Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor and adviser to US president Donald Trump, has joined the board of directors of the New York Mets.
Christie, 58, was New Jersey’s governor from January 2010 to January 2018. He was dropped as the head of Trump’s White House transition team shortly after the 2016 election, but remained as an informal advisor to the former president throughout his single term.
His son Andrew has worked for the team since 2018 and is the Mets’ coordinator of international scouting.
Jeanne Melino also joined the Mets board under new owner Steve Cohen, and New York said Friday she will be hired by the team as senior vice president of the Amazin’ Mets Foundation. A former assistant district attorney in Westchester and Suffolk Counties, she is executive director of the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation. She will oversee the Mets’ community engagement and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
The Mets’ board also includes chairman emeritus Fred Wilpon and vice chairman Andrew Cohen, who is not related to Steve.
“Chris and Jeanne are friends and trusted advisers with decades of leadership experience,” Steve Cohen said in a statement. “I welcome them both to the Board and I look forward to working with them on behalf of our fans, our community and the team.”
According to a 2014 profile in the New Yorker, Christie played baseball for the varsity team at Livingston High School.