Sponsored by Temple University’s Fox School of Business
On Monday, March 30, college students, recent graduates and professors are invited to go behind the scenes with Phillies business analytics leaders at this exclusive College Series pregame event in the Media Room at Citizens Bank Park. The event takes place 4-6:15 p.m., with the game time 6:40 p.m.
Event Details
-
Learn from business analytics leaders from the Phillies during a question-and-answer session moderated by the club’s Director of Human ResourcesLisa Knechtel. Panelists will provide excellent insight into their areas of business, as well as share their career experiences, including from the team’s preparations for the 2026 All-Star Game. Speakers (subject to change) include:
- Blake Summerfield, Director, Business Analytics – Strategy, The Phillies
- Angela Ditri, Senior Business Analyst, The Phillies
- Joe Dementri, Senior Business Data Specialist, The Phillies
- Kate Karamouzis, Business Analyst, The Phillies
-
Hear from keynote speaker and Phillies Wall of FamerEd Wade, a former vice president and general manager who helped usher in one of the greatest eras of Phillies baseball.
-
Practice networking with Phillies executives and other special guests during a Networking Hour. Meet informally with front office personnel from various departments. During this time, attendees are also welcome to take photos with 1993 National League champions Mickey Morandini and Milt Thompson (also a coach for the 2008 World Champion Phillies), as well as 1980 World Series champion Dickie Noles (note: subject to change).
-
Meet members of Temple University’s Fox School of Business, who will be on-site to share information about their graduate programs.
-
Cheer on the Phillies with a ticket to that day’s 6:40 p.m. game against the Washington Nationals. Your game ticket also includes a $12 concession credit.
Additional Details
- Check-in begins at 4 p.m. and features an hour-long Networking Hour, as well as the opportunity to take photos with 1993 National League champions Mickey Morandini, Milt Thompson (also a 2008 World Series champion coach), and 1980 World Series champion Dickie Noles (note: subject to change).
- The panel portion of the program officially starts at 5 p.m., and continues until 6:15 p.m.
- The event is limited to 140 students. Interested professors, recent graduates, and parents of students are welcome to attend.
- Dress is casual to business casual.
- Students are urged to ask questions throughout the program.
Program cost: $40. In addition to the above networking hour and panel, the program cost includes a Phillies game ticket with $12 concession credit to that night’s 6:40 p.m. game against the Washington Nationals, with seat location in Sections 429-434.
Speaker Bios
Speakers and special guests are subject to change.
Special Welcome & Keynote Speaker: Ed Wade, Phillies Wall of Famer and former Vice President and General Manager
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.
Blake Summerfield, Director, Business Analytics – Strategy, The Phillies
As Director Business Analytics – Strategy for the Phillies, Blake oversees the strategy arm of the department. He combines in-depth analysis with institutional business knowledge to present key insights and recommendations.
Blake and his team provide real-time reporting, effective data visualization, and actionable data analysis to business units spanning all levels of the organization. He focuses on a variety of data sources including ticket sales and pricing from both the primary and secondary markets, in-park attendance, concessions, merchandise, and customer data. In addition to these descriptive analytics capabilities, he and his team have created multiple predictive models used by multiple departments.
Blake is the Phillies representative for several league initiatives including Analytics, CRM, Yield Management, and Scheduling. He serves as a liaison for both the club and the department, continually engaging new users and educating them on how data driven decision-making can improve the business.
A 2006 graduate of the University of Delaware, Blake joined the Phillies in September of that year and spent ten years in the Sales Office before shifting roles and becoming one of the founding members of the Phillies Business Analytics department. He resides in South Jersey with his wife and three children.
Angela Ditri, Senior Business Analyst, The Phillies
Angela Ditri joined the Business Analytics team as an intern in January 2020 before earning a full-time role in May 2021. In her current position of Senior Business Analyst with a focus in Data Science, she spearheads the department’s predictive modeling and analysis.
Other contributions include dynamically pricing tickets, analysis of concession data, simple and complex data visualization and reporting, connecting to external data sources, and automating business processes.
Angela graduated from University of Delaware with a master’s degree related to Physical Sciences which laid the foundation for her analytical and programming skills needed to succeed in her current role. In addition to being a Senior Business Analyst, she has multiple years’ experience as a Teaching Assistant for two online Bootcamps hosted at Columbia University; Data Visualization and Programming, and AI. Though primarily programming in Python, she has knowledge of various programming languages.
Joe Dementri, Senior Business Data Specialist, The Phillies
As Senior Business Data Specialist for the Phillies, Joe Dementri oversees the process of extracting, transforming, and loading data from a wide variety of outside sources into the internal data warehouse. This includes such systems as ticketing, concessions, retail and Wheelhouse, MLB’s one-stop data platform.
