History was made in Major League Baseball this August as Kwanza Jones and her husband, Jose Feliciano, were officially introduced as the new principal owners of the San Diego Padres following a record-breaking $3.9 billion acquisition.
With the unanimous approval of the league’s owners, Jones shatters a century-old barrier, officially becoming the first Black woman in MLB history to hold a majority ownership stake in a franchise.
Feliciano also marked a significant league milestone in the transaction, becoming the second Latino majority owner in baseball and the first of Puerto Rican descent.
The husband-and-wife duo assumes control of the franchise from the family of the late Peter Seidler, whose aggressive spending and community-focused leadership endeared him to the Southern California fan base before his passing. During their introductory press conference on Aug. 24, the new ownership group emphasized a commitment to honoring Seidler’s legacy while establishing a sustained, championship-caliber culture.
“We are a family first, and becoming owners of the San Diego Padres means joining an even larger one,” Jones and Feliciano said in a joint statement. “We are grateful to the Seidler family, and especially to Peter, for raising the expectations of what this franchise can achieve. Our ambition is clear: to bring a World Series championship to San Diego and build an enduring organization capable of competing for championships year after year.”
Jones, a former NCAA Division I athlete, brings a highly diverse and unconventional professional pedigree to the Padres’ front office. She serves as the co-founder and chief executive officer of the Kwanza Jones & Jose E. Feliciano Initiative. This private family office oversees long-horizon investment activities across sports, media and private markets. Her executive background spans law, entertainment, and academia, having previously served as an adjunct professor teaching negotiation at New York University.
Jones is also the founder and CEO of SUPERCHARGED by Kwanza Jones, a media and cultural production company focused on expanding community access and opportunity. A graduate of Princeton University, the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and Pepperdine University School of Law, Jones holds active board seats at the Apollo Theater and the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center.
Beyond their historic acquisition of the Padres, the couple has consistently invested in the broader sports ecosystem. Jones and Feliciano currently hold minority stakes in the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and have directed investments toward the continued growth of women’s sports through platforms like Monarch Collective and Arctos Sports Partners.
At the operational level, the new owners confirmed that San Diego Padres CEO Erik Greupner and general manager A.J. Preller will remain in their respective roles to oversee day-to-day baseball operations.
The ownership group indicated they intend to be highly engaged, working directly alongside the existing front office to invest ambitiously and thoughtfully in the team’s future without sacrificing long-term stability.
“We intend to be engaged owners, bringing our energy, experience and perspective while working alongside the talented team already in place,” Jones and Feliciano said. “We are all in and committed to winning.”
Contact multimedia & senior sports reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846. Follow him on X @3Noral. For more business news, visit indianaminoritybusinessmagazine.com.
