Mississippi Braves Front Office

Laven is in his fifth year and fourth season as Vice President and General Manager for the M-Braves. During his first season in 2019, Laven guided the organization to an 8.25% growth in attendance from 2018. Despite the 2020 season cancellation, Laven kept the organization alive in the community, putting on socially distanced events for Movie Nights, Graduations, Independence Day, and Target Golf. In 2021, Laven led the club through Mississippi's "Return to Baseball" in 2021, which resulted in the organization's first league championship in 13 years.

Laven joined the Braves after spending the 2018 baseball season as Director of Corporate Partnerships for the Chicago Dogs (American Association). Before 2018, Laven spent five years as President of Salvi Sports Enterprises, overseeing two Independent League franchises, the Schaumburg Boomers (Frontier League) and Gary SouthShore RailCats (American Association). Laven held the additional role of General Manager of the Boomers from 2015-17.

Laven spent 13 seasons with the Arkansas Travelers, a Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. Following the 2006 season, the Travelers' final season at Ray Winder Field, which also featured the Texas League All-Star Game, Laven was recognized as the 2006 Texas League Executive of the Year. In September 2006, he received the first-ever "Closer Award" as the top salesperson in Minor League Baseball. After three years as the club's Assistant General manager (2004-06), Laven was promoted to General Manager by the team's Executive Committee in 2007 and served as the Travs' GM for six seasons. Laven ascended through the organization, beginning as a Stadium Operations Intern in 1992 and returning as the Director of Stadium Operations in 1993.

Between two stints in Arkansas, Laven spent one season as Account Executive for the Kane County Cougars (1994), one season as Assistant General Manager for the Albany Polecats (1995), and four seasons as Director of Food and Beverage and Director of Sales with Piedmont (NC) Boll Weevils (1996-99). His second stint with the Travelers began in 2000, taking on responsibilities such as planning promotions, advertising, ticket sales, and public relations until being named Assistant General Manager in 2004._

A native of LaGrange, Illinois, Laven graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 1991. He and his wife, Holly, have one daughter, Kellan.

Mueller is in his fifth year and fourth season with the Mississippi Braves as Assistant General Manager and his 29th year in Minor League Baseball. Before joining the Braves, Mueller served as the General Manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates Single-A affiliate West Virginia Power and VP/GM of the Chicago White Sox Single-A affiliate Kannapolis Intimidators.

In Mueller's role as Assistant General Manager, he assists the GM and staff in all team and stadium operations, emphasizing creating strong partnerships in the community.

Mueller is a graduate of Methodist College, where he earned a BS degree in Physical Education and was a member of their NCAA III football team. Tim attended Ocala (FL) Vanguard High School, where he played football and baseball, was a member of the National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta and was an Anchor Sweetheart. Fun Fact - longtime NFL quarterback Daunte Culpepper was a freshman and scout team quarterback during Tim's senior year at Vanguard.

Tim is a member of the Flowood Rotary Club and is a Paul Harris Fellow. In addition, Tim attends Word of Life Church and gets more involved with our local chambers of commerce and charities.

Shaw is in her 19th year, and 18th season with the Mississippi Braves and her sixth as Director of Community Relations & Office Manager. The only front office staff member to have been with the organization since its inception, Shaw began as the receptionist for the M-Braves during their inaugural campaign before accepting a full-time position in late 2005 as Office Manager.

Her duties include preparing/processing multiple reports for the club, processing invoices, payments, and donation requests, awareness nights for non-profits, and hiring and managing her in-season staff.

Shaw was a 2018 recipient of the Atlanta Braves Diamond of Hope Award, which honors "community activists who have made exceptional contributions to the fight against breast cancer." Shaw, a breast cancer survivor, is actively involved in numerous charitable organizations dedicated to the fight against breast cancer.

Originally from Lexington, MS, Shaw is a graduate of Central Holmes Academy, Holmes Community College, and Hinds Community College. While spending as much time as she can with her family and friends, she is also a fan of the Atlanta Braves, loves horses, enjoys watching college softball and football, hunting, fishing, and just enjoying life!

Kerr enters his fourth year and third season as Director of Group Sales with the Mississippi Braves. He joined the M-Braves from the Gary SouthShore RailCats (IN), where he was Director of Marketing & Promotions from 2016-2019. He spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons as an Account Executive.

