KEYNOTES

John Paul (J.P.) Ricciardi is the current Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager for the Toronto Blue Jays. After playing collegiate baseball and spending two years in the minor leagues, Ricciardi became a coach in the New York Yankee farm system in the early 1980s before joining the Oakland Athletics organization in 1986 as aminor league instructor and a scout. By the early 1990s he had risen to the ranks of East Coast Scouting Supervisor and later National Crosschecker. Ricciardi made his break into the front office in 1996, when he became special assistant to Athletics general manager Sandy Alderson. Under new general manager Billy Beane, Ricciardi's role became Director of Player Personnel. The Toronto Blue Jays then hired Ricciardi as general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays in November of 2001.

Jamie McCourt, the highest ranking female executive in baseball today, is Vice Chairman and President of the Los Angeles Dodgers. In this position, McCourt oversees the strategic planning and development for the franchise. With a cumulative attendance of more than 170 million, the Dodgers have played before more fans than any other sports franchise in history. Since moving to Los Angeles, McCourt has become an active member of the local business community, serving on the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Business Council and the Board of Directors of LA INC. The Convention & Visitors Bureau. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Sports Council, a nonprofit organization that promotes regional economic development through sports. In 2004, McCourt was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to serve on the California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. She is a member of the Leadership Council of the Literacy Network of Greater Los Angeles and serves on the Board of Directors of the Dodgers Dream Foundation, which provides educational, athletic and recreational opportunities for area youth.

McCourt is a member of the Washington Speakers Bureau and is currently a visiting professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, teaching a course entitled "The Pursuit of Leadership: A Female Perspective." She was recently honored by Step-Up Women's Network with the 2006 Inspiration Award and was recently made an Honorary Member of the Los Angeles Rotary Club, only the second woman to have been bestowed this honor in the Club's 95-year history. A member of the Massachusetts and New York State Bars, as well as the District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, McCourt began her legal career in 1979, specializing in international and securities law at a law firm in New York City. After moving to Boston, she opened up a private practice, focusing on corporate, real estate and family law. Since 1994, McCourt has served as Vice President and General Counsel at The McCourt Company, which specializes in the development of major commercial real estate projects.

McCourt earned her B.S. degree in French from Georgetown University. She holds a diploma from La Sorbonne at the University of Paris. She received her J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law and spent a semester of law school abroad at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She then earned her M.S. (MBA) degree in Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management, with a concentration in both organizational learning and corporate finance. McCourt is a member of the Sloan School of Management Visiting Committee to MIT and the MIT Sloan School of Management Dean's Advisory Council. She is also a member of the Georgetown University College Board of Advisors. An avid swimmer who grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, McCourt resides in Los Angeles with her husband, Frank, and their four sons, Drew, Travis, Casey and Gavin.

CONFERENCE CO-CHAIRS

Jessica Gelman is Director of New Business Development and Operational Initiatives for the New England Patriots. Gelman is a key strategic and operational advisor to the Patriots' Executive Management Team. Her responsibilities include identifying, evaluating and creating new businesses, providing strategic analysis to leverage the Patriots' assets and working closely with existing business units in further developing business strategy and operations. Most notable is the development and management of the first sports loyalty rewards credit card program, Extra Points, which has been rolled out throughout the NFL. Gelman earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and BA, cum laude in psychology, from Harvard College. She was honored as Harvard Female Athlete of the Year after leading Harvard to consecutive basketball championships and NCAA tournament appearances. Subsequently, she played professionally in Europe. Gelman was appointed to the Massachusetts Governor's Committee on Physical Fitness and Sports and is a visiting lecturer at MIT Sloan.

PANELISTS