Jeffrey L. Idelson (born June 22, 1964) is an American baseball executive. He is the former president of the

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United St ...

, a position he held from 2008 to 2019.

Education and career

In 1986, Idelson graduated from

Connecticut College Connecticut College (Conn) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in New London, Connecticut. Originally chartered as Thames College, it was founded in 1911 as the state's only women's colle ...

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the outlet of the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, which empties into Long Island Sound. The cit ...

, with a Bachelor of Arts in International Economics. Idelson began his professional career as a vendor at

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a ballpark located in Boston, Massachusetts, less than one mile from Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home field of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantia ...

in Boston while in junior high, high school, and college. He went on to be an intern in the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

public relations department in 1986, continuing to work in the team's public relations department from 1987-88. During that time, he also produced home games for the Red Sox Radio Network, serving as the flagship station's liaison to the Red Sox's primary charity, the Jimmy Fund. In 1989 he joined the Yankees in the same capacity. In 1994, Idelson also served as assistant Vice President and senior press officer for the

1994 World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States w ...

organizing committee.

Baseball Hall of Fame

Idelson joined the Baseball Hall of Fame on September 26, 1994, as director of public relations and promotions. He was named as the organization's vice president of communications and education in 1999, a role that includes overseeing the Hall of Fame elections and awards, communications, community and media relations, publications, public programs, promotions, advertising, and artifact acquisition. He also oversaw the museum's college internship program and education department. He was named President of the Hall of Fame on April 16, 2008, replacing

Dale Petroskey Dale A. Petroskey (born August 17, 1955) is the current president and CEO of the Dallas Regional Chamber. He is the former executive vice president of marketing for the Texas Rangers baseball club, a former executive of the National Baseball Hall ...

. On February 4, 2019 Idelson announced he would leave the Hall of Fame presidency on July 21, following the 2019 induction ceremony. After his successor Tim Mead stepped down in May 2021, he returned as "interim president" through the 2021 induction ceremony on September 8 of that year.

Other work

Idelson serves on the Advisory Council of the

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

branch of

Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI), known for sponsorship purposes as Nike RBI is a youth baseball program operated by Major League Baseball. This youth initiative is designed to provide young people from underserved and diverse communities ...

, Board of Directors of the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation, and on the Board of Directors of the Otsego County chapter of the international program

Girls on the Run Girls on the Run (also referred to as Girls on the Run International), a national non-profit organization, designs programming that strengthens third- to eighth grade girls’ social, emotional, physical and behavioral skills to successfully navi ...

References

External links

Baseball Hall of Fame profile

Interview with Jeff Idelson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Idelson, Jeff 1964 births Living people People from Newton, Massachusetts Connecticut College alumni National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum personnel