Considered by many to be among the leaders of the game, D-backs President & CEO Derrick Hall has turned the organization into a model franchise within the sports industry and throughout the business world during his 16 years at the helm of the club. Hall is the fourth-longest tenured CEO in Major League Baseball behind Atlanta’s Terry McGuirk, St. Louis’s Bill DeWitt Jr. and Cincinnati’s Bob Castellini, each of whom have a controlling ownership interest in their respective franchises.
Hall, a 2019 inductee into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, focuses the organization’s efforts in five areas he has called the “Circle of Success” - fan experience, performance, community, culture and financial efficiency - each of which has seen tremendous growth during his tenure. The success of the franchise during Hall’s tenure has led to numerous honors, while Hall’s leadership has helped guide the D-backs to three postseason appearances - two National League West Division Championships (2007, ‘11), one NLCS (2007) and the Wild Card (2017).
In 2017, the D-backs captured the National League Wild Card after Hall and Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick hired Executive Vice President & General Manager Mike Hazen to oversee the franchise’s baseball operations and during the past three seasons, the team has posted a 285-261 record (.522).
With a focus on creating the best fan experience in all of sports, Hall has succeeded in accomplishing that goal at both Chase Field and at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the D-backs’ Spring Training home near Scottsdale. Stadium enhancements at Chase Field that have taken place under Hall’s guidance include the APS Solar Pavilion, Game Seven Grill, HD scoreboard in center field, the Sandlot, the Coors Light Strike Zone, All-You-Can-Eat Seats, The Draft Room and value-item pricing at concession stands and Team Shop locations throughout the ballpark. Hall also installed, named and created a FAWTSY (Find a Way to Say Yes) customer service policy throughout the organization to further improve upon the extraordinary fan experience. Last year marked the 12th consecutive season that the team offered the lowest Fan Cost Index in Major League Baseball.
The D-backs eliminated more than $350 million of debt through equity and debt restructures in the 15 years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, while Hall also negotiated the largest financial transaction in franchise history - a historic 20-year television rights deal with FOX Sports Arizona which started in 2016.
In the community, Hall has positioned the D-backs as one of the largest philanthropic entities in the Valley. In 2021, the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation and the D-backs’ organization will surpass the $75 million mark in charitable giving since their inception in 1998, including more than $65 million in the past 15 years. In 2014, the team launched the D-backs Give Back Jersey program, which will outfit more than 60,000 youth players across 123 leagues this season. During the 2013 Yarnell Hill fire, the D-backs were able to give back more than $700,000 on behalf of their fans to the families of the 19 firefighters who lost their lives. In 2008, Hall established the Michael Wogan Season Ticket Scholarship Program, a first-of-its-kind program for fans or existing season ticket holders who may have experienced a change in circumstances, providing hundreds of fans with full-season tickets since its inception.
The unique corporate culture of the D-backs has led Yahoo! and Forbes to deem the club among the “Best Places to Work in Sports.” In 2013, the sports industry’s highly regarded recruiting network, TeamWork Online, tabbed him as the “Best Boss” in sports, and the organization has been named on several occasions as the “Most Admired Company for Workplace Culture” by AzBusiness Magazine and BestCompaniesAZ. Fittingly, the D-backs’ physical front office was rebranded the D-backs Culture & Innovation Center before being rated No. 1 on Ranking Arizona’s Best Places to Work list among small businesses.
Among the programs Hall has created is the President’s Council, comprised of select members of the executive management team and a rotating committee consisting of the organization’s Employee of the Month winners, to organize company culture events throughout the year. He also established employee recognition programs like “A-Game All-Stars” to reward game-day employees for exceptional service on a monthly basis throughout the season. The organization has been named among the “Best Places to Work” by the Phoenix Business Journal for more than a dozen consecutive years.
