Little League® International is pleased to announce the elevation of Corey Wright to Senior Director of Regional Operations and the hiring of Cody Shimp as its new Central Region Assistant Director, continuing to strengthen Little League’s operational support for volunteers, families, and players, under the leadership of Patrick Wilson, in his new role as Little League President and Chief Executive Officer and the recent elevation of Dan Velte to Vice President of Operations.
Additionally, to support the efforts of John Magers, who recently took over as Central Region Director in November 2024, Shimp has joined the organization as its new Central Region Assistant Director, effective as of January 6, 2025.
“As we head into an exciting 2025 season, it is important that we continue to look at the structure of our operations to ensure we are providing the best possible support to our leagues and districts around the world each year,” said Wilson. “Corey’s experience and leadership overseeing the efforts of our staff throughout the Central, East, and West Regions has been instrumental in getting us to where we are today, and we are confident in his ability to take on the additional responsibility of leading the operations of all our United States regions. Finally, on behalf of our entire Little League organization, I’d like to welcome Cody Shimp to our team and look forward to his role helping the volunteers throughout our Central Region.”
Learn more about each of the two individuals below:
Corey Wright – Senior Director of Regional Operations
Since 2020, Corey Wright has overseen the day-to-day operations of Little League’s Central, East, and West Regions, including the execution of the respective tournaments each summer. In this new role as Senior Director of Regional Operations, Wright will assume the responsibility of leading all five U.S. Regions, while assisting Dan Velte with the management of the additional four international region operations as well as the execution of the respective Little League Baseball and Softball Region Tournaments held each summer at Little League owned facilities across the United States.
“For more than three decades, Corey has continued to exemplify his leadership to not only the staff in which he works alongside at our region offices, but more importantly to the thousands upon thousands of volunteers he and his team serve each year,” said Velte. “As we continue to enhance the structure of our operations department, there is nobody better suited than Corey to take on the responsibility of leading our Regional Operations throughout the United States and we look forward to seeing him thrive in this newly enhanced role.”
A native of South Williamsport, Wright began his Little League career in 1991 as a junior in high school when he served as a coach and Assistant Director for Little League Baseball summer camps before being hired in 2000 to serve as the Assistant East Region Director in Bristol, Connecticut. In 2017, he took over as the East Region Director before taking on his most recent role as Region Operations Managing Director in 2020. A graduate of Clarion (Pa.) University with a degree in education in 1996, Wright also has previous experience as a mathematics teacher at Roosevelt Middle School in Williamsport from August 1997 to 2000.
“I am honored to be trusted with the responsibility of this role as Senior Director of Regional Operations and look forward to working with our talented regional staff to enhance the Little League experience in communities all across the nation,” said Wright. “Our regional operations would not be possible without the support and commitment of our more than one million dedicated volunteers, and all of us remain committed to providing those volunteers with the best possible resources, guidance, and support to help bring the Little League program to life each year.”
Cody Shimp – Central Region Assistant Director
In his role as Assistant Director, Shimp will assist John Magers at the Central Region Headquarters in Whitestown, Indiana, supporting the operations of the districts, leagues, and volunteers across North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas. During tournament season, Shimp will also assist with the operations of the respective Central Region Little League Baseball and Softball tournaments to ensure all participants and fans have a fun and memorable experience.
“We are very excited to welcome Cody to the Little League team. Cody’s experience working as a university-level assistant baseball coach and as a youth educator will make him an incredible asset to the operations team in Whitestown,” said Magers. “On behalf of the entire Central Region staff, we are looking forward to seeing the resources and support he brings to both our players and volunteers across the region.”
Shimp joins the Little League team after most recently working as a graduate assistant coach for St. Bonaventure University’s Division I baseball team and serving as a chair on the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. In his role on the committee, Shimp represented the student-athletes of the Atlantic 10 conference, solicited student-athlete responses to proposed NCAA legislation, and served on several governance committees. In addition to his role at St. Bonaventure, Shimp also has experience working as the Director of Team Operations and assistant coach for the Olean Oilers Baseball team and as a substitute teacher for school systems in both New York and Pennsylvania. Shimp graduated from St. Bonaventure University with a bachelor’s degree in Adolescence Education and with a master’s degree in Sports Administration, while also competing as a Division I student athlete on the university’s baseball team for all four years.
“I am grateful and thrilled to be joining Little League International and the Central Region team,” said Shimp. “I am very excited to join an organization that unites communities, empowers our youth worldwide, and teaches them essential values that foster vital life skills.”
To learn more about the Little League Region Operations structure, including a map of which states are represented in each respective Region, visit LittleLeague.org/Contact.