SAN DIEGO -- In her nearly two decades as a Yankees executive, some version of the exchange has transpired more times than Jean Afterman cares to recount. She will introduce herself and mention her globally recognizable employer, then wince as the all-too-familiar questions begin to flow.

“It gets so tiring to justify yourself,” Afterman said. “It's exhausting when I tell somebody that I'm an assistant general manager with the Yankees, and they're like, 'How did you get that job?' Or, 'Do you actually stay for the games?' Sometimes you really want to just reel back and let somebody have it.”

As the Yankees assistant general manager spoke on Monday as part of MLB’s "Diversity at the Top" conference, Afterman’s comments prompted knowing nods from an all-star panel of high-ranking executives that featured Raquel Ferreira (Red Sox), Billy Owens (A’s) and Shirz Rehman (Rangers).

In a 90-minute discussion moderated by MLB Network’s Fran Charles, the quartet of front-office personalities provided several dozen Winter Meetings attendees with an opportunity to learn from their immersive and varied experiences in the sport.

In September, Ferreira became the highest-ranking female in MLB when she was promoted to become Boston’s senior vice president of Major and Minor League Operations. On Monday, she was promoted to the title of executive vice president and assistant general manager and received a multiyear contract from the Red Sox. Ferreira has seen great change within the sport’s front offices since her 1999 hire as a Red Sox administrative assistant, but she says that MLB still has more ground to cover to reach its optimal goals.

“If a man comes in a room and starts speaking about something, they'll be like, ‘Wow, he's so passionate,’” Ferreira said. “When I do it, it's, ‘Raquel, stop being so emotional.’ It's very covert, sometimes very subtle. The conversation always changes the minute you walk into a room. I always tell people, ‘Don't try and be one of the guys, because you won't be.’”

Ferreira adds that, in her time with the Red Sox, she has learned to use her identity as a strength.

“It's not a bad thing,” she said. “When I first started, I was like, ‘I'm one of the guys! I'm a girl's guy.’ I should be one of the girls, and I'm proud of that.”

Owens’ path to the Oakland front office came via the playing field. Now the A’s assistant general manager and director of player personnel, he played seven seasons in the Minors before joining the A’s as an area scout in 1998.

Considered for the Giants’ GM vacancy that went to Scott Harris in November, Owens would like to see more African Americans in control of MLB rosters. The most recent African American GM was Dave Stewart, who was dismissed by the D-backs in 2016, while Al Avila (Tigers) and Farhan Zaidi (Giants) are the only minority GMs currently in the game.

“We live in the best country in the world with it, but it's not totally equal or fair,” Owens said. “We are making strides; I've seen now with [Commissioner] Rob Manfred, I see a lot more culturally diverse faces in the room. It's getting better. And I think it's almost like the journey of baseball. If you're good enough for the job, you should be able to get the opportunity.”

Rehman, who lugged mail packages as a Red Sox intern under Ferreira’s watch and scored opportunities with the D-backs and Cubs before becoming the Rangers’ assistant general manager in 2018, underscored the fact that no matter the race, creed or sex of the employee, the sport continues to present new challenges that must be tackled.

“Getting an opportunity is super hard,” Rehman said. “I got told no 100 times; I'm sure everyone here did too. Someone once said to me, 'Be persistent without being annoying.' It was a hard line to walk. And then when you get it, it doesn't end. Now you're in an industry with a bunch of super-talented, bright, diverse people. If you're not busting it with them, you're going to fall behind.”