byLarry Eder
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The press release went out Monday morning that the USATF Board of Directors had decided to look for a new CEO. That means that Doug Logan, the CEO of USA Track & Field for the past 26 months, no longer holds that position.
The meetings, which took place over the weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada, showed the sport how a board of directors is to work. They were selected to make the hard decisions, to do what is best for the sport. In announcing that USATF would be looking for a new CEO, they made a very tough decision, but a decision that RBR applauds.
The decision must not have been easy. In a Reuters story, written by Gene Cherry only 14 hours ago (Sports chief still in dark over future with USATF (reuters.com)), Doug Logan noted that he had not been told nor was he aware of any decision. RBR spoke to Jill Geer this morning, and she was polite and official, noting that, “IF there was anything to know from the meeting, RBR would be on announcement list. ” That is her job. Contain leaks until all of the board are signed off. USATF kept the message under control.
RBR applauds USATF Board of Directors in making their decision. The key
will be, how the Board handles the upcoming search, who they use for
the search process (in no case should they use the previous search
firm, who had numerous conflicts of interest), and make the process as transparent as possible. Stephanie Hightower showed that she has the ability to
manage a tense situation and provide an outcome in a business-like manner. That is another
positive.
How should this process work? An announcement of a
search for candidates, a professional search firm, at least 12-20
candidates, who all need to be interviewed and vetted, and finally,
three superb candidates for the CEO position, voted by the board. That
did not happen last time, for many reasons.
And what does the board learn from this? Doug Logan had talents, why could they not manage his and direct those talents to a common good? There are questions on both sides.
In the end, Doug Logan changed the sport, from its governing process, to its communication. The most important part of his job was the hardest; selling new sponsors. In the end, the CEO is the sports top sales person.
Our sport is at a
cross roads. The strongest track team in the world has not been able to
host a World Outdoor Athletics Championships. The strongest track team
in the world has a budget that is one sixth of much smaller countries.
Most of all, as interest in our sport is at an all time high, and
participation in athletics (cross country, track & field, road
running, race walking), sponsors do not get excited about us. Why? We
do not even know what assets our sport has.
Doug Logan’s tenure is over. Pointing fingers makes no sense. Now the hard work begins. Be careful what you wish for…..
|
Monday, September 13, 2010 |
Jill Geer USA Track & Field Chief Public Affairs Officer 508-520-1529; Jill.Geer@usatf.org |
USATF Board to hire new CEO
INDIANAPOLIS
– The USA Track & Field Board of Directors has voted to pursue new
leadership in its CEO position, bringing to a close the tenure of Doug
Logan, who had been CEO of the federation since July 2008.
After a meeting over the weekend in Las Vegas, the Board voted to pursue leadership change.
“We
sincerely thank Doug for his efforts and his passionate focus on our
sport,” said USATF President and Chair Stephanie Hightower. “After
undertaking a performance evaluation over the course of the past few
months, our Board has decided it is in our best interests to engage
different leadership to move the sport forward.”
In
accordance with USATF bylaws, Chief Operating Officer Mike McNees will
assume day-to-day leadership of USATF as the Board begins its search
for a new CEO.
“The
Board is committed to a thorough, thoughtful CEO search process,”
Hightower said. “Although our goal is to complete the search process
quickly, we will not compromise the quality of the search and candidate
evaluation. The Board is fully supportive of the USATF staff, and we
know they will do a tremendous job as we enter this new phase for the
organization.”
Hightower
stressed that the USATF Board will continue to vigorously pursue its
strategic plan, developed in July 2009 and approved by USATF membership
last December. (http://www.usatf.org/news/view.aspx?DUID=USATF_2009_12_03_14_20_48) “We simply need to accelerate our realization of this vision and plan,” she said.
Hightower encouraged individuals with questions about the search process or suggestions for the Board to email USATF at President@usatf.org
About USA Track & Field
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track
& field, long-distance running and race walking in the United
States. USATF encompasses the world’s oldest organized sports, the
World’s #1 Track & Field Team, the most-watched events at the
Olympics, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory
sport, and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States: www.usatf.org.
