The US Olympic Team is continuing to try to get its s****t together by changing its leadership. Two women will not take over the organization - one as board chair and the other as CEO. Interestingly I thought the Wall Street Journal's reporting on this change emphasized more that the leadership will be taken on by women versus uber competent individuals but I don't seek to diminish the fact that this will be the first time in the history of the organization that women are in these two positions. Note, according to the Journal, 50% of the athletes are female so one might suggest that had women been in leadership over the past 20 years, the tolerance for sexual abuse would have been zero and subsequently, changed the course, positively, of the lives of the female athletes in particular. Clearly until now, the "will" of the board resulted in different climate.
Here's the Wall Street Journal article.
Two Women to Lead Team USA
The U.S. Olympic Committee will replace its longtime board chairman with Susanne Lyons, after hiring Sarah Hirshland as CEO in July
“We failed our athletes,” Probst said. “I’m at the top of the food chain, so I take this very personally.”
Probst, elected in October 2008 and re-elected in 2012 and 2016, led board approval for the launch of the U.S. Center for SafeSport, a Denver-based nonprofit opened last year to handle sexual harassment and abuse claims. As of May it was receiving 20-30 reports a week.
Probst helped restore stability to the USOC years ago after a wave of turnover, and improved its relationship with the International Olympic Committee after revenue-sharing disputes, smoothing the way for Los Angeles to land the 2028 Summer Olympics.
“I just think it’s an ideal time for me to transition off the board and turn that responsibility over to Susanne,” Probst said. He added that seeing Lyons’ work as CEO persuaded him she was the right person to replace him.
At the most recent Winter and Summer Olympics, about half the athletes for Team USA were female.
“We failed our athletes,” Probst said. “I’m at the top of the food chain, so I take this very personally.”
Probst, elected in October 2008 and re-elected in 2012 and 2016, led board approval for the launch of the U.S. Center for SafeSport, a Denver-based nonprofit opened last year to handle sexual harassment and abuse claims. As of May it was receiving 20-30 reports a week.
Probst helped restore stability to the USOC years ago after a wave of turnover, and improved its relationship with the International Olympic Committee after revenue-sharing disputes, smoothing the way for Los Angeles to land the 2028 Summer Olympics.
“I just think it’s an ideal time for me to transition off the board and turn that responsibility over to Susanne,” Probst said. He added that seeing Lyons’ work as CEO persuaded him she was the right person to replace him.
Both Lyons and Hirshland have experience in marketing—Lyons as a former chief marketing officer of Visa USA and Hirshland in her work with sports marketing and talent-management firm Wasserman. In addition to her stint as interim USOC CEO, Lyons has been an independent director on the USOC board since December 2010.
At the most recent Winter and Summer Olympics, about half the athletes for Team USA were female.