Kim Pegula is a Buffalo sports owner whose career connects the NFL, NHL, business leadership, and one of Western New York’s best-known sports families. As of 2026, official team pages list her as an owner of both the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres. Her story also includes a historic executive run and an ongoing recovery after a life-changing medical emergency in 2022. Elsewhere on the site: Jeffrey Donovan.
| Quick fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Kim S. Pegula, née Kerr |
| Born | June 7, 1969, in Seoul, South Korea |
| Age in 2026 | 57 |
| Raised | Fairport, New York |
| Education | Houghton College, communications degree, 1991 |
| Husband | Terry Pegula, married in 1993 |
| Family | Michael, Laura, Jessica, Kelly, and Matthew |
| Current sports role | Owner of the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres |
| Historic achievement | First woman to serve as president of both an NFL and NHL team |
Direct answer: Pegula is a South Korean-born American sports owner who co-owns the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres with her husband, Terry. She previously became the first woman to serve as president of both an NFL and NHL team. Since a 2022 cardiac arrest and brain injury, she has remained in long-term recovery.
Kim Pegula health update: What happened in 2022?
On June 7, 2022, she suffered sudden cardiac arrest at home, according to the NFL Foundation and later family disclosures. Her daughter Jessica later said oxygen loss caused a brain injury that affected memory and expressive language. Kelly Pegula performed CPR until emergency help arrived, a response the family credits with saving her mother’s life.
Recovery has been long-term rather than a quick return to executive duties. ESPN reported in 2024 that Terry had taken over as president of both teams while she continued recovering. In August 2026, she made a rare public appearance at new Highmark Stadium with Terry and their son Matthew.
People reported that the August 8 appearance was her first known public outing in more than two years. She walked across the field, held Terry’s hand, and stood for photographs with her family. Her family has not announced a detailed medical prognosis, and no further update has been made public.
Early life, adoption, and education
Born in Seoul, South Korea, on June 7, 1969, she was adopted at age five by Ralph and Marilyn Kerr. She grew up in Fairport, New York, near Rochester, and later attended Houghton College. She graduated in 1991 with a degree in communications, laying the foundation for her later business career.
She started working at East Resources in 1991 and remained involved with the company until its sale in 2010. She married Terry Pegula in 1993, two years after beginning her professional career. Her path from communications graduate to major sports owner developed through years inside the family’s expanding business interests. More from us: Nancy Shevell.
How she became a Buffalo sports owner
The couple entered professional sports ownership in 2011 when they purchased the Buffalo Sabres. Three years later, they became the second ownership group in Bills history, buying the NFL franchise for $1.4 billion. Those acquisitions placed the family at the center of professional football and hockey in Western New York.
Her responsibilities eventually went far beyond holding an ownership stake. In 2018, she became the first woman to serve as president of both an NFL and NHL franchise. She also served on several NFL committees and participated in league efforts related to business, major events, foundations, workplace diversity, and inclusion.
Her career represents a different side of professional sports from the athletes fans usually follow. For another career-focused sports profile, Notepare’s Jeremie Frimpong feature follows the development of an elite football player. Together, these stories show how sports careers can develop both on the field and within the organizations that surround competition.
What is her role with the Bills and Sabres today?
Her current title can cause confusion because older official profiles and search results still show previous executive positions. The current Bills staff page lists her as Owner, while Terry’s current page lists him as Owner/CEO/President. The current Sabres ownership page also identifies her as an owner of both franchises.
That structure differs from the active executive position she held before the 2022 medical emergency. Terry assumed the presidency while she focused on recovery, according to ESPN’s reporting on team activities. She remains an important part of the franchise’s ownership history even though day-to-day leadership has changed.
Terry Pegula, Jessica Pegula, and the family
She and Terry have built a family with deep connections to professional sports. The official Sabres biography lists Michael, Laura, Jessica, Kelly, and Matthew as the family’s five children. Recent reporting also identifies Jessica, Kelly, and Matthew as the children the couple share.
Jessica became a leading professional tennis player and reached the 2024 US Open final. Kelly became central to the family’s medical story after performing CPR during her mother’s cardiac arrest. For another NFL-centered family profile, Notepare’s Shannon Sharpe family guide looks at the personal side of a familiar football figure.
Wealth and where the Pegula fortune came from
Reliable financial sources do not provide a clear, separate personal fortune for the Bills co-owner. Forbes currently values Terry Pegula’s wealth at about $9.3 billion as of September 3, 2026. That figure should not be presented as a verified individual net worth for his wife simply because the couple shares major business and sports assets.
The family fortune has its roots in the energy industry rather than professional sports. Terry founded East Resources in 1983, and Forbes says most of its assets were sold to Royal Dutch Shell for $4.7 billion in 2010. The family then expanded its investments in sports, including the Sabres purchase in 2011 and the Bills acquisition in 2014.
Her impact on Buffalo and the new Highmark Stadium
Her influence on Buffalo sports remains visible in the new Highmark Stadium. Recent reporting says she took part in the stadium’s early planning before her 2022 medical emergency. Terry publicly acknowledged her contribution during the June 2026 ribbon-cutting ceremony, months before her August visit to the completed venue.
The family has also backed major sports projects beyond the professional franchises. The official Sabres biography says the Pegulas donated $102 million toward Penn State’s Pegula Ice Arena and $12 million for Houghton’s Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex. Those projects connect their sports ownership with college athletics and the communities tied to both universities.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kim Pegula’s net worth?
There is no widely verified standalone figure from a major financial publication. Forbes values Terry Pegula at about $9.3 billion as of September 3, 2026, but that is his listed fortune. Treating the same figure as his wife’s individual wealth would overstate what the public financial data establishes.
How old is she in 2026?
She was born on June 7, 1969, which makes her 57 years old in September 2026. She was born in Seoul, South Korea, and moved to New York after being adopted at age 5. She was raised primarily in Fairport before attending Houghton College.
Does she still own the Buffalo Bills?
Yes, the current Buffalo Bills staff page lists her as an owner. She also remains identified as an owner of the Buffalo Sabres on the NHL club’s official site. Terry now carries the Bills’ CEO and president titles that were once part of her active executive responsibilities.
What is the latest public update on her recovery?
The clearest recent public development came in August 2026, when she attended a team event at the new Highmark Stadium. People reported that she walked onto the field with Terry and Matthew and posed for photographs. Beyond that reported appearance, her family has not shared details about her long-term medical outlook.
Her life story now covers business, historic sports leadership, family, community investment, and a difficult recovery that has changed her public role. Readers who want more profiles of athletes and sports personalities can explore Notepare’s sports coverage for related stories. That keeps the focus on verified careers, families, and developments rather than unsupported online claims.
