St. Elmo Native Named Minor League Baseball General Manager

The Joliet Slammers has announced that Assistant General Manager Heather Mills will become the team’s new General Manager.

Mills is entering her fourth season with the team, having joined the club in 2013 as Box Office Manager. Mills oversaw all ticket operations over the 2013 and 2014 seasons and was quickly promoted in 2015 to Assistant General Manager. Her contributions to the club helped the Slammers to a successful 2015 season, earning the Frontier League Commissioner's Award of Excellence in acknowledgement of an increase in attendance and business development.

“Heather has been a vital member of our team since we acquired the franchise and promoting her to General Manager in the end was an easy choice,” said Majority Owner of the Slammers Nick Semaca. “She is energetic, smart, and a strong leader who will help us continue to grow and deliver an even greater experience to our fans in Joliet and the greater Will County area.”

Mills came to the Slammers after having spent two full seasons in 2010 and 2011 as Ticket Operations/Promotions Coordinator with the Kane County Cougars – the Minor League affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2011, along with a co-worker, she created the Veeck Family Night of 100 promotions. It would be named one of the top five theme nights in MiLB for that season.

Standing alongside some of the most notable Chicagoland baseball greats like Chicago resident and New York Mets’ outfielder Curtis Granderson and Chicago Cubs Radio Announcer Pat Hughes, Mills was also recently awarded the Mary Frances Veeck Woman of the Year at the 70th Pitch and Hit Club of Chicago banquet on January 31. The Mary Frances Veeck Award recognizes women who have worked in baseball and have made tremendous contributions to the game. Mills joins past award winners like Dutchie Caray, third and last wife to Harry Caray, and Kim DeJesus, recognized for founding the David DeJesus Family Foundation committed to helping families in crisis in Chicago.

Mills began her lifelong dream of working in baseball when she interned for the Memphis Redbirds, the St. Louis Cardinals Triple-A team. During her time there, the team won the Pacific Coast League title with notable players such as Jon Jay, Allen Craig, Jaime Garcia, David Freese and several other future cardinals who would eventually win the World Series in 2011.

“I’m thankful of the Slammers organization for providing me this opportunity to continue to grow in the sports industry,” Mills said. “I’m excited to head into another Slammers season at Silver Cross Field and provide our fans the same experiences at a ballgame that I enjoyed as a kid.”

Mills grew up in St. Elmo. She attended St. Elmo High School and Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Sport Management and a Business Administration minor. Mills currently sits on the SEMO Sport Management Advisory Board. In her spare time, she enjoys curling up with a good book, baking, visiting museums, photography, and above all, watching baseball games.