Milwaukee Brewers
Marti Wronski was promoted in December to her current role as the Milwaukee Brewers COO, at the time becoming the only woman to carry that title for an MLB club. Wronski said her first few days in the new gig were no different than any of the previous — but it didn’t stay that way for long.
“All of a sudden,” she said, “new conversations open and new things come out of the woodwork in terms of people reaching out to you and opportunities coming your direction.”
There is perhaps no one better than Wronski to field those inquiries. Now in her 20th season with the Brewers after ascending from a part-time in-house counsel to the club’s most senior management team, Wronski is known for her infectious work ethic, welcoming disposition and institutional knowledge in Milwaukee.
“Anyone who’s ever sat in a room with Marti knows that she’s going to have no problem running the Brewers from a top seat,” said Billy Bean, MLB’s senior vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion. “She’s a force of nature.”
As COO, Wronski has continued to oversee the club’s legal, information technology and human resources departments while adding responsibility for its business analytics and strategy team. In May, she added Mark Schlifske as vice president of business analytics as she looks to bolster the club’s efforts there.
“Every single day for the rest of my career, I will say there’s so much still to be done,” Wronski said, laughing. “The day that I say, ‘We did it,’ you should replace me. But our teams are so ready for it. So we’re just having a great time with it. Lots to do still, but we’re having a great time with it.” — Erik Bacharach
Marti Wronski
Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, Milwaukee Brewers
Born: Neenah, Wis.
Education: St. Norbert College, B.A., journalism, and honorary doctorate; University of Wisconsin Law School (J.D.)
Family: Spouse, Andrew; children, Jonah (21), Luke (20), Sam (18) and Charlie (15)
More about Marti
Something that instantly makes my day better: A smile from my boys.
Advice to my younger self: Trust yourself and be patient.
If I did not work in sports, I would be in: My parents are both teachers and fostered in me a fundamental respect for and admiration of educators. If I did not work in sports, I would pursue a career in academia (and some day I will definitely write a book, topic TBD).
Person in sports business I’d most like to meet: Julie Uhrman, co-founder and president of Angel City. I am fascinated by the vision of this organization and the passion, authenticity and joy this franchise has been so successful in generating in an incredibly short period of time. The energy behind the franchise is unmatched, the authenticity of the brand is refreshing, and the passion demanded by the team is contagious.
I wish I’d known at my career’s start: That there is no one “right” or “best” path from Point A to Point B, and while it is valuable to identify role models and to acknowledge best practices, at the end of the day, no two paths are the same. You have to believe in yourself enough to march to your own drum and to be resilient in finding your own way from A to B.
