September 25, 2007

Tri-City Dust Devils hire female GM

By Eric Degerman, tricityherald.com

The Tri-City Dust Devils, East Division champions of minor league baseball's Northwest League, announced today the hiring of Monica Ortega as the club's Vice President/general manager.

It makes Ortega the only female GM in the NWL.

Ortega, a native of Victorville, Calif., has spent the past three seasons with the High Desert Mavericks, the Seattle Mariners' affiliate in the California League. The Brett brothers, who own the Mavericks and the Dust Devils, moved the Mavs to Adelanto in 1991.

Brent Miles, part owner of the Dust Devils, will continue to serve as the Dust Devils' President.

"Brent will maintain a day-to-day role as the President of the team, as he has since George Brett purchased the Dust Devils in 2004, and Monica will be the general manager and add another leader to our staff," Tim Gittel, the club's VP of business operations, told the Herald via e-mail.

Ortega, a graduate of Cal State-Fullerton, has worked in baseball for the past seven years, six of them for the Bretts. This past season, she served as VP of ticket sales for the Mavericks.

Job sharing among Brett-owned franchises means Ortega is no stranger to the Dust Devils staff. In fact, Gittel worked with Ortega in El Paso, Texas, in 2004, and Miles is President of both the Dust Devils and the Mavericks.

"I'm excited to be a part of this team," Ortega said in a news release. "We have a great staff, outstanding fans, and we look forward to continuing to provide the community with the best fun, affordable, family entertainment in the Tri-Cities."

At first, the Mid-Columbia shrub-steppe climate might seem a bit humid to Ortega. The Mavericks play in the Mojave Desert.

If you want to see a photo of Ortega, go to the Mavericks' Web site. She's sitting with Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Corey Hart -- a former Maverick -- in the visitors' dugout at Dodger Stadium. You may have to wait a few moments because it's part of a slideshow on the Mavericks home page.

Ironically, Ortega will be following another recent member of the Mavericks to the Pacific Northwest.

Jon Rosen recently resigned as "The Voice of the Mavericks" to join the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League. Rosen is the director of broadcasting, media and public relations, which makes him a colleague of the Tri-City Americans' Craig West.