Joe Arns
I look forward to the opportunity to serve on the PLL board again for the coming year. My family has lived in Princeton since 2012. My son Will (age 14) played in PLL for 8 years and continues to play recreational baseball in the local Babe Ruth league. My younger son Henry (age 6) is following in his older brother's footsteps.
As a coach of children ages 4-12, it has been a privilege watching them develop not just as athletes, but particularly as young people with resilience after years spent playing a game where failure and mental adversity are common. In addition to coaching, I have served the league in several administrative roles since 2014 and am currently the league's treasurer.
Rick Babich
I am excited for the opportunity to sit on the PLL Board for a fourth year. My son and I (the latter as a coach, of course!) have been involved in PLL since 2014.
When it comes to my philosophy on baseball, or any sport for that matter, I set basic ground rules for my children (as well as those I teach): Have fun, Listen to your Coach and Hustle. At this age, or any age for that matter, I strongly believe these three healthy tenets are the perfect building blocks to becoming a better athlete and teammate; and quite frankly, cross-over into life outside of sports. With younger children, I acknowledge effort and attitude as much as a good hit or put out. As a coach, there is no greater satisfaction than seeing a young baseball player smile after making good contact at the plate. It is that feeling of accomplishment that brings them back for another day, and hopefully, another season.
As children get older, I understand just how important technical training is in their development as an all-around baseball player. However, I firmly believe that this development does not have to come at the expense of Having Fun.
As a member of the Board, I look forward to spreading the love of baseball and helping to grow PLL within the community.
Matt Bellace
I’ve had the pleasure of coaching in the Princeton Little League since 2015 when my son Roy was in t-ball. Next season, Roy will play his final year at the intermediate level and my daughter Sidney will play her second season at the 10u level for softball. During my time in PLL, I’ve been an assistant coach, a manager and the safety officer on the board. In 2022, I was the manager of the Princeton Little League District 12 team that won the championship for the first time since 2018. I’ve also helped coach the Princeton Silver Sluggers travel team to two USABL championship appearances and recently organized and managed our Cooperstown Dreams Park team. My playing career includes earning All-NNJIL Honorable Mention from Montclair HS (NJ) and two years playing at Bucknell University. Professionally, I have a PhD in clinical neuropsychology and work primarily with adolescents as a motivational speaker. I would be honored to return as a PLL board member.
Jon Durbin
Princeton Little League the last fifteen years has been fully dedicated to an “all kids approach” when it comes to strengthening and growing the league, which means that we are committed to ensuring a strong recreation program is at the heart of PLL because it benefits the largest number of kids; it creates a fun environment and strong sense of community; and it develops a strong skills foundation for all our players.
While the pandemic has presented many challenges, and even disruptions, I am excited that we were able to bring back many of our most beloved community building traditions in 2022. In 2023, I am excited that we will be bringing back many of our skill-building activities with new wrinkles! I look forward to working with a great team of volunteer board members and coaches to make it all happen for the children and families in our community.
For PLL, I currently serve as President Emeritus with the following primary responsibilities: 1) To build stronger coordination between the teenage baseball and softball teams here in town, including the Babe Ruth Program (ages 13-15), The Princeton Legion Team (ages 15-19), and the school programs. 2) To focus on upgrading and expanding the softball and baseball facilities here in town for all ages (4-19).
I would be honored to serve on the board for a 15th year.
Personal Background:
56 years old.
Married to Jean Durbin-Attorney/Contracts Manager for Princeton University and member of the Princeton Public Schools Board of Education.
Two Sons: Teddy (21 yrs.) and Jack (17 yrs.). Teddy is a junior at Colby College, where he is playing college baseball. Jack is a Senior at Princeton High School, where he plays high school baseball. Teddy and Jack both played for PLL for 9 years, followed by playing for the Babe Ruth Program, and then the Princeton Post 218 American Legion Team.
Editor and Vice-President-W.W. Norton and Company Inc. NY, NY. (specializing in publishing books on history)
Community Service:
PLL Coach for 12 years (2007-2018).
PLL Board Member for 14 years (2009-2022).
Current President Emeritus of Princeton Little League.
Current President of WWP Babe Ruth Baseball (ages 13-15).
Current President of the PHS Baseball Boosters.
Current Coach and Administrator on the Princeton Post 218 American Legion Team (ages 16-19).
Current Assistant District Administrator NJ Little League District 12.
YMCA Basketball Coach for 8 years.
Former Municipal Chair of Princeton Township Democrats.
Former Municipal Vice-Chair of Princeton Democratic Party.
Former President, Princeton Community Democratic Organization (PCDO).
Current Member of the Mercer County Democratic Executive Committee.
Eric Fitzgerald
Eric Fitzgerald graduated from Princeton University in 2004 with a BSE specializing in Solid State Physics. While at Princeton, Eric was a varsity athlete in both baseball and soccer. He has worked at Gracie Credit, a hedge fund in New York City, since 2005 specializing in macro trends. In 2015, he and his family opened the Henry Howard Hotel, an 18-room boutique hotel located in New Orleans.
