One of the goals of this blog is to celebrate and highlight the awesome work of Moms in the sports business industry, and one of the first Mom’s I thought of when I embarked on this project was Tiffanne Becks. I first met Tiffanne when I was a graduate student at Ohio University. She worked in Community Relations for the St. Louis Cardinals and was kind enough to meet me for lunch while I was in the area over Christmas break in 2011. Fast forward 6 or so years, and we were both expecting our first babies in early 2017. Her daughter Brynlee was born about 6 weeks prior to my son, so we’ve both be managing the Sportz Biz Mom life for a similar amount of time. Tiffanne is an amazingly genuine person, who is always willing to talk. I hope you enjoy reading this post as much as I always enjoy speaking with her.
Tiffanne Becks lives in the St. Louis area with her husband 1-year old daughter, Brynlee. She is the Manager, Cardinals Care for the St. Louis Cardinals and has also served as the Associate Director of Major Gifts for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri. She holds Masters degrees in Business and Sports Administration from Ohio University. Tiffanne attended Southeast Missouri State University as an undergrad, where she studied Sports Management and Business Administration, and was also a member of the Women’s Basketball team. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
Be in the moment. Live in the moment. Appreciate the moment.
What is your role with the Cardinals and your primary responsibility? Established in 1997, Cardinals Care has provided over $24 million in grants to non-profit youth organizations and built 22 youth ball fields in local under-resourced neighborhoods in both Missouri and Illinois. Since 2004, Cardinals Care has also orchestrated the innovative Redbird Rookies program. Redbird Rookies is a free baseball/softball league for kids who otherwise might not have the opportunity to play. In addition to providing all the uniforms, gloves, bats, balls and other equipment needed for each team, Redbird Rookies also provides extensive off-field support in the areas of health, education, mentoring, cultural arts and scholarship for each of the nearly 3,000 kids who participate in the program each year.
As manager of the foundation I oversee all our fundraising efforts, which includes, in-stadium 50/50 raffles and silent auctions, golf tournament, 6K Run/Walk, and 3-day fan fest, Winter Warm-Up. I also oversee the administration of our Redbird Rookies Program, including planning all of the off-field events, as well as ordering all of the equipment and uniforms for each of our 14 leagues. I coordinate over 500 volunteers a year in the execution of these fund development and community events. I also play a role in the review and allocation of our cash grants to other non-profits serving youth.
What do you feel is your greatest professional accomplishment? Establishing a new role within the foundation and achieving consistent improvement to our community initiatives and partnerships.
What do you feel is your greatest personal achievement? Overcoming insecurities in order to strive every day to be the best wife and mother I can be.
How has being a Mom made you better at your job? Being a Mom has improved my time management skills. In the past, I did not need to rush home and the ability to stay late here or there meant it was easy to get off-task. Now, I am more focused and on-task, and organized in general. My “Working Mom Brain” mind goes 100 mph making sure her needs are met. I also take things less seriously. Some of the things I used to let stress me out at work, now I don’t. Life is too good and too short and I want to be in the moment. Live in the moment. Appreciate the moment. Your child is with the childcare provider more than she’s with you and I am intentional about spending time with her. If Brynn is awake, we’re awake.
What has been the biggest challenge for you at work since becoming a Mom? Being away from her (Brynlee) goes against every motherly instinct.
Would you have done anything differently in your preparation for becoming a working Mom? While I was pregnant I was preparing for what life was like when she got here and we were home together. I didn’t think to prepare for how hard it would be to go back to work. I dreaded the day I went back and the transition was harder than what I thought it would be. Looking back, I would have asked my boss ahead of time about what type of flexibility I would have had more discussions with my supervisor about adjusting to being a working Mom.
How has your employer helped in your transition to being a working Mom? Have you been afforded any additional flexibility? I now come in early so she can leave early. The evening time is crucial – in the morning it’s just getting out the door. There isn’t any time to enjoy you family in the morning. I am always in by 7:15 or 7:30 and leave by 4:00 PM if I don’t have game duties. When I have game duties, which is about a third of the time, I can’t bring her to work with me. However, I am able to have her at some community events outside of game days and sometimes in our suite when my responsibility is to host partners or sponsors. May is also the thick of our season for community events, so from May through September I will be working from home every other Friday.
What type of childcare do you use? Brynlee goes to an in-home day-care and is cared for by my best friend’s Mom. However, we will likely be transitioning her to preschool around 18 months. My husband also works from home so he’s able to keep her home in the morning sometimes.
Did you, your husband or partner receive paid parental leave benefits when your child was born? I received and took the full twelve weeks mandated by FMLA. However, I only received 60% of my salary for six of those weeks. The last six weeks I used vacation and sick days. It was like being punished for having a baby! This level of [parental leave] benefits is hard when a woman does go back to work, because now, when the baby gets sick or has doctor’s appointment you have to hustle to not use a bunch of sick days.
My husband received four weeks fully paid. He used two of those weeks immediately after she was born and was able to split the rest of the time throughout the year. He took the final five days the week I went back to work to help ease with that transition.
What advice do you have it for women in sports who do not yet have a family, but may someday want to? Be intentional about the time you have and keep a positive mindset. Make it as fun and the best quality it can be… and put your phone down! Be in the moment. Live in the moment. Appreciate the moment.