In November 2020, the Little League® International Board of Directors began implementing a plan to evaluate and strengthen the organizational structure of Little League International, with the appointment of Patrick W. Wilson as Chief Operating Officer. To continue these efforts, a new leadership alignment, focused on supporting local Little League programs, has been established in each of the five U.S. Region offices.
“Little League has a legacy that spans generations, and what makes that legacy so meaningful is that it is rooted in the success of future generations,” said Patrick W. Wilson, Little League International Chief Operating Officer. “As we look to provide new ways to educate, inform, and grow our program in support of our baseball and softball players around the world, this new organizational structure will provide our volunteers with support and direction to continue to enhance the Little League experience.”
Under the leadership of Dan Velte, Little League International Senior Operations Executive, the newly structured Little League International regional operations staff will provide direct support and direction to the more than one million Little League volunteers around the world.
Overseeing each of the five U.S. Region staffs will be three respective Regional Operations Managing Directors, a new position created under this leadership structure:
- East/Central – Corey M. Wright
- Southeast/Southwest – Jen Colvin
- West – April Meehleder
Within each of the U.S. region staffs, a Region Director will oversee a team of professionals that are dedicated to supporting the District Administrators, Leagues, and all the volunteers and players within their regions. The full staff listings for each of those five U.S. regions can be found here:
- East Region Staff
- Central Region Staff
- Southeast Region Staff
- Southwest Region Staff
- West Region Staff
As part of the new structure, former Assistant Region Directors, Ashlea Nash, Matt Weber, and Kiley Johnson have each been promoted to Region Directors, with Ms. Nash overseeing the Central Region, Mr. Weber overseeing the Southeast Region, and Mr. Johnson, formerly of the Southwest Region, taking over leadership of the East Region.
Little League also had three Regional Coordinators join its team in 2020 including Jake Gallaway (West Region), Faith Gomez (Southwest Region), and Mason Stanley (Central Region).
In addition to the changes at the U.S. Region level, two of Little League’s international regions are also under new leadership in its Canada and Asia-Pacific Regions. In Canada, Roy Bergerman now serves as the Region Director, taking over the role after the retirement of Joe Shea. In the Asia-Pacific Region, Mike Kim of South Korea has taken over the role of Region Director after the retirement of B.H. Chow. The leadership in both the Europe and Africa Region (Beata Kaszuba-Baker, Director; Bartlomiej Sochacki, Assistant Director) and Latin America Region (Carlos Pagan, Director) remain the same.
Over the last year, Little League International also added four new staff members to its team in Williamsport, Pennsylvania: Michael Jacobs (Account Executive, Marketing), Jane Mertes (Facilities Technician), Melissa Mull (Museum Tour Coordinator), and Leigh Ann Yerger (Retail Merchandiser).