A seasoned marketing and sales professional, Kerr worked previously with a Fortune 500 telecom company where he was a Sales Manager for retail locations in Southwest Arkansas. He also has experience as an Assistant Program Manager with Accent Marketing, direct sales, and service in a Fortune 500 telecommunications company. The 2022 season will be his 10th in professional baseball, with his previous affiliated experience being with the Double-A Arkansas Travelers. Kerr’s contribution to the M-Braves is not just limited to sales, but in graphic design – creating the club’s printed materials and signage.

A native of Cuyahoga Falls, OH, Kerr majored in Communication and Mass Media at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, AR, where he was a World Champion collegiate debater, and semi-professional table tennis player. David is an active member of the Pearl Kiwanis Club, an ambassador with the Pearl Chamber of Commerce, and a registered professional parliamentarian. David currently resides in Brandon with his wife, Holly.

Matthew enters his first season as Manager, Ticket Operations for the M-Braves. He was originally from south Louisiana and grew up in Vicksburg, MS; he graduated in 2012 from the University of Phoenix – Western Washington Campus with a B.S. in Business/Accounting. He Interned in 2006 (Marketing/Promotions) & 2008 (Media Relations) with the Tacoma Rainiers, the Triple-A Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.

Matthew is an avid fan of all Mississippi State athletics, Atlanta Braves, New Orleans Saints, and Italian National Football Matthew currently resides in Pearl with his wife, Ashley, and their three boys.

Matthew is also involved in racewalking, bowling, baseball, and disc golf growing up. His greatest sports accomplishment is being Mississippi YABA boy's overall champion in 1995 for the 11-under age group. He's worked in a gameday role since 2005 as a scorekeeper/stringer for Baseball Info Solutions and MLBAM. 2023 will be his first in the front office, but 19th working in some capacity.

Bowden enters his second season for the M-Braves in 2024 as a sales executive and his third season in professional baseball. A native of Chesapeake, Virginia, Bowden joined the M-Braves after a season with the Peninsula Pilots, a member of the Coastal Plains League. Bowden attended James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, from 2018 to 2022. Bowden received his bachelor's degree in sports and recreation management from James Madison's Hart School of Hospitality, Sport & Recreation and was a member of the Dean's List four times. In Sean's spare time, he enjoys going out with friends and rooting on his Dukes of James Madison, Philadelphia 76ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Phillies (when they are not playing the Braves).

Wilson will begin his sixth season with the M-Braves in 2024 and his first as Manager of Stadium Operations. The Clinton native began his time with the M-Braves as a bat boy and clubhouse assistant in 2018 while in school at Jones College Ellisville, MS. Wilson received a Double-A South and World Championship ring for his contributions to the Atlanta Braves organization in 2021. Wilson attended Ole Miss from 2020 to 2023 and received his degree in Sports and Recreation administration and a minor in Therapeutic Recreation in 2023. in his spare time, Keith enjoys fishing and rooting on the Minnesota Vikings, Memphis Grizzlies, and Ole Miss Rebels.

Harris is in his sixth year, and fifth season with the Mississippi Braves as Director of Communications and "Voice of the M-Braves." and 15th overall in Minor League Baseball

The two-time Southern League Broadcaster of the Year (2013 and 2017) served as Director of Media Relations and Broadcasting for the Southern League's Biloxi Shuckers during the organization's first three seasons. Before moving to Biloxi in 2015, Harris served as Manager of Media Relations and Broadcasting and eventually Vice President of Communications for the Jackson (TN) Generals from 2009-2014.

Harris led the public relations efforts for Biloxi's move into MGM Park after a 54-game road trip in 2015 and oversaw the national coverage of the beginning of the franchise. In 2021, after calling the Mississippi Braves first championship in 13 years, Harris was called up to Atlanta to join the Braves PR staff for the postseason, which ended with the Braves’ first World Series title in 26 years.

His career as a play-by-play broadcaster has led him to appearances on Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers broadcasts, the 2011 Southern League Home Run Derby and All-Star Game, and 2015 exhibition game between the Biloxi Shuckers and Milwaukee Brewers. He surpassed the 1,500 professional baseball games broadcasted plateau during the 2019 season. During the baseball offseason, Harris is a play-by-play broadcaster for Sun Belt Conference basketball games on the ESPN family of networks.

