After more than 20 years of service as the Corporate Secretary of Little League Baseball®, Incorporated, Joe Losch is officially retiring as announced during the annual meeting of the Little League® International Board of Directors on November 13, 2020. Karl Eckweiler, Little League Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, will assume responsibilities as the new Corporate Secretary.
“It has been an honor and privilege to serve as the Corporate Secretary for the past two decades and to have the opportunity to continue to serve this great organization,” said Mr. Losch.
“I’ve always said in all my years working with Little League, one of the most rewarding aspects is the people you meet and work with. I often said, some of our volunteers probably work harder for Little League than they do in their own profession.”
Mr. Losch, a native of South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, has served as Corporate Secretary since 1999, but began his career with Little League International after attending Lycoming College from 1963-67, when he was hired as the supervisor of Little League International’s shipping and receiving department.
“For more than five decades, Joe has been one of the most dedicated and valued individuals that Little League International has ever had the pleasure to have on its team, and we could not be more proud of the work he has accomplished during his time with our organization,” said Hugh E. Tanner, Little League International Board of Directors Chairman. “On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, we congratulate Joe on his retirement as Corporate Secretary and thank him for his years of dedicated service, continued support, and unwavering love for the Little League program.”
After spending a year in the shipping and receiving department, Mr. Losch was named Central Region Coordinator in 1969, and a year later moved on to become the East Region Director. In 1982, Mr. Losch assumed the role as the Little League International Tournament Director and in 1989 was named Assistant to the President.
Two years later, Mr. Losch was appointed as the Vice President of Operations where he continued to serve as the Little League International Tournament Director, as well as the secretary for the Little League International Charter Committee and chairman of the Rules Committee. At the end of 2007, Mr. Losch retired as an employee of Little League International but continued his volunteer service as Corporate Secretary.
“It has been an honor to have been able to spend my career at Little League International working alongside Joe and to be able to develop an everlasting friendship with him over the years,” said Stephen D. Keener, Little League President and CEO. “On behalf of the entire staff at Little League International, as well as the millions of players, parents, and volunteers he has helped lead during his time with Little League, we thank Joe for the decades of service and commitment he has provided to our organization.”
Growing up as a Little Leaguer® himself in Williamsport, Mr. Losch later volunteered as a local league coach and umpire, as well as a counselor for the Little League Summer Camp program. In addition to his service to Little League, Mr. Losch has been associated with a number of additional organizations including the American Heart Association, Leadership Lycoming, Hope Enterprises, and the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce. He is also an experienced scholastic football official and was inducted into the West Branch Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. Today, Mr. Losch also continues to serve as a Board member of AAA North Penn.
Joe’s late-brother, Jack, was a member of the inaugural Little League Baseball® World Series (LLBWS) Championship Team, the Maynard Midgets, in 1947. In 1956, a year after being named an All-American at the University of Miami, Jack became the first LLBWS participant to play a professional sport when he was selected in the first round of the National Football League amateur draft by the Green Bay Packers. In 2004, the Jack Losch Little League Baseball World Series Team Sportsmanship Award was established in his honor and is presented annually by Joe Losch.
Mr. Losch and his wife, Flicka, continue to live in the Williamsport area and have two grown children, Matthew and Mandy.