COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic Committee today announced the nine members who were selected to the United States Center for Safe Sport board of directors. The center’s inaugural board will guide the independent entity’s launch in 2016, and shape the foundation of the safe sport movement nationally. The USOC’s board of directors approved the group’s composition at the recommendation of the center’s nominating and governance committee. Service terms began Jan. 8, 2016, for the following members:
- Regis Becker – Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, Pennsylvania State University
- Angelo Giardino – Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer, Texas Children’s Hospital
- Jessica Herrera-Flanigan – Executive Vice President, Government Relations and Public Policy, Univision Communications, Inc.
- Reuben Jones – Vice President, Strategy and Government Relations, Strategic Resources, Inc.
- Frank Marshall – Film Producer and Principal, The Kennedy/Marshall Company
- Julie Novak – Vice President of Child Safety, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
- Megan Ryther – USA Swimming World Championship Team Member, Assistant Director, Academic and Membership Affairs, NCAA
- Fran Sepler – President, Sepler & Associates
- Connie Smotek – U.S. Olympian, Office Manager, Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension
“This new board is made up of subject-matter experts and committed professionals dedicated to ensuring that kids from every corner of our country have the opportunity to safely participate in sports,” said USOC CEO Scott Blackmun. “The U.S. Center for Safe Sport is critically important for our country and I’d like to thank each member of the board for investing their time and energy to make the center’s launch a success.”
The U.S. Center for Safe Sport is an independent nonprofit organization spearheading a pioneering effort to address abuse in sport. The center anticipates a mid-2016 launch and will be the first national institution dedicated to preserving the safety and well-being of athletes. Its cornerstone services will be rooted in education and will deliver actionable tools to both prevent and respond to abuse in sport.
“Sports should be safe for all athletes at all levels,” said Marshall, a long-time supporter of the Olympic Movement. “Each of us has a responsibility to do our part and I’m absolutely committed to help make this organization an effective tool against abuse in sport.”
The center’s comprehensive resource base will equip administrators, athletes, parents and coaches with essential tools, while its national awareness campaign will shape public opinion around the issue and serve as the forward face of the prevention movement throughout U.S. sport.
Swimming news courtesy of USOC.
