Nashville, TN – This afternoon, Minor League Baseball announced that Nashville Sounds office manager Sharon Ridley has been named as the recipient of the 2010 Rawlings Woman Executive of the Year award.
The award, presented by Rawlings, is based on outstanding contributions by a female executive to a Minor League ball club or league throughout the season. Ridley was chosen from a group of 16 nominees, one from each of the minor leagues.
The prominent award, which has been given out annually since 1976, will formally be presented to Ridley on December 6th at the Baseball Winter Meetings Award Luncheon in Orlando, Florida.
“I am so honored to have been chosen as the 2010 Rawlings Woman Executive of the Year,” Ridley said. “My selection for this award is such an unexpected and wonderful surprise! I have been blessed to work with the Nashville Sounds and Minor League Baseball for over 23 years. Coming to work every day at the ballpark and interacting with so many great people on our staff and in our community has been a joy for me. It has been a great journey and I have enjoyed it so much.”
Ridley, the longest-tenured employee in Sounds history, recently completed her 23rd consecutive season in the team’s front office in 2010 after initially joining the club in 1988 as Advertising Secretary. In addition to handling receptionist and secretarial duties in her current role as Office Manager, she sells ticket packages and print ads for the team’s souvenir program and oversees the customer service staff during home games.
Her smiling face and friendly voice have greeted every person who has called the Sounds or visited the team’s front office for the past quarter-century.
“Through ownership and affiliation changes there has been one constant with the Nashville Sounds and that is Sharon Ridley,” said Minor League Baseball president Pat O’Conner. “Sharon has successfully worked in virtually every capacity with the Sounds over the years and in many ways is one of the public faces of the organization. Her dedication to Sounds baseball makes her an excellent choice for the Rawlings Woman Executive of the Year Award.”
In the past year, Sharon has been struck by more than her fair share of personal tragedies. She lost both a son and her mother to long battles with illnesses, and her family was heavily affected by the historic Nashville Flood in May. Like many other Middle Tennessee residents, she and her family were forced to evacuate their home of 35 years.
Amazingly, Sharon has kept the same glowing smile on her face through all this adversity by remaining upbeat through her passion for the Sounds, her loving family, and her strong faith.
“We are all very proud of Sharon for receiving this prestigious honor,” said Sounds general manager Brad Tammen. “She is a great ambassador for the Sounds, and to baseball in general. The most incredible feature of Sharon is her permanent smile that is able to brighten the entire office … rain or shine.”
Ridley follows in the footsteps of former Sounds ticket director Dot Cloud, who won the national Rawlings Award in 1997 — the only previous honoree in the team’s 33-year history.
A native of Glasgow, Kentucky, Ridley resides in Nolensville with her husband, Steve. She has two children, three step-children, and two granddaughters. She earned her undergraduate degree from Western Kentucky University.
Season tickets for the 2011 Nashville Sounds season are currently on sale. Contact the Sounds box office at 615-690-HITS or visit the team’s website at www.nashvillesounds.com for further details.
