College Series Business of Sports Night

Ed Wade was responsible for acquiring many of the players that contributed to one of the greatest eras of Phillies baseball. Under Ed’s tenure as general manager (1998-2005), the Phillies acquired, drafted or signed players including Pat Burrell (1998), Ryan Madson (1998), Carlos Ruiz (1998), Chase Utley (2000), Ryan Howard (2001), Cole Hamels (2002), Jim Thome (2003), Kevin Millwood (2003), David Bell (2004), Billy Wagner (2004) and Shane Victorino (2005). He was also responsible for the managerial hires of Larry Bowa (2001) and Charlie Manuel (2005). In addition, Ed helped move the organization into Citizens Bank Park in 2004.

During his time with the club, Ed held various roles with the Phillies that also included interim general manager (1997), assistant general manager (1995-1997), assistant to the general manager (1989-1994) for the 1993 National League champs, and special consultant and professional scout (December 2011-2017). He initially joined the organization in 1977 as an intern in the Phillies public relations department, following his graduation from Temple University.

In 2025, Ed took his permanent place in club history as the sixth executive to be inducted into the Toyota Phillies Wall of Fame, receiving one of the club's greatest honors.

Matthew B. Kessler is the Director of Premium Sales and Services for the Philadelphia Phillies and has served the organization for over two decades with a focus in new business development and client relations. Since joining the club in July 2003, Matthew has steadily advanced through the ranks from Sales Representative to his current leadership position. Today, Matthew leads an outbound new premium & season sales vertical, managing a team of 10 Season Ticket Account Executives and Inside Sales Representatives tasked with generating new premium and season ticket sales. His daily responsibilities also include co-managing the club’s secondary market partnerships & strategy, providing first-class customer service to current clients with a sharp focus on businesses located in the tri-state area.

As an experienced business leader, Matthew firmly believes that being a good teammate is the most important quality any professional can possess. He focuses heavily on building long-term relationships with a diverse group of clients across the country and has successfully negotiated multi-year premium seating contracts with major corporations including Campus Apartments, Comcast Advertising, Budget Maintenance, Univest and Chapel Steel.

Beyond his daily operations at Citizens Bank Park, Matthew is deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of sports business professionals. Since January 2026, he has served as an Adjunct Professor at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business, where he teaches Sport Ticket Sales to undergraduate students. To give his students real-world exposure, he designs comprehensive syllabi, conducts mock interviews, and brings his classes to local sports facilities including Citizens Bank Park & Xfinity Mobile Arena for behind-the-scenes networking tours and Q&A sessions with current sales executives.

Matthew earned his Master of Business Administration through the Executive Program at Drexel University's LeBow College of Business and holds a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction in Economics and Government from Connecticut College. Outside of the sports and academic worlds, he is highly active in his local community, currently serving on the Board of Trustees and as Clerk of the Development Committee for the William Penn Charter School, and recently concluded a six-year term on the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia.

Pete Mackin is the Social Media Manager for the Phillies, having joined the organization in the spring of 2024. In his current role, Pete leads the day-to-day strategy and content calendar for all Phillies social media platforms. In addition to covering every Phillies home and away game throughout the season, Pete and his team work very closely with the graphics, video, sponsorship, communications, ticketing and community departments of the organization to provide engaging content, news and information to fans year-round.

Before joining the Phillies, Pete began his career with Pacers Sports and Entertainment in 2017, handling email and web marketing for the Indiana Fever and assisting in social coverage of Pacers and Fever game nights. In 2019, Pete moved to Houston to manage the social channels for the Houston Dynamo of MLS, where he spent two years leading the social strategy as the club rebranded, as well as leading the content strategy for the Houston Dash during the 2020 pandemic and NWSL bubble. In 2021, Pete began working in baseball with the Tampa Bay Rays, where for three years he led social strategy and execution before joining the Phillies.

Born and raised in northwest Ohio, Pete attended Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana (Go Dawgs), graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Strategic Communication & Management Information Systems. He is an avid sports fan, now with too many teams to root for after working for a few. He and his fiancé live in South Philly with their adopted pitty Rory.

Matt Primavera joined the Phillies in September 2023, combining his passion for partnership sales with his love of Phillies baseball. As Director of Corporate Partnerships, Matt helps lead revenue growth for the Ad Sales department and works with corporate sponsors ranging from hyper-growth startups to global enterprises to activate their brands and tell their stories in meaningful ways.

Matt began his career at Major League Baseball in Manhattan, where he supported activation strategy and execution for marketing campaigns across linear, streaming and digital platforms. He also helped coordinate marquee events, including MLB All-Star Week and the World Series, for MLB partners. In 2018, Matt transitioned to a business development role with CBS Sports, where he helped monetize a portfolio of marquee sports properties, including the NFL, Big Ten Football, March Madness, the PGA TOUR and UEFA Champions League.

