Trailblazing Sports Executive Catie Griggs D’03, T’09 to Deliver 2025 Tuck Investiture Address

Delivering this year’s Investiture address is Catie Griggs D’03, T’09, president of business operations for the Baltimore Orioles. Griggs, a native of North Carolina who found a second home at Dartmouth—first as an undergraduate and again as an MBA candidate—returns to Hanover this spring on the heels of making Major League Baseball history not once, but twice.

Last July, Griggs became the first woman to be named president of business operations in the storied history of Baltimore’s MLB franchise. Prior to joining the Orioles, Griggs was the first woman in franchise history to hold a president title with the Seattle Mariners. As one of the top-ranked female executives in baseball, Griggs hopes to help other women see themselves on the business side of sports.

“Different people bring different viewpoints, and that’s critical to success,” Griggs told the Washington Post in 2023.

During her time with the Mariners, Griggs led the charge as Seattle’s T-Mobile Park became the first venue to host MLB’s All-Star Week and the National Hockey League Winter Classic within a calendar year. The two events generated more than $80 million in revenue and entertained more than 300,000 fans. After joining the Orioles last summer, Griggs prioritized learning the Baltimore business but has exciting plans, and lots of new ideas, for her first full season at the helm.

“I’m very hopeful that a lot of them are going to work. Some of them won’t, and that’s OK, too,” Griggs said in March. “It’s about, how do we learn, how do we grow, how do we develop?”

Before embarking on a career in baseball, Griggs cut her teeth at a sports marketing agency, broadcasting powerhouse Turner Sports, and a media and sponsorships analytics consultancy. Her career hit its stride when she was named chief business officer of Atlanta’s fledgling Major League Soccer team—Atlanta United FC—in 2017.

Griggs quickly made an impact, helping the expansion franchise gain a foothold in the bustling Atlanta sports scene and average more than 40,000 fans per game, a figure that led the MLS. One of Griggs’ top accomplishments was the introduction of premium tickets that resembled courtside seats in the NBA. The initiative proved popular and years later continues to generate significant revenue for the team.

“I love the business of sports,” Griggs said in a 2018 Tuck Today feature story. “The passion people have and the way it influences their decisions and behavior is remarkable. To be part of that and to understand how you can leverage that passion for business results, that’s really interesting to me.”  

Throughout her career, Griggs has routinely been recognized for her innovative leadership. She has been profiled by the New York Times, the Washington Post, Forbes, Sports Illustrated, MLB.com, and others. In 2017, she was honored by Sports Business Journal as a Game Changer—an annual award celebrating women making an impact in the industry. Five years later, she was again honored, this time as a member of SBJ’s 2022 40 Under 40 class.

“In all candor, it never would have occurred to me to even aspire to be the president of a Major League Baseball team,” Griggs said in 2022. “I like putting myself in situations where I’m challenged, where I have certain skills and experiences I can bring to bear, but where I’m missing something that I need to do the job particularly well, and I can build that muscle. I’ve been very fortunate to have others who’ve given me those chances.”

The 2025 Tuck Investiture ceremony will take place on Saturday, June 7, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. ET. The ceremony will be held on the steps of Tuck Hall. A livestream of the event will be available to community members, friends, and family who would like to tune into the ceremony. For general information including parking, visit the Investiture site and stay tuned for additional details.