Mariners President of Operations Catie Griggs Headlines Albers Executive Speaker Series This Spring

Wednesday, April 27, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Pigott Auditorium and livestreamed on YouTube

The Albers Executive Speaker Series will be welcoming Catie Griggs, president of business operations for the Seattle Mariners. The event, which will also be livestreamed on YouTube, is free and open to the public. Sign up on the registration page to save a seat and/or get e-mail updates.

Griggs will be speaking about "The New Return on Experience (ROE): Redefining the Fan Experience." Under her leadership, the Mariners have brought a laser focus to creating the best fan experience in Major League Baseball. Griggs spearheaded the creation of the Mariners first-ever Vice President of Fan Experience to give centralized, executive-level oversight to all elements of the fan experience from the time they purchase a ticket to their trip home after a game.

Among this year’s fan-friend features of Mariners Baseball are low prices that make it possible for a fan to come to a game, get a ticket, hot dog and beer for under $20. There’s also better flow on concourses and upgraded WiFi to improve the fans’ streaming experience. Griggs’ goal through these and other measures is to drive the greatest REO – return on experience – in professional sports.

About Catie Griggs

Griggs was named President of Business Operations for the Seattle Mariners on July 27, 2021. In that role, she is responsible for all aspects of the Mariners business operations. With the exception of Jerry Dipoto and Baseball Operations, the Mariners Executive Vice Presidents and Sr. Vice Presidents report to Griggs and form the senior leadership team of the organization.

Prior to joining the Mariners, Griggs spent four years (2017-2021) helping build Atlanta United into one of the premier Major League Soccer franchises. She was Chief Business Officer, overseeing all aspects of the Atlanta United front office, including the strategic decisions leading to the record-setting attendance, matchday production and operations in and around Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the team’s supporter groups and broadcasting. 

She also directed the team’s community relations efforts, overseeing $2.5 million in donations and more than 22,000 volunteer hours in support of community events in 2019, and proactively pursued efforts to increase the diversity within the club front office and its efforts in the community and in growing fan base.

In 2019, the Atlanta United was named Sports Team of the Year, while its home, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, received Sports Facility of the Year at the Sports Business Awards; MLS Marketing Team of the Year, PR Team of the Year and Social Team of the Year; and Atlanta Sports Council’s Team of the Year.
In 2017, Griggs was named a Sports Business Journal Game Changer, an annual award that honors women leaders across all aspects of sports business.

Prior to joining Atlanta United, Griggs was with Futures Sport & Entertainment, a cross-platform global media and sponsorships analytics consultancy that is part of the Interpublic Group of Agencies. She launched the firm’s Americas operations in 2015 and led it to significant growth prior to her departure. She came to Futures Sport & Entertainment after five years at Turner Broadcasting where she served in various roles, including strategy, business operations, strategic partnerships and business development, and media rights negotiations.

 A North Carolina native, Griggs received her B.A. (in Government) from Dartmouth College and her MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. She and her husband, Justin, have two children.

About Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners play in the Western Division of Major League Baseball’s American League. Founded in 1977, the Mariners play home games at T-Mobile Park, next to Seattle’s busy working waterfront, the historic Pioneer Square and Chinatown International District neighborhoods, and SODO urban industrial zone. Since it opened in 1999, the ballpark has earned praise as one of the best ballparks in baseball with outstanding sightlines and fan-friendly amenities. The Mariners are looking to continue the momentum of the 90-win 2021 season with one of the youngest rosters in baseball and MLB’s #1 ranked minor league system.

About the Albers Executive Speaker Series

Since 2002, the Albers School of Business and Economics has organized the Albers Executive Speaker Series, live panels featuring top business leaders from the Puget Sound Area. Guests talk about a topic of their choice and respond to questions from a panel and the audience. The Speaker Series is yet another way Albers is committed to build student connections with the Seattle business community. Past speakers include Howard Schultz (Starbucks), Jim Sinegal (Costco Wholesale), Alan Mulally (Ford), Denise Morrison (Campbell Soup) and Charlie Munger (Berkshire Hathaway).

The event is usually held at Seattle University's Pigott Auditorium. Attendance is free and open to the public.

In 2020, in response to COVID-19, the Executive Speaker Series debuted a podcast version called The Leadership Playbook. Listen to the episodes for free on The Leadership Playbook page or wherever you get your podcasts.