Mariners Black History Month Front Office Profile: Ingrid Russell-Narcisse
Ingrid Russell-Narcisse is the Mariners Senior Director of Corporate Partnerships. She is a 1988 graduate of the University of Washington where she was a standout on the basketball court for legendary Huskies coach Chris Gobrecht.
She has been with the Mariners since 1993, when she started in season ticket sales. Ingrid has been responsible for selling and managing some of the Mariners largest partnerships including EQC, KeyBank, Hempler’s and New Era. Her approach is to connect with the client and understand how to help them and the Mariners get the most out of the relationship.
Ingrid has made it her mission to mentor the careers of many young women inside the organization and in the community. In 2019, she was honored by the University of Washington Women In Business program as their “Woman of the Year.”
What do you do for the club?
I work in the Partnerships department with an amazing team of people who create mutually beneficial partnerships between the Mariners and some global iconic brands. We are fortunate to be partnered with some well-known global companies, many of them are based right here in the Northwest. Companies like T-Mobile, Microsoft, Boeing, Alaska Airlines to name a few. These partnerships are critical to helping us reach our revenue goals but these alignments also allow us to extend and expand our reach, share of voice and connection to fans.
What do you like best about your job?
I like so many elements of my job but developing the relationships with our partners, learning what their individual challenges are and developing content and platforms to help address those challenges. Ultimately we want to help the partners meet their business objectives and their key performance indicators. Often if feels like we work as an extension of our partners and their marketing departments, and that variety makes what I do so enjoyable.
What did you do before joining the Mariners?
I worked for Toys R Us as a Sales floor manager — and then I worked for the Puget Sound Business Journal ( a local, well respected business publication) — selling advertising for the newspaper.
Do you have a favorite story from your time with the Mariners?
There are many. I think one of my favorite stories is clinching the American League West championship in 2001 not long after 9–11. We invited partners to a suite because it was one of the first games back after the September 11th attacks. When the game was over Lou Piniella and the team grabbed the American Flag, brought it out onto the field and knelt with it, heads bowed, while many of our fans stayed and took it in. It was an emotional, unifying moment for everyone. I remember calling Gregg Greene (Mariners Vice President of Marketing) on my way home — I was fighting back tears. I had to leave a voicemail but I remember telling him how well done the tribute was prior to the game and I told him how amazing and subdued the celebration on the field was and loved how the marketing department just followed the lead of the players in that organic and patriotic celebration. Gregg and his team did a great job of just letting things unfold and our partners were all in tears after the game. It was memorable, raw and I still fight back tears as I recall it.
Are there any fun facts we should know about you?
I love to golf but I’m not very good. I’m just passionate about it because I know no one will ever MASTER golf. We’re all just different levels of bad — Terrible, Bad, Kinda Bad and Not So Bad. I love to laugh — tell me a funny story and you’ll be my best friend. I’ve been to just about every comedy club in the area and when I can, I try and visit them when I travel.
What has your experience been like as a minority working in sports?
I don’t often see people who look like me. You may see Black people on the field but when you don’t often see people of color in the office and board rooms it’s hard to become what you do not see. Lately there seems to be more of a concerted effort to change that. I’m fortunate because I work in a department that has always been pretty diverse. I had a mentor — who wasn’t a person of color but he was a tremendous ally who believed in the power of diversity. And I’ve never felt really anything but respected and accepted by most people here at the Mariners. I would just love to see more people of color coming to games. Diversity attracts diversity — when we start speaking to, marketing to and connecting with BIPOC communities — where they live and where they are most comfortable, we’ll see greater diversity among our fan base. But it’s hard to do that when we all come from similar places, perspectives and circumstances.
There were no mentors who looked like me to help me navigate challenges in the office. So I’m working on the One Up — One Over — One Down principle. I found a mentor who is one level up — I have always been able to get advice from her. I have some colleagues who I can support and who support me- they are one level over mostly through the Black Sports Professional Network and one down — someone I am mentoring.
Regarding Black History Month, is there something you want to share with readers?
I love Black History Month — it’s a celebration of culture and history but I’m disappointed we still need it. Black history in this country is our history –it’s American history. Black people are underrepresented in history books and in conversations that shape expressions of American history. But Black History Month/February is always a great time to learn and acknowledge the contributions of Black people. I’m still learning. In school during BHM, we learned a lot about Martin Luther King, Henrietta Lacks, Dr. Charles Drew, but I love it when a movie like Hidden Figures comes out and we learn about the contribution of women like Dorothy Vaughn and Katherine Johnson who helped NASA launch a man into space. Unless a movie like that comes out we probably would never learn that story. There are probably hundreds of untold stories like that, not just in the Black community but in the Latinx, Native, Asian communities as well. As a kid I didn’t even know working at NASA was possible for me. Had I known, it may have changed the whole trajectory of my life.
Is there anything else you want to share with readers?
OMG — I’ve already talked your ear off. I’m excited to see what this team will accomplish on the field in the coming years. And I love to see this organization begin to appreciate and advocate for diversity internally and in our communities.