Harris graduated from Bethel University (TN), where he also played baseball, with a business management degree in 2007. Along the road to a diploma, he made stops at Motlow State CC and Memphis. Harris also still ranks third in Tennessee state history in high school home runs (48) and RBI's (208) during his time at Jackson (TN) Christian School.

Harris is a native of Lexington, TN, and currently resides in Flowood, MS.

Elizabeth is in her second season with the Mississippi Braves as the Merchandise Coordinator. Originally from Rolling Fork, MS, Elizabeth joins the Braves after working as a JV and Varsity Girls Basketball Coach for the 2021-2022 season. Previously, she worked as the Coordinator of Student Recreation for Hinds Community College, where she assisted with the planning and organizing of activities and intramurals for four years.

Elizabeth served as a trainee in Sales, Tickets, and Operations for the Mississippi Braves during the 2017 season. Elizabeth is a 2013 graduate of Hinds Community College, where she was a starting catcher for the softball team. She graduated from Southern Miss in 2015 with a B.S. in Sport Management and a minor in Business Administration. While attending Southern Miss, she was a member of the Sport Management Club and assisted with athletic events and game day operations. In May of 2017, Elizabeth graduated from Auburn University at Montgomery with a Master of Education degree in Sport Management. While at AUM, she was a member of Phi Kappa Phi and was awarded Outstanding Graduate Student in Sport Management.

Away from work, Elizabeth enjoys traveling, cooking, listening to music, cheering on the Auburn Tigers and Atlanta Braves, and spending time with her husband, Jeremy and their two Weimaraners, Yadi and Nala. Elizabeth currently resides in Madison.

Melanie is in her first season as OVG Hospitality General Manager, where she will oversee the food service operations at Trustmark Park. She worked six years directly for the Mississippi Braves, with three of those being Suites and Catering Manager. She is an avid fan of baseball, particularly following the Atlanta Braves, Mississippi Braves, and all Mississippi State Universities sports.

Mel is a native of South Louisiana, where you will still hear her Cajun accent come out while visiting with her at Trustmark Park. Before joining the Braves, she worked as a 4-H Program Assistant, in Scott County, Mississippi, for 12 years with Mississippi State University Extension Service. As a result, she has diverse experience in extension and research: youth development, adult education, nutrition and health, marketing and events, community relations, honors, and agriculture. Additionally, she had been tasked with recruiting, training, and managing a large volunteer base to assist with delivering positive youth and adult development programs in the community.

She enjoys spending time with her family in her spare time, especially her grandchild Lila. She is involved with the Mississippi Angus Association and Auxiliary, the American Angus Association, youth development programs such as 4-H, and the Future Farmers of America. She currently resides in Morton, MS.

Emma is a fifth-generation Angus producer whose family's involvement in the breed was a considerable influence. From her mother's roots in Louisiana and helping form the Louisiana Junior Angus Association into what it is today to her father's family farm, Monogram Farms in Mississippi, she is thankful to have two strong family backgrounds in the Angus breed. Emma grew up on her family farm, Kiani Angus, in Morton, Mississippi. She participated regularly in showing cattle and other contests on the state level and at the National Junior Angus Shows across the United States. She was successful in many competitions on the national level. She was honored to win first place (girls) American Angus Auxiliary Scholarship and competed for Miss American Angus in 2008.

Emma resides in Flora, Mississippi, on her Registered Angus, SimAngus, and UltraBlack Cattle cow/calf operation, Avery Farms, where they raise show cattle for youth to participate in 4-H and FFA youth development organizations. They also produce herd bulls, embryos, and cuts of beef for purchase by other cattlemen and consumers. Emma and her husband Robert breed and sell Champion Bloodline Labrador Retrievers and produce round and square Bermuda/Bahia hay.
Emma is currently involved heavily in the American Angus Auxiliary and Mississippi Cattlemen's Association, where she continues to serve on many committees and as a board member.

Emma's involvement in baseball began in high school, where she served as a "Diamond Girl" team member and continued in the same role at Hinds Community College. In 2015, she worked as a seasonal worker at the Mississippi Braves in the money room, eventually moving to VIP catering seasonal staff in 2021.

As of April 2023, Emma accepted a full-time position of Premium Services Manager with Oak View Group at the Mississippi Braves.

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