Steve Foytlin
Steve has been a Princeton resident for 10 years, and lives with his wife and two daughters in the Littlebrook section of town. For the past few years, he has volunteered as a coach for the PLL softball program's 8U team as well as at its Fall Ball clinic. He is excited at the opportunity to co-lead the PLL softball program with Manishi Mehrotra and build upon the strong foundation put into place by Chrissy Brown over the last eight years.
Jeff Frole
Thank you for considering me as a returning member to the Princeton Little League Board. My family moved to Princeton from Northern New Jersey in 2013. Professionally, I work with various companies developing database and analytics solutions.
My son William (14) played 9 years of PLL Baseball and my younger son Samuel (10) most recently played in the Minors Division. I have been a Princeton Little League coach of T-Ball, Instructional, Rookies, Minors and Summer tournament teams here in Princeton and I hope to coach for many seasons to come.
There are many great activities and sports available to our children, especially in Princeton. With many choices, as a PLL coach, I know baseball is a fun and very rewarding option for our kids. They learn the value of teamwork, good sportsmanship and build confidence while they practice and play baseball with classmates and friends.
Meghan Hedin
I’m delighted to have this opportunity to continue to serve on the PLL Board. Sports have always been a part of my life, and I feel fortunate that I can share the experience with my children. Over the past several years I’ve been a head coach for youth basketball and ice hockey teams. I have managed and coached PLL teams from tee ball all the way through the Intermediate Division, as well as being a coach of the intermediate District Summer All-Stars. I have served on the PLL board for five years, as Volunteer Coordinator, Sponsorship Coordinator, and six years as Co-President and President.
Jason Mangone
Jason Mangone is the CEO of Newbury Franklin Home Services, a growing provider of concierge maintenance services in locally-led markets across the country. He began his career as an infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps from 2006-10, including deployments to Iraq and Haiti. After his military service, he was a Research Associate at the Council on Foreign Relations.
After graduate school Jason expected to return to work in the national security sector, but ended up running the Aspen Institute’s Franklin Project, an initiative to make a year of national service a common expectation for every young American. He led the Franklin Project’s merger with two other nonprofits, resulting in the creation of the Service Year Alliance, where Jason was Chief Operating Officer.
He then spent a year helping to build New York City’s Department of Veterans’ Services as a Senior Advisor to the agency’s Commissioner. In 2018, he co-authored the national best-selling book Leaders: Myth and Reality, which the Financial Times named a “Best Business Book of 2018.” His writing has also been published, among other outlets, in the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, Task & Purpose, and Philadelphia Inquirer. Most recently, he was the Chief Operating Office of Acme General Corp., a consulting firm focused on national security innovation.
He lives in Princeton, New Jersey with his wife and three kids, who he is raising to be Mets, Jets, Knicks, and Rangers fans because he believes that resilience builds character. Jason recently became a volunteer firefighter to trick his children into thinking he's cool.
Manishi Prasad
Manishi has lived in Princeton since 2011 with her husband and 2 daughters (ages 6,9) in Littlebrook. Her older daughter has played softball with PLL since 1st grade, while her younger daughter began her journey with tee ball. Manishi is looking forward to partnering with Steve Foytlin on the PLL softball program, hoping to continue the tremendous success of Chrissy Brown.
Jerry Prete
As a lifelong resident of Princeton, and father of 2 current PLL players and 1 PLL alum, I am excited about the opportunity to return to the PLL Board for the upcoming season. My son Michael (16), daughter Grace (13) and son Noah (12) all have played within PLL for many years, and I’ve had the chance to watch them grow as baseball players on the same fields that I grew up playing on as a young player.
I have had a blast coaching and assisting coaches over the last 11 years from T-ball all the way thru to the Intermediate division. My message to the players was simple: encourage one another, try your best and most importantly have fun. I am committed to doing whatever I can to ensure that any child in our organization has a positive experience playing a wonderful game while developing important life skills and creating new friendships.
My goal in returning as a member of the Board is to help build upon what is already a strong foundation in this town. It would be my pleasure to be able to give back to a community that has given me so much in my lifetime.
Brett Shaver
Brett M. Shaver is a Managing Partner and Portfolio Manager of Princeton Global Asset Management. Before joining Princeton Global in 2016 as a Partner, Brett was a Senior Research Analyst for BlackRock and managed the fundamental investment analysis within the Technology, Consumer, and Energy sectors for large-cap equity strategies.
Brett earned a BSBA degree from Bucknell University in 2002, where he majored in Management and minored in Economics. Brett is a CFA® Charterholder and a member of the CFA Society of New York.
Brett resides in Princeton, where he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, coaching youth sports, and playing golf. In the local community, Brett is a board member and Treasurer of the Princeton Junior Football League and a founding member of the Princeton Area Community Foundation NextGen Giving Circle. in 2022, Brett managed the 9U Princeton Silver Sluggers and Princeton Little League All-Star travel teams.