The Major League Baseball Players Association has announced a series of promotions among its senior staff that will enhance the union’s ability to advance and protect Players’ rights.
Bruce Meyer, who has served as Senior Director, Collective Bargaining & Legal and was integral to the most recent round of collective bargaining, has been promoted to Deputy Executive Director. Before joining the MLBPA, Meyer was a senior legal advisor at the NHLPA and a partner at the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges, where for decades he represented the Players Associations in each of the major North American professional sports. In his new position, Meyer will continue to advise MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark while taking a leading role in all labor negotiations.
Ian Penny has been promoted to Senior Advisor to the Executive Director. A veteran of the National Labor Relations Board, the NHLPA, and for over a decade the MLBPA, Penny has more than 30 years of experience as an advocate for workers’ rights. Penny joined the MLBPA as Labor Counsel in 2010 after serving as General Counsel of the NHLPA and will remain a key legal advisor to Clark.
Matt Nussbaum has been promoted to General Counsel. An integral part of baseball’s last three collective bargaining negotiations, Nussbaum first joined the MLBPA in 2011 after three years at the NHLPA. A past recipient of the Sports Business Journal’s “Top 40 Under 40” recognition, Nussbaum has served as Deputy General Counsel since 2017 and will now assume overall management of the Legal Department.
Kevin Slowey has been promoted to Senior Director, Player Services. A 2005 second-round selection, Slowey played seven Major League seasons with the Miami Marlins and the Minnesota Twins. An active member of the Executive Board as a Player, Slowey joined the MLBPA in 2015 as Director of Player Services following his playing career. Slowey has played a critical role in collective bargaining as both an active Player and staff member, and will continue to serve as the primary conduit between active Players and the MLBPA staff.
Chris Capuano, who joined the MLBPA in 2019 after 12 seasons in the majors, has been promoted to the position of Senior Director, Operations, Business, and Strategy. A graduate of Duke University and MIT, Capuano will continue to work directly with Chief Operating Officer Xavier D. James on a wide range of Association matters, while also assuming additional responsibilities centered on the MLBPA business and strategic initiatives.
Jeff Perconte has been promoted to the role of Deputy General Counsel. Perconte joined the MLBPA in 2017 after several years as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago along with stints at the law firms Winston & Strawn and Drinker Biddle & Reath (now Faegre Drinker). As Deputy General Counsel, Perconte will spearhead the MLBPA’s internal and external litigation dockets, and collaborate with Nussbaum to oversee the MLBPA’s legal staff.
