Bill DeWitt III

William O. "Bill" DeWitt III has been since 2008 the president of the Saint Louis Cardinals. He is the son of team owner William DeWitt Jr. and the grandson of Bill DeWitt, who owned the St. Louis Browns and Cincinnati Reds and was a protégé of Cardinals general manager Branch Rickey.[1]

Bill DeWitt III
DeWitt in 2013
Born (1968-03-08) March 8, 1968
EducationYale University (BA)
Harvard University (MBA)
TitlePresident of the St. Louis Cardinals
PredecessorMark Lamping
SuccessorIncumbent
Spouse(s)Ira Aldanmaz
ChildrenNatalie and Will
Parent(s)William DeWitt Jr.

Early life

DeWitt grew up in Cincinnati but moved to St. Louis when his father's ownership group purchased the Cardinals in 1996.[1] He graduated from the Taft School (1986), earned an undergraduate degree from Yale (1990) and an MBA from Harvard Business School (1995).[2][3] Between earning his undergraduate and master's degrees, DeWitt served as an assistant to William K. Reilly, a former Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.[3]

St. Louis Cardinals (1996–present)

Before his appointment as Cardinals' president, DeWitt joined the Cardinals and became the head of merchandizing in 1996.[4] He also gained experience in marketing and operational tasks. He helped develop Roger Dean Stadium, the Cardinals' spring training home in Jupiter, Florida, which opened in 1998.[4][5] After becoming the team's senior vice president of business development, he led the design and construction of the Cardinals' ballpark, Busch Stadium, which opened in 2006.[3]

DeWitt's predecessor, Mark Lamping, left in March 2008 to become the NFL's New York Giants president of New Meadowlands Stadium Company.[6] DeWitt oversees the business operations of the Cardinals, including sales, marketing, finances, accounting, game-day productions and other miscellaneous ventures.[1] He also runs the development of Ballpark Village, a 100,000-square-foot retail development district next to Busch Stadium.[3]

DeWitt appeared in a 2006 episode of the ESPN Classic series Cheap Seats filmed on location in St. Louis. Hosts Randy Sklar and Jason Sklar are natives of St. Louis.

Personal life

DeWitt is married to Ira Aldanmaz DeWitt and the couple have two children, daughter Natalie and son Will. In his spare time, DeWitt plays golf and ice hockey.[3] Mrs. DeWitt is from Canada and is of Armenian descent. Also a businesswoman, she is the owner of St. Louis-based Notifi Records, an urban contemporary record label whose roster includes Ginuwine, Johnny Gill and Bos. She earned a Ph.D. in psychology and education from Saint Louis University in 1998.[7]

See also

References
  1. McDonald, Anna (May 30, 2011). "Bill DeWitt III sees the future from the past". ESPN.
  2. Brown, Paul (July 25, 2013). "It's all relative: Bill DeWitt Jr. and Bill DeWitt III". Ladue News.
  3. "St. Louis Cardinals: Front office-William DeWitt III". www.mlb.com. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
  4. "Big shoes to fill for new Cardinals president Bill DeWitt III". Street & Smith's Sports Business Daily. March 17, 2008. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  5. "About the stadium". rogerdeanstadium.com. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
  6. "Lamping quits as Cardinals president". KMWU. March 14, 2008.
  7. Walton, Brian (February 12, 2012). "Ira is not just Mrs. Bill DeWitt III". Cardinal Nation Blog.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Mark Lamping		 St. Louis Cardinals President
2008–present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
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