In 2013, ESPN the Magazine tabbed the D-backs as the top Major League franchise and sixth overall among the 122 professional sports franchises in the publication’s Ultimate Standings, which are based on eight categories on and off the field. In 2016, the Arizona Republic named Hall one of 16 Arizonans to watch, citing his “positive influence [that] grows larger by the year” as someone who “works effortlessly to promote Metro Phoenix and the state.” He was also named by Rise Global to its list of 100 Most Influential CEOs, a group that includes names such as Rupert Murdoch, Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Warren Buffett, Tim Cook, Biz Stone and Larry Ellison.
The organization continues to rack up awards and honors under Hall’s leadership, including the Front Office Sports “Best Employer” (2019), PETA’s Top 10 Vegan Friendly Ballpark (2019), Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Corporation of the Year (2017), AAAED’s Champion of Diversity (2017), the Dominican Republic Sports & Education Academy (2016), One Community Spotlight on Success (2015), Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Chris Greicius Award (2014), the Phoenix Indian Center’s Leon Grant Spirit of the Community Award (2014), Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce IMPACT Award Community Champion (2013), Arizona’s Corporate Excellence Community Impact Award (2013), City of Phoenix Equal Opportunity Department-Excellence Award (2013), Arizona Business Leadership Award (2012), “Organization of the Year” (2011) and the DREAMR award (2012) by the Downtown Phoenix Partnership, “Most Admired Company” and “Top Leadership” by AzBusiness Magazine (2011). In 2010, the D-backs were given the inaugural United Nations NGO Positive Peace Award, which named the D-backs the most positive team in the world.
Hall’s vision to further establish the organization as a sports industry leader while spurring economic development and impact throughout the Valley came to fruition in 2011, as the team hosted the Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Chase Field for the first time ever, creating an economic impact of more than $67 million. Hall’s persistence in convincing MLB to award the Midsummer Classic to the D-backs allowed Chase Field and Downtown Phoenix to be showcased in more than 100 million homes across the world, while working diligently with city leaders, elected officials and civic partners to ensure that fans had the finest All-Star Game experience.
Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the D-backs’ 140-acre Spring Training facility shared with Colorado Rockies on Salt River Indian Community land near Scottsdale, Ariz., that Hall negotiated and designed, has greatly added to the already $350 million of economic impact for the Valley associated with Spring Training each year. Salt River Fields was the first pro sports training facility in the U.S. to be built on tribal land and was privately funded without the use of any taxpayer dollars. The facility received LEED-Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in 2011, the first venue of its kind to achieve this designation.
Hall’s vision for Salt River Fields was to keep fan interaction with players a top priority while also ensuring maximum comfort for 11,000-plus visitors at the ballpark. The main stadium is located in the middle of the facility to enable fans to mingle throughout and get an up-close look at D-backs players as they practice. A unique roof structure and a northeast-facing field allow for approximately 85 percent of the fans in all 7,000 fixed seats to be shaded as the game progresses.
In 2019, the D-backs began playing on a new high-performance synthetic grass surface, the first installation of its kind in Major League Baseball which has since been added to two additional MLB ballparks. Among its many benefits, the new surface allows the D-backs to save four million gallons of water each season and increase fan comfort at Chase Field. The D-backs’ sustainability efforts have also grown significantly during Hall’s tenure, as MLB awarded the D-backs as the Most Improved National League Club for diversion and sustainability in 2017.
Hall serves as the chair of MLB’s working group of club presidents focused on marketing the game of baseball. He routinely communicates with D-backs fans as part of his “one fan at a time” concept by answering every letter, email or phone call. He conducts regular chats online and spends much of his time at home games communicating with the fans in the stands to ensure their experience at Chase Field is exceptional.
Among the projects outside of Chase Field and Salt River Fields that have Hall’s fingerprints on them is the Legends Entertainment District, a joint venture between the D-backs, the Phoenix Suns and the City of Phoenix that is the first of its kind between two professional sports organizations. The project has transformed the look of Downtown Phoenix by creating experiential outdoor marketing opportunities and an energetic backdrop for visitors and residents to enjoy their experience.