Born in Philadelphia, Matt is a graduate of Chestnut Hill Academy and Dickinson College, where he played baseball and studied International Business and Management. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund, a nonprofit organization supporting families caring for children with special needs.

Matt and his wife, Avery, and their dog, Frankie, live in Wyndmoor, PA.

Lauren Testa joined the Phillies Communications Department in 2015 as a part-time intern. Over the past 11 years, she has had several promotions. Her most recent came in 2025 when she was elevated to her current role as Manager of Communications.

Lauren plays an integral role in a variety of projects and initiatives across the organization. She collaborates closely with Alumni Relations, Corporate Partnerships, Baseball Communications, Phillies Charities, Inc., and many other departments to ensure seamless implementation of projects. Lauren works closely with MLB Studios on national filming requests. In 2026, Lauren assumed responsibility for managing the club’s Celebrity Relations initiatives.

Over her decade-plus with the club, she has coordinated logistics for marquee events like Hall of Fame Weekend celebrating Dick Allen; spearheaded community recognition programs for the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence over the past 5 years; and managed on-site logistics for major national television and commercial film shoots at Citizens Bank Park. For the 2026 MLB All-Star Week, Lauren played a key role in the implementation of five Legacy Projects tied to the league’s charitable endeavors with Phillies Charities, Inc.

A native of the region, Lauren earned her bachelor’s in communications from Rider University.

Lisa is a strategic and results-driven HR professional with over 15 years of experience in the field. She joined the Phillies in November 2024, combining her passion for both human resources and baseball to become an HR leader for her favorite baseball team in Major League Baseball.

Before joining the Phillies, Lisa made significant strides in her HR career at Johnson Matthey, a global leader in sustainable technologies. During her tenure there, she successfully led the implementation of early careers and leadership development programs and initiatives, as well as several global diversity initiatives. Her expertise spans Talent Management, Talent Acquisition, and Leadership Development, with a particular expertise in performance management. Notably, Lisa spearheaded the global rollout of a cutting-edge performance management system that drove organizational success.

A passionate advocate for employee engagement, Lisa has a proven track record of turning engagement initiatives into measurable business outcomes. She holds both her PHR certification and EMCC Coaching designation, further enhancing her ability to develop and empower talent at all levels.

Lisa is a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College where she majored in Business Administration with a concentration in Management. In addition to her various HR certifications, Lisa obtained a certification in Event Management through George Washington University.

Mickey Morandini transitioned to his role as club ambassador in 2018. He had spent the previous two years with the team as first base coach and baserunning instructor.

Prior to joining the major league staff, Mickey spent five years in the Phillies minor league system as a coach for triple-A Lehigh Valley and double-A Reading and manager for single-A Lakewood and single-A Williamsport. He also spent four years as head coach for the Valparaiso High School varsity baseball team.

A 1995 National League All-Star, Mickey played nine of his 11 major league seasons (1990-2000) with the Phillies and was a member of the 1993 NL champions. He ranks fourth in Phillies history in most games played at second base (926) and was the recipient of the Paul Owens Award in 1989 as the best player in the Phillies minor league system. Mickey was originally selected by the Phillies in the fifth round of the June 1988 draft out of Indiana University. As an amateur, he won a gold medal as a member of the 1988 Olympic baseball team.

Born in Leechburg, Pa., Mickey and his wife Peg currently live in Glen Mills, Pa. They have three sons: Jordan, Griffin and Braydon.

The 2026 season marks Dickie Noles' 35th with the organization after rejoining the Phillies in 1992. Prior to becoming a club ambassador, he spent 28 years as an employee assistance professional and, before that, four years in the community relations department.

Dickie pitched for parts of 11 major league seasons with the Phillies (1979-81; 1990), Chicago Cubs (1982-84; 1987), Texas Rangers (1984-85), Cleveland (1986), Detroit Tigers (1987) and Baltimore Orioles (1988) and finished his career at 36-53 with 11 saves and a 4.56 ERA in 277 games (96 starts). Selected by the Phillies in the fourth round of the June 1975 draft, Dickie was a member of the 1980 World Series champions, pitching in relief.

In 1989, Dickie won the Texas Rangers Community Service Award and in 1992 he was honored as the International Christian Athlete of the Year. Other awards he has won include the Humanitarian of the Year by the Sunshine Foundation in 1997 and the Humanitarian Award from the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association in 2010. In 2019, he won the Richie Ashburn & David Montgomery Special Achievement Award, given annually to a Phillies employee who has demonstrated loyalty, dedication and passion for the game. Dickie was inducted into the All Sports Museum of Southern New Jersey in October 2021.

Dickie was born in Charlotte, N.C., and currently resides in Aston, Pa. He has one daughter, Brittany, twin sons, Christopher and Nicholas, and five grandchildren.