Committee Recommends Additional Athlete Representative on USOC Board

The following sentence is the part that caught my eye, but beyond the quote you will find the full release.

- Tyler

"In the report, the committee recommends increasing the USOC Board by four voting directors (from 11 to 15), comprised of two independent members, one Athletes Advisory Committee (AAC) member and one National Governing Bodies (NGB) Council member."


Independent Advisory Committee Presents Findings to U.S. Olympic Committee Board of Directors

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) Board of Directors met today in Colorado Springs, Colo., for its quarterly meeting, during which it heard findings from the independent advisory committee tasked by the Board in December 2009 to assess the USOC's governance structure. The 14-member committee, which was chaired by Paul Tagliabue, presented a report on their findings, which can be found at www.teamusa.org.

In the report, the committee recommends increasing the USOC Board by four voting directors (from 11 to 15), comprised of two independent members, one Athletes Advisory Committee (AAC) member and one National Governing Bodies (NGB) Council member. The committee recommended that any USOC Board members nominated by the AAC or NGB Council should not be required to sever their ties with the applicable council.

The committee's report recommends that the current USOC bylaws governing the process of election of AAC and NGB members should change to a new process, through which each council nominates a slate of three candidates from which the USOC Nominating and Governance Committee selects one to recommend to the full Board for its consideration.

"The strategies and initiatives critical to achieving the USOC's core mission need to be set by the USOC Board and then embedded in the USOC's organizational structure and culture," Tagliabue said. "These strategies should be given consistent priority by the USOC's leadership and implemented on a sustained basis in the years ahead. At their core, the committee's recommendations recognize that the USOC needs to have a strong, engaged and collaborative Board, with an active role in oversight and strategic planning."

In addition, the committee recommended that a minimum of one seat on the Board should be reserved for a person with Paralympic leadership experience, with the creation of a Paralympic Advisory Council to be chaired by this representative.

"On behalf of the USOC, I would like to extend my utmost appreciation to Paul and the entire committee for their tireless work over the last four months," said USOC Chairman Larry Probst. "Our first reaction is that they have done a tremendous job consulting with their constituents and putting together thoughtful recommendations. It is now our job to take the time needed to carefully consider and discuss these recommendations, as well as any comments or questions we may receive from our constituents."

Other recommendations of the committee:

• The USOC's CEO should be added as a non-voting, ex-officio member of the Board.

• The Board should consider extending the renewal terms for directors from two years to four years.

• The Board should consider extending the term limits for the Chairman of the Board in order to allow increased ability for international relationship building.

• The Board should eliminate the position of First Vice President International. These responsibilities should fall under the CEO.

• The Board should eliminate the position of the Board Liaison. The responsibility for communication between the Board and the U.S. Olympic Assembly should fall under the CEO.

"I would like to thank Paul for the tremendous leadership he has shown through this process," said USOC CEO Scott Blackmun. "All 14 members of the committee graciously volunteered their time to help the Olympic Movement in the United States continue moving in the right direction. As any of our athletes can attest to, success doesn't come overnight, and we will be diligent about discussing these findings, listening to our constituents, continuing to work hard and taking action at the appropriate time."

The USOC's Board will discuss the substantive recommendations of the committee at its meeting in June after allowing constituents to provide feedback.

The independent advisory committee consisted of members with deep experience in Olympic sports, national amateur sports governing bodies, other aspects of the Olympic Movement, youth and pro sports, and not-for-profit organizations. Members included:

David A. Brandon: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Domino's Pizza LLC, Regent Emeritus University of Michigan, former football player for the University of Michigan

Ann Cody: Paralympian in wheelchair basketball and track & field, current member of the International Paralympic Committee Governing Board

Raul J. Fernandez: Chairman and CEO of ObjectVideo, co-owner of the Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards and Washington Mystics

Skip Gilbert: USA Triathlon Executive Director, Chair of the NGB Council

Courtney Johnson: Olympic water polo silver medalist, past member and leader of the AAC, attorney

Jim McCarthy: former USOC Board member, Chef de Mission for the 2006 U.S. Olympic Team, past CEO of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, attorney

Jon Naber: Olympic swimming gold medalist, Immediate Past President of the U.S. Olympians Association, sports broadcaster, corporate speaker

Jeanne Picariello: Chair of the Multi-Sport Organizations Council, Chef de Mission of the 2004 U.S. Paralympic Team, retired Colonel, U.S. Army

Hugh B. Price: past President and CEO of the National Urban League, Princeton professor, former member of The New York Times editorial board

Patrick G. Ryan: Chairman of World Sport Chicago, past chairman and CEO of Chicago 2016, founding chairman of Aon Corporation

Paul Tagliabue: Advisory Committee Chairman, National Football League (NFL) Commissioner from 1989-2006, Chairman of the Board of Georgetown University

John W. Thompson: Chairman of the Board of Symantec Corporation, minority investor with the Golden State Warriors

Matt Van Houten: Chair of the AAC, member of Board of Directors for USA Team Handball, U.S. Team Handball Men's National Team member, attorney

Brian Whitcomb: former U.S. Cycling Track National Team member, AAC member