Hall was personally selected to join a handful of corporate leaders by Governor Doug Ducey as one of his first orders of business to form a new pro-business group. The Arizona Zanjeros are focused exclusively on economic development, defining Arizona’s brand and marketing the state to CEOs across the country and around the world. In 2015, he joined the Governor’s delegation on a weeklong trip to Israel. Additionally, the Arizona Attorney General has commissioned Hall to serve on the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office Business Advisory Council.
Hall sits on Major League Baseball’s International Committee and under his guidance, the D-backs hosted the 2013 World Baseball Classic. The team has played eight games in Mexico during his tenure and were scheduled to play in the first-ever Major League regular season games in Mexico City 2020 prior to being canceled. Hall has represented the team on goodwill trips to Mexico, Japan, the Dominican Republic, Australia and New Zealand, helping to bring international recognition to the franchise. In 2014, his continued efforts to showcase the D-backs on the global stage reached its highest point as the club hosted the Dodgers during MLB’s historic Opening Series in Sydney, Australia, which was subsequently named the International Sports Event of the Year.
Hall also serves on MLB’s Diversity and Inclusion committee and the Commissioner’s on-field diversity task force. In that regard, the D-backs have also been industry leaders and in 2020, created D-backs For Change, a team initiative seeking to level the playing field for all. Numerous Team Player Resource Groups (TPRGs) have been created in support of those efforts. In 2016, the team hosted the highly regarded MLB Business Diversity Summit in Arizona in an effort to bring more diverse candidates into front offices around the game. For its efforts, the team was awarded the Jackie Robinson Most Valuable Diverse Business Partner award by Major League Baseball. In 2020, Hall received the Greater Phoenix Urban League’s 75th Annual Whitney M. Young Jr. Award. The team has been named for seven consecutive years to the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Million Dollar Circle of Excellence as an organization that spends more than $1 million annually with minority or women-owned businesses. In 2014, the D-backs became the first MLB organization to sign One Community’s Unity Pledge, which supports and advocates for workplace inclusion and protection for all, including LGBT community members. For his commitment to equality, Hall received the prestigious Torch of Liberty Award from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in 2014. The award, ADL’s highest honor, was established to recognize individuals who have exhibited extraordinary humanitarianism, and whose everyday actions exemplify the principles of opportunity, anti-discrimination, equal rights, community involvement and fairness for all.
Hall currently serves on or is associated with 25 boards, including the Arizona Mexico Commission, Great Hearts Academies, Arizona Chamber of Commerce, ArizonaOn, Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau, National Vice President of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, National Advisory Council for Pancreatic Cancer, Stand Up 2 Cancer Melanoma Dream Team Sponsor, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Valley of the Sun YMCA and Positive Coaching Alliance. Hall serves as the Phoenix Police Reserve Foundation Chair, the Make-A-Wish America Governance, Compensation and Nominating Chair and the capital campaign for Joy Bus, a 501c3 organization that provides quality meals to cancer patients in need. He was the 2017-19 Pride Campaign Chair for the Phoenix Zoo, the past Chairman of the Board for Make-A-Wish Arizona and current board member for Make-A-Wish America, is also a past Chairman of the Board for the Valley of the Sun United Way, where he raised $47 million throughout the Phoenix area as the VSUW’s 2009-10 campaign chairman. He has also raised money by serving as an event chairman for the Prostate On-Site Project (POP) Walk, 75th Anniversary March of Dimes, March for Babies Walk, The Wellness Center, several Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) events, Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC), St. Vincent de Paul, Florence Crittenton and the Foundation for Blind Children.
Hall served as master of ceremonies at the 2015 Arizona inaugural ceremonies and gives numerous keynote speeches to various groups or conventions throughout the country about his unique vision on leadership, customer service and culture. He has spoken to U.S. Air Force Academy cadets at the annual National Leadership and Character Symposium. He donates speaking engagement fees back to the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation and other local non-profit organizations he supports.
