B
aseball’s leadership ranks both on and off the field, like those of many other sports, are often criticized for being too white and too male. But Renée Tirado, MLB vice president of talent and head of diversity and inclusion, is on the front lines seeking to make the sport look more like the rest of society.
Renée Tirado
MLB // Vice president, talent, and head of inclusion and diversity
Overseeing the league’s diversity and inclusion strategy, Tirado has played an integral role in helping MLB begin to expand its base of talent. Among her more recent efforts is the creation of a fellowship program aimed at recruiting diverse talent for entry-level positions at each of the 30 clubs.
“This isn’t about just changing numbers on a [Richard] Lapchick report, but truly developing the next generation of leaders for the sport,” Tirado said. “Soon enough, I do think we’re going to start to see the needle move in baseball.”
Tirado is still something of a newcomer to baseball, having been with MLB less than two years following stops at AIG, the U.S. Tennis Association and the National Basketball Retired Players Association. But she credited the commitment of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to go far beyond any sort of lip service or mere appearance to the cause of diversity and give her the authority and resources to create large-scale initiatives.
“I’ve been given a lot of room to do things that are really out of the box,” Tirado said. “Every company is having these kinds of conversations, but we are looking to truly walk the walk.”
— Eric Fisher
