Major League Baseball announced its inaugural Diversity Fellowship Program on Thursday afternoon. The program is designed to identify talented and diverse professionals and place them in baseball operations departments.
Twenty-two fellows were selected in the first class, and they will be placed either in the Commissioner's Office or in a team's front office. This season, 18 MLB clubs have fellows joining their staffs. Other MLB teams have their own programs designed to find diverse talent as well.
The fellowship is a part of the Front Office and Field Diversity Pipeline Program. Fellows commit to a lengthy employment in their respective locations. Those selected to the Commissioner's Office will rotate in a three-year process that includes one year of International Operations, one year of working with the Umpiring and On-field Rules and Regulations Department, and one year within the League Economics Department.
Fellows working with one of the 18 club front offices will spend at least 18 months with the organization. They will help assist in baseball operations and learn on a day-to-day basis. All fellows were chosen from diverse backgrounds and are recent graduates. Each are just entering the workforce and represent communities across the United States, Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
"Our Fellowship Program has already accomplished its primary function to secure young, career-focused talent who diversify our front-office ranks and also come with a wide array of experiences and backgrounds," MLB chief diversity and inclusion officer Renee Tirado said.
The program will help mentor the young professionals during each step of the process. Many fellows will build on skill sets developed through previous internships, employment and sports leadership roles.
"The Commissioner's Office and our clubs will now look to mentor and guide the individuals to what we hope are long, prosperous careers in baseball," Tirado said. "We are looking forward to their many great contributions to our sport."
Listed below are the fellows and where they will be working in the Diversity Fellowship Program:
Katherine Krall, Office of the Commissioner
Hometown: Park Ridge, Ill.
Krall is a student from Northwestern University and has professional experience working in baseball operations for the Cape Cod Baseball League and as student promotions coordinator. She also was involved with strategic planning of the Chicago Cubs' World Series trophy tour.
Cristian Perez, Office of the Commissioner
Hometown: Miami
Perez has experience serving in baseball operations as an intern with the D-backs. He completed his master's degree in digital and social media at the University of Southern California. Perez also attended Duke University and earned his bachelor's in sociology with a minor in economics. He starred on Duke's baseball team and was an All-ACC Academic Team selection.
Alex Lorenzo, Arizona Diamondbacks
Hometown: Miami
Lorenzo is a graduate of Loyola University in New Orleans, and he has experience as a baseball operations intern with the D-backs. He is also the younger brother of Red Sox sssistant director of international scouting Adrian Lorenzo.
Chad Tatum, Baltimore Orioles
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
Tatum is a graduate of Rice University and has work experience through the sports ticketing and experience company Official Fan Package. He also was an infielder on the Rice University baseball team.
Katie Carlson, Chicago Cubs
Hometown: Carlsbad, Calif.
Carlson has had internships at several baseball stops. She was a national team coordinator for the 2017 World Baseball Classic and an operations supervisor for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League. Carlson is a Stanford University graduate.
Nelson Spencer, Cleveland Indians
Hometown: Atlanta
Spencer has experience working as a senior analyst, data strategy and analytics with Major League Soccer. He also worked for SocialCode and STATS LLC. He interned with three MLB clubs and is a graduate of Elmhurst College and the University of Massachusetts.
Brittany Haby, Colorado Rockies
Hometown: Helotes, Texas
Haby is a graduate of Trinity University and recently worked as an NFL media next-generation stats researcher. She also spent some time as a research and development intern with Sports Info Solutions.
Maggie O'Hara, Detroit Tigers
Hometown: Barrington, Ill.
O'Hara has experience working with the Tigers. She was a baseball operations analytics intern and had a hand in helping with design, development and testing of data and support systems. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago and was a captain on her college softball team.
Daniel Dasgupta, Houston Astros
Hometown: New Rochelle, N.Y.
Dasgupta is a graduate of Skidmore College and served in the Skidmore College athletic community as a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. He also was the captain of the baseball team in 2016 and '17.
Albert Gilbert, Los Angeles Dodgers
Hometown: Oakland
Gilbert has experience as an associate at Morgan, Lewis and Bockius in San Francisco. He also spent time as an assistant district attorney for the city of San Francisco. He has a master's degree from Harvard Law School and a bachelor's degree from Stanford.
Benjamin Wong, Miami Marlins
Hometown: San Jose, Calif.
Wong is a graduate of Grinnell College and was a three-year starter on the baseball team. He has experience as a research assistant in economics and was a business and sales development representative at VirtualPBX.
Jason Davis, New York Mets
Hometown: Atlanta
Davis is a graduate of Morehouse College and was a team captain on the school's baseball team. He was selected by the Diversity Pipeline Program to attend the 2018 SABR Analytics Conference in Phoenix.
Amanda Brady, New York Yankees
Hometown: California, Md.
Brady has experience working as an intern with the Phillies in their ticket services department. She also spent a summer as an analyst intern for Mantech International developing ideas for aircraft readiness. She is a graduate of Villanova University.
Francis Scimeca, Philadelphia Phillies
Hometown: Temple Terrace, Fla.
Scimeca is a graduate of Wake Forest University and was recently the head of video and data for the Wake Forest University baseball team. He also built player development plans and spent summers working for AT&T.
Michael Landestoy, Pittsburgh Pirates
Hometown: Santo Domingo, D.R.
Landestoy has been around baseball for a long time. He is the son of former big league infielder Rafael Landestoy, and he spent a summer internship with the Mets Baseball Academy in 2014. He is a graduate of Texas Christian University.
Rohanna Pacheco, San Diego Padres
Hometown: Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela
Pancheo is a graduate of the University of Houston-Victoria and received a bachelor's degree in computer information systems. Pancheo is skilled in software development and information technology.
Samantha Schultz, San Diego Padres
Hometown: Grass Valley, CA
Schultz has experience working with the Saint Mary's University baseball team, conducting analytical research. She also served as a Junior Giants ambassador and is a graduate of Columbia University master's program. She got her bachelors from Saint Mary's.
Troy Marrow, San Francisco Giants
Hometown: Lutherville, Md.
Marrow has experience as a USA Baseball coordinator for the Tournament of Stars and the 18U national team program. He was a student-athlete at North Carolina Central, where he earned bachelor's and master's degrees.
Anthony Ortiz, Seattle Mariners
Hometown: Bridgeville, Ill.
Ortiz is a graduate student-athlete of Lawrence University and has a bachelor's degree in chemistry. He has experience working with the Baseball Institute, where he was a metrics testing representative and instructor.
Danielle Dockx, Tampa Bay Rays
Hometown: Phoenix
Dockx is a graduate of Princeton University and was a captain of the school's softball team. She worked as a marketing assistant with the Princeton athletic department and spent a summer as a researching assistant for Stoddard Lab, conducting research on hummingbirds.
Mark Watson, Tampa Bay Rays
Hometown: Orlando, Fla.
Watson is a graduate of Jackson State University and was a captain on the baseball team. He is currently enrolled in the school's MBA program and will attend the 2018 SABR Analytics Conference in Phoenix.
Virginia Poulson, Toronto Blue Jays
Hometown: Waukesha, Wis.
Poulson is a graduate of Arizona State. She has spent six years as a reporter covering live sporting events, including the College World Series, NCAA baseball regionals and Arizona Fall League, among others.