George Springer Jr. (Moderator) is a partner in the firm of Robin Nassau, LLC. Baseball, however, is in his DNA, reaching back to his father, George Springer, Sr., who immigrated from Panama with dreams of playing in the major leagues and pitched for four years in what is now Central Connecticut State University. After playing baseball himself, competing in the 1976 Little League World Series, playing high school baseball and participating in other collegiate sports, George coached his three kids: George, Nicole, and Lena, on little league and travel teams. His daughters both went on to play college softball. Nicole played for CCSU and the Puerto Rico Women’s National Team and Lena played for The Ohio State University and the Puerto Rico Women’s Junior National Team. His son, George Springer III, played college baseball for the University of Connecticut where he was the Big East Conference Baseball player of the year and a First Team All-American. George Springer III was selected by the Houston Astros in the first round of the 2011 MLB draft, making him the highest selection in the University of Connecticut’s history. He is a 4x MLB All-Star, a World Series Champion, and the 2017 World Series Most Valuable Player. In 2021, he signed a six-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Doug Glanville (Panelist) is a rare breed—a combination of outstanding athletic ability, intellect and down-to-earth ease that makes him relatable to people from all walks of life. Raised in Teaneck, New Jersey, Glanville graduated from the school of Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. He was the first African American Ivy League graduate to play in MLB. A nine-year Major League Baseball veteran, Glanville was a first round draft pick by the Chicago Cubs which led to his long career with the Cubs, Texas Rangers, and the Philadelphia Phillies. After retiring from baseball in 2005, Glanville began sharing his experience and knowledge through his writing, speaking, and sports commentary. He is the author of the critically acclaimed book, The Game from Where I Stand: A Ballplayer’s Inside View. Glanville received a 2021 National Association of Black Journalists Salute to Excellence Award for television network feature (short form) and was also nominated by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for a 2021 Sports Emmy Award (The Dick Schaap Outstanding Writing Award – Short Form) for his “Enough” video essay produced in collaboration with ESPN’s Outside The Lines, E60, and SportsCenter. Currently, Glanville is a baseball analyst for ESPN’s many baseball- and sports-centered shows including Sports Center, Baseball Tonight, and other ESPN programming. He is also a baseball analyst for Marquee Sports Network where he covers the Chicago Cubs and hosts, writes, and produces the show “Class is in Session with Doug Glanville.” The show concept, which Glanville created, won a 2021 and a 2022 Midwest Emmy Award for outstanding achievement for sports interview/discussion content from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The monthly show explores the challenging issues in the world of sports with guests who are experts on the topics in discussion. Glanville also teaches a course at the University of Connecticut titled “Sport in Society.” The highly praised course examines the relationship between sports, celebrity, and its impact on society. In addition, Glanville co-hosts a weekly dive into baseball with colleague Jayson Stark on their podcast titled “Starkville” appearing on The Athletic’s Baseball Show and also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Audible. He is a contributor to ESPN.com, The Athletic, The Undefeated, and New York Times where he offers insight about baseball and how the sport translates to everyday life. His work has also appeared in The Atlantic, The New Yorker, U.S. News and World Report, Time Magazine, and El Nuevo Día, as well as other publications. Glanville is a guest speaker throughout the country and has appeared in numerous media outlets. He brings a distinct perspective and challenges his audience to rethink conventional wisdom and discover collaborative solutions. He is outspoken on topics relating to the human condition, including diversity, equity, inclusion, overcoming adversity, and building community. Glanville is a board member of the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA). He is active in the community where he is committed to raising the quality of public education through school equity and enhanced programming to support students of diverse backgrounds and educational needs. His advocacy extends to public policy and community safety through his work with the Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training Council.
Walter Harrison (Panelist) is president emeritus of the University of Hartford, which he led for two decades before retiring in 2017. In early 2024, he stepped away from the board of the Jewish Community Foundation to serve as interim president and CEO to steward the foundation through a leadership change. His career in education began as a member of the English faculty at Johannes Gutenberg University in Germany, then at Iowa State University, and later at Colorado College, where he moved into administration, serving as associate director and then director of college relations. After a stint with media relations consulting firm Gehrung Associates, he went to the University of Michigan, where he was named vice president of university relations and secretary of the university, roles he held until 1998, the year he returned to Connecticut. Harrison has served in leadership positions on numerous boards, including those of Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford Promise, and Capitol Squash, located on Trinity’s campus. He also has held several positions in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), including chair of the NCAA Committee on Academic Performance and member of the NCAA Division I Board of Directors. In 2014, Harrison was honored with the NCAA President’s Gerald R. Ford Award for his lifetime commitment to the academic success of student-athletes. Harrison’s academic work focuses on baseball and its place in American culture. He has published many scholarly essays and popular articles on the subject over a nearly 50-year span. In the summer of 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, he decided to devote the next several years of his work to studying and teaching about the Negro Leagues, and has taught one college-level course each year since on the Negro Leagues and the first generation of African American and Latino players in the National and American Leagues. Harrison earned a B.A. with honors from Trinity, an M.A. from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, all in English. In 1998, Trinity honored him with its Alumni Medal for Excellence, and in 2018, the College awarded him an honorary doctor of humane letters degree. He and his wife, Dianne Mintz Harrison, reside in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, and West Hartford, Connecticut.
Diana R. Paulin (Panelist) is the Charles A. Dana Research Associate Professor of American Studies and English and affiliate faculty in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Trinity College. She is also the coordinator of Trinity’s African American Studies minor, and co-director of its Global Health Humanities Gateway program. She is the author of Imperfect Unions: Staging Miscegenation in U.S. Drama and Fiction, published by University of Minnesota and winner of American Society for Theater Research’s Errol Hill Award for Outstanding Scholarship in African American Theatre Studies. Paulin has published, taught, and lectured extensively on Black autism.She is co-editor of the forthcoming MLA collection Neurofutures, which includes her chapter “Autistic Blackness: An Interrogative Essay.” Paulin’s relational approach to research, teaching, creative production, and activism is informed by both her lived experiences and her intersectional identity. Her work as a parent-advocate for the inclusion and acceptance of Black neurodivergence, neuroatypicality, and neurodiversity can be found in Paulin's current projects— her monograph, Black Autism/Autistic Blackness, and a collaborative interactive digital archive Locating Black Autism.
Phil Ross (Panelist) Born in the Bronx, New York, Phil’s love of baseball started almost when he took his first breath. Phil remembers watching Jackie Robinson play at Ebbets Field and Willie Mays play at the Polo Grounds. When he was twelve years old, he discovered the Negro Leagues when he read Satchel Paige’s autobiography, Maybe I’ll Pitch Forever, 1962. This book inspired many sports historians to interview former Negro League players and delve into news accounts of the Negro Leagues. Phil has had the opportunity to meet and interview many former players. He is now a reQred teacher. He taught for thirty-five years at public and private schools. He started teaching about the Negro Leagues thirty years ago. He presented at schools, libraries and the American Museum of Natural History. Also, he has been interviewed on various TV staQons concerning the Negro Leagues, and he was in the television documentary “A Game For Us All”. He has wriXen about the Negro Leagues and created a book Qtled, Negro League Baseball A to Z with former Negro Leaguer, Pedro Sierra. Phil is proud to be recommended by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Phil received his bachelor’s degree from Queens College and Master’s degree from St. John’s University. He resides in Queens with his wife and is acQve in the community. His hobby is, what else, baseball. Besides being an avid baseball fan, he plays fast-pitch so\ball as well.
