Jamie McCourt can be described as nothing but phenomenal as she has managed to marry all of her different roles and make a success of her life. She is a mother and a brilliant businesswoman who continues to inspire women all over the world that they can be all they desire to be and more.
Asides being the former wife of the popular Frank McCourt, Jamie is a successful woman in her own right. She was vice-chairman, president, and CEO of Los Angeles Dodgers and founder and CEO of Jamie Enterprises. She is presently the U.S. Ambassador to the Principality of Monaco and the French Republic since 2017.
Every Fact To Know About Jamie McCourt
1. Family Jamie McCourt
Born Jamie D. Luskin to Jewish parents on the 5th of December 1953. Jack Luskin who was her father was in charge of Luskin’s chain of appliance stores in Maryland. The store was quite successful so Jamie could be said to have come from money.
2. Education
Young Jamie studied French at Georgetown University graduating in 1975. She then proceeded to the University of Maryland School of Law for her J.D in 1978. She got her M.B.A from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
3. Career
Jamie is very intelligent, resourceful, and quite ambitious. She was a practicing attorney for 15 years before engaging in international and securities law. She has been into corporate, family and real estate law before spending another 10 years being the Vice President and General Counsel of their family’s real estate development firm (McCourt Co.)
She took charge of the purchase of Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004 and served as Vice-chairman, President, and CEO before she was let go due to separation from her husband.
She believes education is the great equalizer and has held some teaching positions over the years. She was a visiting professor at UCLA Anderson School of Management.
4. Divorce Controversy from Frank McCourt
Jamie met Frank McCourt as a freshman at Georgetown University. They got married in 1979. After thirty years of marriage, the power couple separated in 2009 before finalizing their very public divorce in 2011. A month after their separation, Frank fired Jamie for ‘Insubordination, non-responsiveness, and failure to follow the procedure to mention a few.
After a long dispute about the ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the court finally ruled that Jamie had 50% ownership. Jamie then received $130 million to renounce her claim on the team which her ex-husband then sold for $2 billion a few months after.
By the time the divorce was over, it would be one of the nastiest divorces ever.
See Also: 10 Most Expensive Divorce in Sports History
5. Alleged Affair with Jeff Fuller
One of the reasons Frank wanted a dissolution was due to Jamie’s supposed affair with Jeff Fuller. Fuller worked as a Director of Protocol for Dodgers and was mostly Jamie’s bodyguard and driver. He also claimed that Jamie and Fuller spent more than 2 weeks on a vacation in France and billed it on the team.
Jamie’s lawyers claimed that the relationship happened after Frank and Jamie separated.
6. Children
Jamie and Frank have four sons together. They are Drew, Travis, Casey, and Gavin.
Drew McCourt is already involved in the family business as Dir of Marketing for Dodgers. He started out as Baseball Operations Assistant of the team when it was first bought over by his family. Although not so much is known about Travis professionally, he is also said to be on the payroll of Dodgers.
Luciana Hayes McCourt is the only daughter of the couple.
7. Philanthropy
Jamie has always been involved in projects that are close to her heart over the years. Her main focus has been the Jewish community, business education, and contemporary art.
8. Women Empowerment Outreach
Since Jamie’s personal experience with her very public divorce, she has made it part of her life’s work to educate younger women about taking financial responsibility. She has been to several business schools including Harvard, Columbia, and MIT speaking to young women about money and why they should be financially aware.
9. Ambassadorship
Jamie was initially nominated as Ambassador to Belgium but President Trump withdrew her nomination and nominated her as U.S. Ambassador to France and Monaco. She resumed office on the 11th of December 2017.
10. Business Ventures
Since her divorce, Jamie has tried to practice what she teaches. She launched her personal company Jamie Enterprises in 2009 and has invested in tech startups, biotech, and high-value real estate. She has investments with Kite Pharma, Heal, and ZipCar. She also bought a twenty-two-acre vineyard estate at Napa Valley, California with the intention of living and producing wine.
11. Awards and Recognitions
For her numerous good works, she has received the Scopus Award which is the highest humanitarian award for community leaders with active involvement in humanitarian causes.
12. Life after divorce
Jamie has shown resilience in dealing with all the challenges she has encountered. According to her, despite her law and business degree, she didn’t pay attention to the financial aspect of their family business. It was so bad that she didn’t even know how much they were worth which was why Frank could undervalue the Los Angeles Dodgers and she believed him. While $130 million is quite a tidy amount, she believes she should have gotten about $900 million.
Jamie has since moved on with her life and continues to hold up her life as an example to other women. While the messenger might not be perfect, the message is quite solid.
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