Dave Kaval

Following Stanford graduation, on June 20, 1998, Kaval and a former classmate began their trip to visit all 30 Major League Baseball ballparks in 38 days.[4][5] The trip ultimately led to the publication of The Summer that Saved Baseball which chronicled their journey.[5][6]

Kaval founded the independent Golden Baseball League in 2003 as part of a class project.[7] The teams were run on just a $90,000 salary cap per season.[8] In October 2010, Kaval left to become the president of Major League Soccer team San Jose Earthquakes which raised questions as to the future of the league.[9] Those questions became answered when the league merged with two other leagues the year after Kaval's departure and ultimately ceased operations in 2012.[10]

Kaval was named president of the San Jose Earthquakes in October 2010, taking over from Michael Crowley.[11] During his time with the Earthquakes, the team won the 2012 Supporters' Shield, but failed to make the playoffs in every other season he oversaw.[12] Despite numerous delays, the team was able to open Earthquakes Stadium in February 2015, which was the first soccer-specific stadium for the team.[13][14][15][16]

It was announced in June 2017 that Kaval was replaced as team president by Tom Fox.[17][18]

On November 17, 2016, David Kaval was named the seventh president in Oakland Athletics history.[19] He has attempted to be more open to fans through scheduled meeting times.[19]

Kaval is leading the Club's efforts to open a new ballpark in Oakland. On Nov. 28, 2018, the organization announced its desire to build its privately financed, 34,000-capacity waterfront ballpark at the Howard Terminal site at the Port of Oakland. The ballpark design is led by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), Copenhagen, New York, and London based groups of architects and designers. BIG's architecture emerges from a careful analysis of how contemporary life constantly evolves and changes and creates architecture by mixing conventional ingredients such as living, leisure, working, parking, and shopping. The ballpark is designed to be the most intimate in Major League Baseball, and it will feature an elevated park that wraps and frames the bowl, and it will anchor a new, vibrant waterfront district in Jack London Square that features a mix of housing, including affordable housing, offices, restaurants, retail, parks, and public gathering spaces.

The A's and the Port of Oakland Board of Commissioners entered into an Exclusive Negotiation Agreement in April 2018.[20] On May 13, 2019, the board commissioners voted 7–0 to approve and authorize the Executive Director to execute the initial term sheet.

Kaval has worked collaboratively with State officials to develop and pass legislation related to the waterfront ballpark project. Since 2018, Kaval has worked closely with legislators to craft and support AB 734 (2018), which provides expedited judicial review in exchange for the highest environmental standards of any ballpark project; AB 1191 (2019),[21] to simplify the regulatory approval process for the ballpark, as well as housing, retail, and mixed-use development at the waterfront site; and SB 293 (2019), which helps the City of Oakland finance infrastructure and transportation projects for a new ballpark.

Kaval has made it a priority to engage the community to ensure the ballpark project is bigger than baseball. The A's have hosted hundreds[22] of community meetings and workshops since 2018, giving residents a voice to share their perspectives and insights on how the ballpark can benefit and provide opportunities in Oakland.

He is also leading the A's plans to redevelop the current Coliseum site.[23] Preliminary plans include a large park surrounded by substantial new housing, including affordable housing, a skills center, community gathering spaces, office and retail space, and restaurants. The A's and the Alameda County Board of Supervisors entered into an Exclusive Negotiation Agreement in April 2018. On April 23, 2019, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0[24] to approve the term sheet for the possible purchase by the A's of the County's 50% interest in the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Complex for $85 million.

In his three seasons as president, Kaval has enhanced the fan experience by making upgrades to the Oakland Coliseum, introduced a forward thinking season ticket program called “A’s Access,” hosted MLB's first completely free game, and the largest game in Oakland Coliseum history when 56,310 fans attended the game versus the San Francisco Giants on July 21, 2018.[25]

In addition to delivering the best baseball experience for the Club's fans, Kaval is committed to increasing the organization's community impact. In 2018, the Club donated more than $2.6M back to the community, distributed more than 100,000 game tickets free of charge to fans, and engaged more than 35,000 students in education initiatives, and provided 10,000 youth baseball and softball players opportunities to play the game.[26]