Oakland A's - SOLD OUT!

7000 Coliseum Way
Oakland, CA 94621

Thursday, July 30, 2015
5 pm

The Oakland Athletics, Harvard Business School Alumni Association of Northern California and the Harvard Club of San Francisco cordially invite you and a guest to an exciting night at the ballpark with the A’s. The event includes a pre-game field visit to watch batting practice at the O.co Coliseum, a reception in the Owner’s Suite, and food and drink while you watch the A’s take on the Cleveland Indians from the Owner’s Suite overlooking first base.

We are pleased to have members of the A’s executive team, including Harvard alumni, join the event for an informal discussion/Q&A in the owner’s suite before the game. The event will feature A’s President Michael Crowley, A’s Assistant General Manager Dan Kantrovitz, Harvard University master’s in statistics class of 2009, A’s Vice President of Venue Development Keith Wolff, HBS class of 1993, and A’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing Jim Leahey, HBS class of 1993. This exclusive event is being held for HBSA/NC and HCSF, and will include a premium food and drink package in the suite.

The A’s are looking to qualify for the postseason for the fourth consecutive season.

Cost: $195 / member (HCSF members may bring one guest at the member price. $390 for two tickets). Includes Game Ticket.

NO REFUNDS!

Tickets are limited based on the field and suite capacity and available until SOLD OUT or July 1st.

Event Organizer: Sean Jacobsohn '98

Michael Crowley
President

 
Michael Crowley, one of the top executives in professional sports today, enters his 18th year with the Athletics' organization and his 17th as team president. He was named to his current position Sept. 28, 1998, and his tenure as president is the longest in Oakland history.

A limited partner in the Athletics ownership group, Crowley is responsible for the overall day-to-day functioning of the Athletics' organization both on the business and baseball sides of the operation, working directly with owner and managing partner Lew Wolff.

Crowley also serves as managing director of Major League Soccer's San Jose Earthquakes. He led the Earthquakes' first-year launch in 2008, and assisted in the team's building of Avaya Stadium, a new state-of-the-art, soccer-only stadium in San Jose that was opened in March, 2015.

After spending three years in the San Jose office of Price Waterhouse and nine years with I.C.I./Fuller O'Brien Paints, Crowley joined the Athletics organization in July 1997 as vice president and chief financial officer. Considered a key figure in the A's resurgence as one of baseball's elite franchises, Crowley has been committed to fielding a championship caliber team with homegrown talent. He works closely with General Manager Billy Beane on key player decisions and issues relating to the baseball operations' overall objectives and philosophies.

Crowley developed a business model with goals and objectives designed to provide an affordable entertainment product on the field, as well as delivering the absolute highest levels of customer service to fans attending games at the O.co Coliseum. While Crowley stays involved with all aspects of the organization's business affairs, including finance, sales, marketing, public relations and community affairs, he has been at the forefront of building an outstanding team that continues to deliver premium value.

Crowley also serves on Major League Baseball's International Committee.

The A's president also perpetuates the Athletics' tradition of commitment to the greater community.

Under his leadership, the A's organization continues to be active in the Oakland community and surrounding areas. The Oakland A's Community Fund supports charitable organizations in their efforts to improve educational programs, aid the underprivileged, assist in crime prevention, and service children, seniors and those who work to improve the quality of life throughout the Bay Area.

In 1999, Crowley and his wife, Kathy, were the driving force behind Breast Cancer Awareness Day, which has raised $1.4 million for the American Cancer Society over the last 15 years. Crowley has also served on the Bay Area's Board of Trustees of KIPP schools, which aims to create a respected, influential and nationwide family of schools that are successful in helping educationally underserved students develop the knowledge, skills and character to succeed in college and the competitive world beyond. He also served on the board of top business executives and community leaders which attempted to land the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in the Bay Area. Recently, Crowley has been named to the advisory board for the Institute of Sports Law and Ethics, as well as the President's Intercollegiate Athletics Commission at Santa Clara University.

A native Californian, the 51-year-old Crowley graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1985 with a degree in business administration with an emphasis in accounting. He earned his MBA from Duke's Fuqua School of Business in 1992. In November of 2002, Crowley was named one of Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal's "40 Under 40," honoring the nation's top sport executives under the age of 40.

Michael resides in Los Gatos, Calif. with his wife, Kathy. The Crowleys have three children.

Keith Wolff
Vice President, Venue Development

 
Keith Wolff enters his tenth year as vice president, venue development for the A's, while also retaining his position as President of Wolff Urban Development, a real estate development, acquisition and management company based in West Los Angeles and the Bay Area. In his role with the A's, he is responsible for the daily efforts in the team's quest to secure a baseball-only facility in the Bay Area. Wolff also recently completed the development of a new state-of-the-art 18,000-seat soccer specific stadium for the San Jose Earthquakes MLS team located in San Jose, California.

Wolff has more than 20 years of experience within the real estate industry with an emphasis on hotel, office, industrial and retail project assets. He has an extensive background in all facets of commercial real estate, including property acquisition, entitlement, development, leasing, repositioning and disposition.

Wolff graduated magna cum laude from the University of the Pacific with a bachelor's of science degree in business administration. He received his master's degree in business administration from Harvard University in 1993.

Dan Kantrovitz
Assistant General Manager

 
Dan Kantrovitz enters his first season as assistant general manager and his fourth in the A's organization. He is involved in all aspects of the A's baseball operations department with a primary focus on overseeing statistical analysis for evaluating and targeting players in the amateur draft, free agent and trade markets.

Kantrovitz previously worked with the A's from 2009-11 with responsibilities in international operations and baseball operations analysis. He joined the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012 as director of scouting, and spent three seasons in that role before returning to the A's. Kantrovitz began his front office career with the Cardinals in 2004 and held various duties in baseball operations before joining the A's in 2009.

Prior to working in baseball, Kantrovitz was twice an all-Ivy League shortstop at Brown University, where he received a bachelor's degree in organizational behavior and management in 2001. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the 25th round of the 2001 MLB draft. After a shoulder injury shortened his professional career, he worked as an investment banking analyst and for a company providing statistical analysis to major league teams. Kantrovitz received a master's degree in statistics from Harvard University in 2009.

Kantrovitz, 36, and his wife, Brenna, reside in Oakland with their daughters, Lily (4) and Vida (2).

Jim Leahey
Vice President, Sales and Marketing

 
Jim Leahey enters his ninth season with the Oakland Athletics as vice president, sales and marketing. He leads the team's sales and marketing efforts, including corporate partnerships, tickets, advertising, and promotions. Under his direction, the Athletics have won multiple awards for their advertising campaigns. The most recent campaign, "Green Collar Baseball," won a 2013 National Sports Forum's ADchievement Overall Award of Excellence and first place in the television category. Leahey is spearheading the organization's efforts to deliver exceptional value through an outstanding fan experience. The club has enjoyed five consecutive seasons of increased attendance, exceeding two million in attendance in 2014.

Prior to joining the A's, Leahey spent 14 years with Sony Corporation, working in product development, marketing and general management roles. Spending time in Sony's US and global operations, he worked in Latin America as general manager and country manager of Sony Peru, and in the United States as general manager and vice president of the Peripherals and Enhancements (accessories) Group. Leahey joined the A's in December of 2006.

A native of Rhode Island, Leahey earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Brown University in 1988 and his master's in business administration from the Harvard Business School. Jim resides in Danville, Calif. with his wife, Kira, and their three children.