Tom Seidler
Executive Vice President, Community Impact
President, Padres Foundation
Tom Seidler enters his 36th season in professional baseball and his 14th with the Padres. He was promoted to his current position in January 2024, a role in which he oversees the club’s efforts to improve the lives of underserved communities in San Diego and Baja.
Seidler also oversees player and alumni relations, developing programs such as Manny’s Hot Corner, Players Community Tour, Tony Gwynn Community All Stars, and Johnny Ritchey Scholarships which honor current and former players while supporting those in need. He manages the club’s support of first responders, the military, veterans and their families. Seidler leads the Padres’ PlayBall initiatives which include Future Padres (20,000 free jerseys and hats distributed to youth baseball/softball leagues) and a fast-growing Padres Rookie League (free summer baseball league for boys and girls from areas of need).
Seidler manages the Padres’ Hispanic community engagement on both sides of the border and leads efforts in international outreach, including games and community engagement in Mexico City in 2023 and Seoul, South Korea in 2024. The Padres Hispanic community efforts have grown in recent years, led by the expansion of the Comunidad Awards.
Seidler has managed the Padres Volunteer Team since its launch in 2015, a program which has engaged more than 7,500 volunteer members of the community and provided more than 50,000 hours of service and $1,000,000 of value to local non-profits.
As President of the Padres Foundation, Seidler has managed the Foundation’s 10-fold growth in both fundraising and grants distributed in San Diego and Baja over the past 13 years. Seidler led large-scale grant programs in 2016 (in conjunction with the MLB All-Star Game) and 2019 (commemorating the Padres’ 50th anniversary).
In 2024, he launched the Peter Seidler Legacy Projects, a new multi-year series of grants thanks to significant financial contributions from fans and matching dollars (5-for-1) from Padres players, ownership, the Padres Foundation and the Seidler family. During its first two years, the Padres Foundation has contributed over $1,800,000 in Legacy Projects benefitting several Padres charity partners – the Youth Assistance Coalition, Urban Street Angels, San Diego Rescue Mission, Armed Services YMCA, Ronald McDonald House, and Miracle League San Diego.
Additionally, the Padres Foundation launched its annual ‘Dinner on the Diamond’ charity gala in 2022 which has raised more than $3,000,000 for local charities in just four years.
Prior to joining the Padres, Seidler was an owner/operator of minor league baseball clubs. His final stint was as President of the Visalia Rawhide (California League). Under Seidler’s leadership, the Rawhide broke a 62-year-old attendance record in 2009, the first of four consecutive years of all-time record attendance. Seidler was twice named Executive of the Year in the California League. He previously held management roles with professional baseball teams in Port St. Lucie, Kissimmee, Great Falls, Stockton, and Caracas, Venezuela.
Seidler earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Business Administration from the Owen School at Vanderbilt University. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, and the board of directors for Reality Changers.