LYNN, Mass. — Ahead of the 2024 season, the North Shore Navigators today announced the promotion of three front office staff members. 

Maggie Barden has been elevated to the role of Vice President of Operations, while Ed Power Jr. will serve as Assistant General Manager and Ben Gillis will assume the new position of Director of Baseball Operations this coming summer.

“It’s a pleasure to announce these promotions,” Navigators President Derek January said. “Maggie and Ed have been with us since the beginning and have taken the reins on a lot of the day-to-day operations during the season. Ben joined us last year and immediately proved he is a future star in the baseball world.”

Barden and Power quickly became key members of the Navigators’ staff upon their arrival for the 2020 season and have remained with the organization throughout the January Family’s ownership tenure. In 2023, they led all aspects of game-day operations at Fraser Field and were instrumental in the Navs hosting the NECBL All-Star Game for the first time since 2012.

Barden initially joined the Navs as Director of Interns in 2020 and was named Assistant General Manager at the conclusion of that summer. She was promoted to General Manager of Game Day Operations during the 2021 season, and General Manager in 2022, becoming the youngest GM in all of summer collegiate baseball and only the third female GM in the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL).

The Swampscott native is a graduate of Springfield College with a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management and recently completed her Master’s in Higher Education and a Graduate Certificate in Sports Administration at Providence College, where she served as a Graduate Assistant in Student-Athlete Mental Health and Wellness. Barden is in her first year as a Student-Athlete Academic Advisor at Bryant University for the Bulldogs’ women’s basketball, men’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s cross country and track and field, women’s soccer and women’s golf programs.

An avid athlete, Barden is a member of the Boston Renegades, the premier women’s tackle football team in New England and the five-time defending Pro Division Champions of the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA).

Power’s tenure with the Navs in 2020 began as an operations intern during the team’s successful season in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. He took on more responsibility over the years and earned a promotion to Director of Interns for the 2023 season. This past summer, Power worked alongside January and Barden to ensure a smooth ballpark operation and managed a team of 20 interns whose responsibilities included managing the entry gates, operating concessions, promotions and more. 

Power is a Lynn native and graduate of St. Mary’s High School. He is a current sophomore at Regis College, pursuing a degree in Sports Management with a minor in Communications. He is a member of the track and field team at Regis.

Gillis joined the Navs in 2023 as a Baseball Data/Analytics intern, overseeing the team’s use of the Trackman Baseball and Synergy Sports Technologies platforms. He gathered data for the Navs’ coaching staff and the NECBL, and worked alongside a team of three other interns to ensure all systems were operating well and that all data was transmitted properly.

A sophomore at Endicott College, majoring in Business Management with a minor in Analytics, Gillis is a member of the school’s honors program and collegiate DECA team, and will be serving as a student analyst for the Gulls’ baseball program beginning with the 2024 season. Gillis graduated in 2022 from Marblehead High School, where he was a member of the National Honor Society and played varsity baseball. Gillis is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and has multiple analytics certifications from SABR as well.

“Our talent isn't just on the field. Being able to promote from within shows highlights our ability to develop talent,” January said. “We have an incredible internship program where our interns are gaining massive amounts of usable experience in the sports world. For us, it’s as fun to watch their careers blossom as much as it is to follow the players in their journey to the big leagues.”

The Navigators will return to historic Fraser Field and the NECBL for their 17th summer season in 2024, with first pitch set for Tuesday, June 4. Stay up to date on the latest Navs news by visiting nsnavs.com and following the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.