Jamie D. McCourt (born December 5, 1953) is an American businesswoman and investor who is the United States Ambassador to France and United States Ambassador to Monaco. McCourt is the founder and CEO of Jamie Enterprises, and the former co-owner and executive of the Los Angeles Dodgers. She became the highest-ranking woman in Major League Baseball, appointed first as Vice Chairman of the Dodgers in 2004, then President in 2005, and finally CEO in 2009.
Early life
Jamie McCourt (née Luskin) was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Jewish parents. Her father, Jack Luskin, ran the Luskin's chain of appliance stores in Maryland. As a 17-year-old freshman at Georgetown University, she met Frank McCourt, whom she would marry in 1979.
She earned a degree in French at Georgetown University (1975), a law degree at the University of Maryland School of Law (1978) and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. She also holds a diploma from La Sorbonne at the University of Paris.
Career
For fifteen years she was a practicing attorney, engaged in international and securities law in New York as well as in corporate, real estate, and family law in Boston. She then spent ten years as Vice President and General Counsel of the McCourt Co., the family real estate development firm in Boston.
She relocated from Boston to Los Angeles in 2004 to purchase the Los Angeles Dodgers and also joined the Dodgers' front-office organization as an executive after the team was acquired.
In September 2008, the McCourts purchased the Los Angeles Marathon.
She was a visiting professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Her course, "The Pursuit of Leadership: A Female Perspective," was designed for women and, according to the UCLA Newsroom, was considered one of the most popular courses in the Anderson School curriculum.
In 2009, McCourt launched Jamie Enterprises. She has invested in high-value real estate, biotech and tech start ups. Investments include ZipCar, Kite Pharma and Heal.
In 2013, she bought a 22-acre vineyard estate in Napa Valley, California Rutherford region for $11.25 million with the intention of both living there part-time and continuing to produce the property's wine. As of 2016, she planned to produce a cabernet sauvignon for release in 2017.
In 2015, she was a keynote speaker at the Sloan Women in Management conference at MIT where she shared her personal story and called for women to seek a secure financial future. McCourt also spoke at institutions such as Harvard and Columbia University encouraging women to be financially self-sufficient and in control of their finances.
In 2016, McCourt served as Presidential Trustee and California State Co-Chair for Trump Victory. She then was on the Transition Finance Committee for then President-Elect Donald Trump.
Los Angeles Dodgers
In 2004, the McCourts purchased the Los Angeles Dodgers. From 2004 - 2012, McCourt was the Co-Owner, President and CEO of the Dodgers. She began as Vice Chairman, became President in 2005 and then CEO in 2009. Under her leadership, the Dodgers set a club record for single season attendance and won back-to back division titles for the first time in 30 years.
In October and November 2009 the McCourts separated and later commenced divorce proceedings. Their respective attorneys publicly identified a dispute as to whether the Dodgers assets were community property (i.e. owned 50% by Jamie McCourt), or were separate property, 100% owned by Frank McCourt. The team and stadium assets were purchased for $430 million in 2004 and were valued at $722 million in 2009 (according to Forbes), a theoretical increase in value of $292 million (68%) in five years.
Jamie McCourt was represented in the divorce by trial lawyer David Boies. On December 7, 2010, Superior Court Judge Gordon ruled that a postnuptial agreement giving Frank McCourt sole ownership was invalid due to a switched document proving Jamie's 50% ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
On October 17, 2011, it was announced that the McCourts had reached a settlement dividing their assets equally whereby Jamie McCourt would receive about $130 million and renounce her claims on the team. This settlement ended what is widely believed to be the costliest divorce in California history. Three months later, Frank McCourt sold the Dodgers for $2 billion.
Philanthropy
McCourt's philanthropy focuses on promoting business education, contemporary art, and the worldwide Jewish community.
McCourt was the recipient of the Scopus Award, the highest humanitarian honor given by the American Friends of the Hebrew University for community leaders who have active involvement in humanitarian causes. In 2012, she was among those who helped LACMA raise $2.8 million to acquire new artworks at the museum's annual Collectors Committee weekend.
Board appointments
McCourt has served on the Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and on the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Contemporary Art. She also sits on the Board of Directors of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
McCourt has said she considers education the great equalizer, and has pursued a variety of educational endeavors including membership on the Board of Advisors at the UCLA Anderson School of Management and the North American Executive Board at the MIT Sloan School of Management. She also served as Chairman of Georgetown University's Third Century Campaign, which raised more than one billion dollars.
United States Ambassador to France
On June 22, 2017, she was nominated as United States Ambassador to Belgium. On August 2, 2017, President Trump formally withdrew her nomination and instead nominated her as United States Ambassador to France and United States Ambassador to Monaco. McCourt was confirmed as the U.S. Ambassador to France and Monaco on November 2, 2017. She was sworn in on December 11, 2017. Ambassador McCourt presented her credentials to President Emmanuel Macron on December 18, 2017.
References
External links
- Official website
- Official Biography on website in U.S. Embassy in France