Joe maintains consistent communication with the internal consumers of data to make sure their results are as expected. Working closely with the strategic side of his department, he achieves this by creating data models that are used for reporting and visualizations that are then presented to the front office.
A graduate of Rowan University with a BS in Computer Science, Joe began his career with the club in 2018 as a Business Analytics intern during his final semester in college. The following year, he was hired full-time as the team’s Data Engineer on the Business Analytics team. Joe was promoted to his current position in 2024.
Kate Karamouzis, Business Analyst, The Phillies
Joining the Phillies as a Business Analyst in November 2024, Kate uses internal and external data sources to deliver insights and strategic recommendations across the organization. With a focus on fan data, she leverages SQL and Python to develop targeted engagement strategies and effective segmentation models. She is also responsible for real-time game day reporting and brand marketing analysis, helping inform both immediate operational decisions and long-term planning.
Kate earned her BS in Business from Babson College in 2023 and returned to Babson to complete a master’s degree in business Analytics in 2024, where she also served as captain of the softball team. Prior to joining the Phillies, Kate gained valuable industry experience working at Major League Baseball and the Cape Cod League.
Lisa Knechtel (moderator), Director, Human Resources, Phillies
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.
Special Networking Hour Guest: Mickey Morandini, 1993 National League Champion and Phillies Club Ambassador
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.
Special Networking Hour Guest: Dickie Noles, 1980 World Series Champion and Club Ambassador
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.
Special Networking Hour Guest: Milt Thompson, 1993 National League Champion, Coach for 2008 World Champion Phillies and Phillies Club Ambassador
An outfielder for the 1993 National League champs and hitting coach for the 2008 World Series champions, Milt Thompson returned to the Phillies organization as a community club ambassador in March 2022. In this role, he serves as a club resource for community outreach with an emphasis on youth baseball and softball development, working with the Phillies RBI program and the Phillies Urban Youth Academy.
Milt previously served the Phillies as major league hitting coach (2005-10) following one season as first base coach (2004). From 2005-09, Milt guided Phillies hitters to the National League lead in home runs, RBI, runs, extra-base hits and total bases. He also served as a coach on the NL All-Star team in 2009.
Originally drafted by the Atlanta Braves out of Howard University in 1979, Milt played 18 years of professional baseball, including 13 seasons in the majors with the Braves (1984-85), Phillies (1986, 1993-94), St. Louis Cardinals (1989-92), Houston Astros (1994-95), Los Angeles Dodgers (1996) and Colorado Rockies (1996). He hit .313 with six RBI in 1993 World Series and set a Phillies record with five RBI in Game 4 at Veterans Stadium.
Milt began his coaching career in 1997 as minor league outfield/baserunning coordinator for Tampa Bay before joining the Phillies minor league system as a coach at Reading (1998-99) and outfield/baserunning coordinator (2001-03).
Born in Washington, D.C., Milt lives in Sewell, N.J. with his wife Carole. He has four daughters: Torri, Jennifer, Courtney and Alyssa.
Networking Hour Participants
- Josh Barbieri, Director, Business Analytics, Phillies
- Kate Karamouzis, Business Analyst, Phillies
- Liam Derbyshire, Senior Accountant, Phillies
- Danny Friedman, Lead Quantitative Analyst, Phillies
- Angela Ditri, Senior Business Analyst, Phillies
- Long Nguyen, Software Engineer II, Phillies
- Mike Holdren, Director, Ticketing Systems & Operations, Phillies
- Blake Summerfield, Director, Business Analytics – Strategy, Phillies
- Mike Hirsch, Senior Software Engineer, Phillies
- Ryan Kologie, Human Resources Generalist, Phillies
- Joe Dementri, Senior Business Data Specialist, Phillies
- Brett Mele, Lead Quantitative Analyst, Phillies
- Daniela Carannante, Business Data Analyst, Phillies
- Thomas Walker, Assistant HR Manager, Aramark at Citizens Bank Park
Spring College Series Sessions
- Monday, March 30 vs. Washington Nationals – Business Analytics Night– SOLD OUT
- Tuesday, March 31 vs. Washington Nationals – Women in Sports Night(also Hatfield Phillies Franks BOGO Night)
- Monday, April 13 vs. Chicago Cubs – Sport Management & Hospitality Night(also Hatfield Phillies Franks BOGO Night) –SOLD OUT
- Tuesday, April 14 vs. Chicago Cubs – Technology Services Night
Opportunities
Interested in working in sports? Check out these opportunities with the Phillies.