A native of Los Angeles, Hall joined the D-backs in May 2005 as Senior Vice President, Communications and served in numerous capacities prior to being named president in 2006 and adding the title of CEO in 2009. Prior to joining the D-backs, Hall made a brief stop as Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications for a Fortune 500 company based in Los Angeles. He spent parts of 12 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, joining the organization’s Single-A Florida State League affiliate in Vero Beach, Fla., as an intern in 1992 and departing as the club’s Sr. Vice President, Communications in 2004. In between, he served key roles during three ownership changes with the Dodgers and was recognized for reuniting Fernando Valenzuela with the organization after hiring him as a color analyst for the team’s Spanish radio broadcasts.
Hall stepped outside of baseball for employment during the 1999 season, as he hosted a three-hour morning talk show on the Dodgers’ flagship station (XTRA 1150 AM) and served as host of the “Dodger Game Day” pregame radio show for home games. He also had a stint in front of the camera as a weekend sports anchor at KNBC-TV in Los Angeles.
He received a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University, where he was named “Man of the Year” in 1991, in broadcasting and journalism, and a master’s degree from Ohio University in sports administration. Hall and his wife, Amy were co-chairs of ASU President Michael Crow’s President’s Club in 2018-19 and in 2019, the Derrick Hall/Arizona Diamondbacks Journalism and Mass Communications Scholarship was created in his name. In 2016, he received ASU’s prestigious Founder’s Day Alumni Achievement Award, becoming the first student in school history to receive both that honor and the ASU Young Alumni Achievement Award. Hall was inducted into the ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications Alumni Hall of Fame in 2002. He was the keynote speaker for ASU’s Cronkite school convocation in 2008, becoming the first Cronkite alum to deliver a commencement speech at the school’s graduation, and also spoke at the W.P. Carey School of Business convocation in 2012. In 2016, he received ASU’s Pitchfork Award for his accomplishments and was honored at the ASU Founder’s Dinner with the Alumni Achievement Award.
In 2006, Ohio University’s Sports Administration Program recognized Hall as the 25th recipient of the Charles R. Higgins Distinguished Alumnus Award. In 2012, he received an honorary Doctorate degree from University of Phoenix and spoke at the school’s convocation.
His philanthropic efforts led to Hall and the D-backs being honored at the 2018 Boys & Girls Club of Metro Phoenix signature Stars dinner. He was named the APS Peacemaker Award at Valle del Sol’s Profiles of Success, the Bill Shover Leadership Award from United Blood Services and the Phoenix Award by the Phoenix Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) in 2013. He was the inaugural recipient of the Goldwater Community Service Award in 2012 by the Active 20-30 Club of Phoenix. In 2007, he was named to the Phoenix Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40” class, was the recipient of the “Community Lifeline Award” from Teen Lifeline and was named the Phoenix Father’s Day Council “Father of the Year” to benefit the American Diabetes Association. The SportsBusiness Journal added him to its prestigious “Forty Under 40” class in 2008. The Phoenix Business Journal also named Hall to its inaugural list of “Most Admired CEOs” in 2009. Hall is a member of the Thunderbirds, ASU W.P. Carey School of Business “Dean’s Council of 100,” and Young Presidents’ Organization, for which he served as Forum Chair in 2018-19.
He faced his greatest personal challenge when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in September 2011, just as the team was battling for a division title. Hall immediately went public with the diagnosis in order to encourage other men to get tested after age 40. Following successful surgery to remove his prostate, Hall is now cancer free and has become a tireless advocate of cancer-fighting charities while continuing to speak publicly about the health challenge he faces. In 2014, he launched his own 501(c) (3) organization, the Derrick Hall Pro-State Foundation, which is dedicated to serving as a comprehensive tool for those who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer and their families to help them understand the challenges and choices they face and how they can maintain a “pro” state of mind. In 2014, he was honored with the USC Institute of Urology’s Louis Zamperini Courage Award and the Pro-State Foundation was honored by Jane Seymour’s Open Hearts Foundation, which supports organizations that are committed to positively impacting lives in the areas of health, education, arts and sports.
He and Amy reside in Arcadia and have three children, Logan (a television producer in Los Angeles), Hayden (a recent graduate of Duke University) and Kylie (a soccer player at Emory University).