Speaker Profile

Commissioner, Major League Baseball On Aug. 14, 2014, Robert D. Manfred Jr. was elected the 10th Commissioner in Major League Baseball history, succeeding Bud Selig on Jan. 25, 2015. On Sept. 28, 2013, Manfred was named Chief Operating Officer of MLB. In that role, Mr. Manfred reported directly to the Commissioner and oversaw all the traditional functions of the Commissioner's Office, including labor relations, baseball operations, finance, administration and club governance. Prior to being named COO, Mr. Manfred served for 15 years as Executive Vice President of Labor Relations, leading the negotiations that resulted in new collective bargaining agreements in 2002, 2006 and 2011. Those agreements helped realize Commissioner's Selig's vision of competitive balance and club financial stability through reforms such as increased revenue sharing, more aggressive payroll taxes, reform of the amateur talent acquisition process and strict debt regulation. Prior to joining Major League Baseball, Mr. Manfred was a partner in the Labor and Employment Law Section of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP resident in the Washington, D. C. , office. Mr. Manfred received a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University and received his law degree magna cum laude in 1983 from Harvard Law School, where he was an articles editor of the Harvard Law Review . Following law school, Mr. Manfred served as a clerk to U. S. District Court Judge Joseph L. Tauro in the District of Massachusetts.