Chris Christie joins New York Mets’ board of directors under Steve Cohen

Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor and adviser to US president Donald Trump, has joined the board of directors of the New York Mets.

Christie, 58, was New Jersey’s chief executive from January 2010 to January 2018 and is a lifelong fan of New York’s National League club. He was dropped as the head of Trump’s White House transition team shortly after the 2016 election, but remained as an informal adviser to the former president throughout his single term.

His son Andrew has worked for the team since 2018 and is the Mets’ coordinator of international scouting.

“Steve and Alex Cohen have been great friends to me and Mary Pat for years and we thank them for including me in this new challenge and opportunity,” Christie said in a statement released by the team, referring to his wife.

“As a Mets fan for the last 53 years, I am looking forward to helping Steve, Alex and the New York Mets organization bring a great experience to Mets fans and the community.”

According to a 2014 profile in the New Yorker, Christie played baseball for the team at Livingston High School. Photograph: John Lamparski/Getty Images

Jeanne Melino also joined the Mets board under new owner Steve Cohen, and New York said Friday she will be hired by the team as senior vice president of the Amazin’ Mets Foundation. A former assistant district attorney in Westchester and Suffolk Counties, she is executive director of the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation. She will oversee the Mets’ community engagement and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

The Mets’ board also includes chairman emeritus Fred Wilpon and vice chairman Andrew Cohen, who is not related to Steve.

“Chris and Jeanne are friends and trusted advisers with decades of leadership experience,” Steve Cohen said in a statement. “I welcome them both to the Board and I look forward to working with them on behalf of our fans, our community and the team.”

Christie’s love for the Mets briefly touched the headlines in 2017, when he was booed lustily at the team’s home stadium after catching a foul ball in the wake of photos with his family on a New Jersey beach that was closed to the public during a state government shutdown.

According to a 2014 profile in the New Yorker, Christie played baseball for the varsity team at Livingston High School.

New York went 26-34 during the pandemic-curbed 2020 season, tied for last in the NL East, and missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year. The Mets have only three winning seasons in the past 12, and one pennant in the last two decades. The most recent of their two titles came in 1986.