Miami Marlins president receives award, says diversity key to a successful business
For Miami Marlins President of Business Operations Caroline O’Connor, celebrating diversity is a key part of leading a successful business.
“We’re really fortunate in the market that we’re in here in Miami that we have a lot of diversity,” she said Friday at the Greenberg Traurig Women’s Business Forum. “So when we recruit, we can look and we get our neighbors in. They understand Miami really well, but they reflect a lot of its diversity.”
O’Connor was the recipient of the 2023 Diana P. Scott Integrity in Action Award. Previous recipients include Girls Who Code founder and CEO Reshma Saujani and Kim M. Keenen, general counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
“This award is dedicated to the memory of former Greenberg Traurig shareholder Diana Scott, who was an early leader in the firm’s women’s initiative and a mentor to many women,” said Nikki Lewis Simon, Greenberg Traurig senior vice president and chief diversity equity and inclusion officer.
More than 110 female professionals attended the forum at the St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort. The annual forum began in 2007 as an event where women can network, meet mentors and share skills.
This year’s forum included an interactive workshop with nonprofit Girls Inc. in which nearly 60 elementary school-aged girls from underserved backgrounds connected with women professionals.
In a discussion with Monica Richardson, vice president for local news at McClatchy, the parent company of the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald, O’Connor shared how much South Floridians’ connections to the Marlins resonated with her. O’Connor grew up with four brothers and three sisters and joked that she already had sports teams in her childhood New Jersey home.
“This love for sports and love for the Marlins really runs in their blood,” she said. “It’s a lot more than a paycheck for the people that work [at loanDepot park]. They love the team. It’s that passion and how hard people work. We have 81 home games and it’s a lot of work to deliver those and the heart and soul and just the joy that our staff puts into it. I was just so impressed with that and surprised.”
The Marlins are the first major United States sports franchise to have two women lead its business. O’Connor, 46, joined the Marlins in October 2017 and works with Marlins General Manager Kim Ng. Attendance at loanDepot park increased 12% in 2022 since the stadium last allowed open seating year-round in 2019.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the team played games with no fans in the stadium at one point, O’Connor remembered. However, she said adversity provides its own lessons. Hosting three rounds of the 2023 World Baseball Classic a week before the start of the Marlins’ 2023 season was another example of her problem-solving skills at work.
“Doing that right ahead of our season, we were very excited to host the tournament,” she said. “But a week later, we had to start Marlins baseball. Looking at our staff, we certainly were very tired going into Marlins baseball. We were looking at our potential attendance for opening day and thought people were maybe a little bit worn out on baseball. We had to scramble to improve our attendance for opening day and remind them that Marlins baseball is happening.”
While leading a professional sports team can be hectic, family life keeps O’Connor centered. She enjoys spending time with her husband, Derek, 47, and sons Jonathan, 12, and James, 9.
The Marlins have had a spirited 2023 campaign and have a chance to make the playoffs for the first time since 2020’s shortened, 60-game season.
“The team’s doing really well right now so the office is riding high,” O’Connor said as she prepared to travel to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for this weekend’s important Marlins-Pirates series.
