Catie Griggs is still new to the Camden Yards fan experience, but she has made it a priority early in her Orioles tenure to get a feel for every corner of the stadium.

“I think I’ve sat in roughly 15 different spots in the ballpark so far,” said Griggs, the Orioles’ new president of business operations. “This is an incredible location, but it’s new to me. I know that, and the only way I can get to know it is by experiencing it. We serve our fans. I want to understand what they’re going through. I was in the splash zone for the sixth inning the other night against the [Chicago] White Sox. I got real wet. It was a lot of fun.”

The Orioles introduced Griggs with a news conference in their first base dugout Wednesday, providing a glimpse at the priorities of the first major hire David Rubenstein made as owner. Griggs, who assumed the role Aug. 19, moved her family across the country to join Baltimore after working in the same capacity for the Seattle Mariners over the past three years.

As she sat on the back of the bench looking out at her new home ballpark, Griggs outlined her hopes for overseeing stadium upgrades, boosting attendance and expanding the club’s outreach to all types of fans in the region. She named Camden Yards’ sound system and center field scoreboards as potential items on the Orioles’ agenda for the next two years.

“I think [in] 2025 are likely going to be relatively smaller changes, just because it generally takes time from a permitting standpoint to ensure that we’re doing things right,” Griggs said. “So, you will see things in ‘25. I think you’re likely to see much more substantive change in 2026. Just looking out behind you right now, I think we have some opportunity with the videoboards, and rumor has it that there’s some audio things that we might be looking to improve as well. But there’s a lot of things.”

Griggs stressed that she wants to protect the “integrity” of Camden Yards, a ballpark she had already visited before for its reputation as a gem among baseball’s cathedrals. Opened in 1992, the stadium has a timeless aesthetic that’s held up even as its technology and amenities have become outdated. The Orioles signed a new lease last year to remain at the ballpark and Rubenstein plans for the team to remain there for the entire 30-year term.

While Rubenstein has stated his desire to negotiate a development rights deal for some of the state-owned land surrounding the ballpark, Griggs doesn’t see The Battery Atlanta — a mixed-use development adjacent to the Braves’ Truist Park that former Chairman and CEO John Angelos considered a model for Baltimore — as a viable blueprint.

“Part of the decision that they made was to leave their downtown neighborhood and their historic ballpark to move out further into the suburbs where there was more space,” Griggs said. “We’re not in that environment. So, I don’t think what they did would make sense as a copycat here in Baltimore. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t components of it that we couldn’t look into in terms of, ‘How do we continue to reinvest and make sure that we’re creating an amazing experience?’ But I don’t think it’s going to be a copycat of that.”

Griggs joined the Orioles’ front office with a decorated resume that includes three years in Seattle and four as the chief business officer for the MLS club Atlanta United FC. The 2022 Sports Business Journal Forty Under 40 honoree graduated high school at 14 years old and attended both North Carolina State and Dartmouth, earning both a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from the latter. She’s one of two women in MLB history to hold a president role with a team.

“I think it’s a very significant hire for us,” Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said after the team announced it was bringing her aboard in July.

“She is coming from a run of success and a really good organization and a great operation out there in Seattle and I got the chance to talk to her extensively before we made the hire. I was extremely impressed by her. I can’t wait to work with her, and I think it’s going to be a wonderful, fresh look and addition of somebody who’s kind of been at the top of the field, best practices and a lot of skill and vision.”

While Griggs won’t work on the baseball side of the club — she described the roles of her and Elias as “incredibly symbiotic” — her hire is one of several moves the Orioles have made under Rubenstein that suggest their “The Next Chapter” is more than just a slogan slapped on billboards. Rubenstein also sanctioned increased spending on the roster at the trade deadline, albeit with an increase in season ticket prices that soon followed, and has been a visible presence at games engaging with fans. The ripple effects aren’t lost on the Orioles’ clubhouse.

“I think it’s all positive,” manager Brandon Hyde said of the state of the franchise. “I think the organization is on the up and up. There’s a lot of fresh ideas, there’s a lot of people that are excited about our team, excited about the organization. I think there’s a ton of positives. You just feel it. You can feel there’s a ton of positivity around our club. Everybody’s pulling in the same direction, and the organization is really backing our team and cares. It’s a great feeling being a part of the organization at this point.”

During her Mariners tenure, the club hosted both the MLB All-Star Game and the NHL Winter Classic at T-Mobile Park. Griggs was pleased with the efforts the Mariners made to revitalize the area surrounding the ballpark that struggled in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.

In Baltimore, she hopes to host another All-Star Game at Camden Yards and instill the vision she had in Seattle of being the “most progressive team” in baseball by fostering an environment where all fans feel comfortable and welcome to attend a game downtown.

“Very much hope to bring that same mentality here,” Griggs said.