Major League Baseball (MLB) in the US has announced a series of activities to continue its support for diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the sport, for the fourth consecutive year. Its Baseball Winter meeting will kick off on Friday 6th December at Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, California, and finish Wednesday 11th December 2019.
“We are excited to once again present our Diversity & Inclusion as a key component of the Winter Meetings,” stated Corey Smith, Senior Director of D&I, Major League Baseball. “We debuted our Supplier Diversity Programme in 1998, and since then, we have fostered and nurtured a pipeline of diverse talent and businesses that has proven to be successful for Major League Baseball, our Clubs and our affiliates.
“We continue to proudly operate the longest-running Supplier Diversity Programme in all major sports, and we look forward to continue connecting businesses with underrepresented groups across the United States and beyond.”
Activities include initiatives to elevate women into the pipeline of ‘on-field’ roles, a leadership programme to develop existing female employees, as well as an annual business supplier summit that has accelerated spending between MLB & MLB Clubs with diverse-owned businesses.
The meeting will also include some ‘members only’ activities, such as the annual leadership programme designed to foster the development of existing women baseball employees, a new focusing on workforce diversity best practices, and the orientation of a new internship initiative for former MLB & MiLB players. Events include:
Take The Field Programme
Take The Field, running for the second consecutive year, is specifically designed to provide women who are interested in coaching, scouting and player development careers in baseball. They also get the opportunity to engage with Club staff through panels, breakout sessions and networking sessions.
Additionally, attendees can participate in professional development sessions, including mock interviews. Notable baseball representatives leading discussions and breakout sessions, include the recently promoted Rachel Balkovec (Minor League Hitting Instructor, New York Yankees), Rachel Folden (AZL Lead Lab Tech & 4th/Hitting Coach, Chicago Cubs) and Eve Rosenbaum (Director of Baseball Development, Baltimore Orioles), among many others, confirmed MLB.
UNFILTERED SERIES
For the third consecutive year, MLB’s D&I department will host the UNFILTERED SERIES, which will provide opportunities to learn from diverse representation within Baseball. MLB Network’s Fran Charles will lead the ‘Diversity at the Top’ conversation, which will feature diverse and high-ranking Baseball executives, including Raquel Ferreira (Boston Red Sox), Billy Owens (Oakland A’s), Jean Afterman (New York Yankees), and Shiraz Rehman (Texas Rangers). ESPN’s Eduardo Perez will lead the ‘GM Chronicles with Farhan Zaidi (San Francisco Giants)’ as he shares his journey and insights from his career in baseball.
Supplier Diversity Summit & Diversity Pipeline Programme
The Diversity Pipeline Programme was introduced by Baseball Commissioner Robert D Manfred Junior, in January of 2016 as a joint effort between MLB and its 30 Clubs to identify, hire and grow the pool of qualified women and persons of colour in baseball operations, front office and on-field roles. Tyrone Brooks, leads the Diversity Pipeline Programme at MLB, and is supported by an advisory board of members of various MLB Clubs and the Office of Commissioner. More than 140 people have been recruited since the programme started.
Workforce Diversity Best Practices Saturday
MLB will debut its new ‘Workforce Diversity Best Practices’ programme, which will host HR representatives from all 30 Clubs to participate in sessions geared towards promoting and supporting an inclusive environment that proactively supports the diversity of its workforce to enhance MLB’s businesses and brand, worldwide. Sessions include topics such as Unconscious Bias, Relationship Building and Recruiting Best Practices.
Katy Feeney Leadership Symposium
Heading into its third consecutive year, the Katy Feeney Leadership Symposium focuses on career advancement for existing women executives in baseball. Over the last few years, 76 women have participated in the Kate Feeney Leadership Programme, coming from various facets of the business including Baseball Operations, Marketing, Community Relations, HR, Legal and Communications. The event, administered by the Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Education Programme, is held in honour of Katy Feeney, who was an influential baseball executive throughout her 40-year career. The invitation-only guest list includes women from all 30 MLB Clubs, its central office and network.
Diversity Pipeline Programme: Former Player Internship Orientation
The MLB Player Programmes and the Diversity Pipeline Programme are jointly sponsoring the new ‘Former Player Internship Orientation,’ a six-month initiative designed to provide former Major & Minor League players from diverse backgrounds, with a foundation for transitioning from the playing field to front office and on-field roles, including managing and coaching. With about two-thirds of the Clubs participating in this pilot programme for the 2020 season, MLB will host a day-long orientation programme where individuals can learn from the Club and Office of the Commissioner personnel (executives, MLB & MiLB Managers/Coaches, MLB General Managers & Scouts) about various aspects of working in baseball, including front office, scouting and coaching, to aid their transition into post-playing careers.
Click here for more information about the MLB Winter Meeting schedule.
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