Athletics President Dave Kaval will step down Dec. 31

Athletics President Dave Kaval will resign from the organization after being the public face of the organization’s planned move from Oakland to Las Vegas.

Kaval has been president of the A’s for the past eight years and will step down from that position on Dec. 31 to pursue new business opportunities in California.

Sandy Dean, a longtime business partner of the Fisher family that owns the team, will serve as interim president and a search to fill the full-time position will begin in 2025.

Kaval made the decision to step down after the team cleared the final major hurdles to building a stadium in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Stadium Authority earlier this month approved lease, non-relocation and development documents for the Athletics to build a $1.75 billion stadium on the Strip.

Additional details still need to be worked out, such as a development agreement with Clark County. However, groundbreaking is expected to take place in the spring and the team expects to be in the new stadium in Las Vegas by the start of the 2028 season.

“We are grateful for Dave’s contributions and leadership over the last eight years,” A’s owner John Fisher said in a statement. “He has led our organization through a period of significant change and we sincerely thank him for his unwavering commitment to the team. As we look to the next chapter of our franchise, the team will continue to grow under new leadership and move the organization forward toward success during our interims in West Sacramento and in our new home in Las Vegas.

Kaval failed in his efforts to have a new stadium built for the team in downtown Oakland and ultimately helped the organization complete a deal to move to Las Vegas, ending a streak of 57 seasons in Oakland. The A’s will play at a minor league stadium in West Sacramento, California, for at least the next three seasons.

Kaval was previously president of the MLS’s San Jose Earthquakes, also owned by the Fisher family. When he first joined the A’s, he was praised for his open-door policy, listening to fans, and the changes he made at the Oakland Coliseum. He brought food trucks to the games and opened the “Tree House,” a 10,000-square-foot space with a bar, lounge and patio where fans could watch the games from left field.

Kaval took a less public role in the Bay Area after the team announced plans to move to Las Vegas in 2023.