byLarry EderGood things must end.
Tom Grilk has been a friendly voice and thoughtful and gentle force in our sport for three-plus decades. I first met Tom as the announcer each year of the Boston Marathon presser, and he was so amazing at pronouncing challenging names, and was especially good with the Japanese runners, understanding the language and most of all, the culture.
Over the years, I had time to observe and appreciate Tom Grilk in his various roles at the BAA, and with the sport. Tom Grilk managed the BAA during the 2013 Boston Marathon, among others, and showed his true concern, thoughtfulness, and recognition of the brand he represented. The BAA manages the most iconic marathon in the world, the Boston Marathon, the one that all marathoners want to visit.
Tom Grilk is not going away. He will be a senior advisor for the BAA after the end of April 2022, but it will be different.
A special thanks to Tom Grilk for his love of the sport and his true leadership with one of the most important brands in the sport of running.
I also congratulate the BAA in naming Jack Fleming as the acting CEO of the Boston Athletic Association. It is important to show the BAA is on good footing.
What follows is a note from Tom to his mailing list and the link to the announcement.
Tom Grilk, President & CEO of Boston Athletic Association, photo from TEDxBeaconStreet, December 2014, photo courtesy of Raceraces.com
To Many Friends:
I write with a deep sense of friendship and gratitude to tell you of a change to which I look forward. At the end of this April, I will conclude my term as President & CEO of the Boston Athletic Association, and B.A.A. Chief Operating Officer Jack Fleming will move into the role of Acting CEO. All of this comes in the context of a planned continuity of leadership at the B.A.A. as we transition to the exceptionally talented next generation of leadership.
It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve in this role for over a decade, perhaps best described as a “Who gets to DO this?” opportunity from Day One. And in so many ways the best part of it all has been the chance to plan and to execute and to work through challenges with so many of you, from whom I have learned so much. There has been trouble and there has been a triumph, but most of all there has been a sense of being in it together with people for whom discouragement and failure are not options; people who will not give in, no matter what; people who help others to be better than one could ever be alone; and, just for the fun of it, people who also know how to enjoy good times when those times come.
The public and more detailed release about all of this is attached, but it’s the more private part that means the most–the part about the people with whom one has shared the experiences of a lifetime.
I thank you for the opportunity to do all that we have done together, and I look forward to times that we may yet share going forward.
Tom
Link to the official announcement: B.A.A. Announces Planned Leadership Changes.pdf
