair educational, scientific and agricultural programs. Poppen also served on the Entertainment Subcommittee of the Downtown
2025 working group of Minneapolis civic and business leaders focused on a progressive future for downtown. Since the public rollout of the Downtown 2025 Plan, Poppen has been given a role on the group’s Implementation Committee.
Poppen and his wife, Christy, who holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Evangel, have four children – Natalie, Andrew, Nathan and Avery. The Poppen family resides in Chanhassen.
