I met Josh way back in 1998. He and Johnny Truax, partners in running frivolity at Nike, were birthing the Nike Border Clash, which birthed the NIke Nationals XC. Josh then went to New Balance and built some fine events focused on high schoolers.
Josh Rowe, photo by NSAF
Now, Josh Rowe has been named the NSAF Executive Director. Jim Spier has retired after 30 years of building the wonderful organization that puts young athletes first, and finds the ways to encourage competition and open their horizons to the global sport.
We wish Jim Spier the very best and miss him and the late Mike Byrnes visits to California in the 1990s to grab dinner in Half Moon Bay and talk track. The NSAF is one of the most important organizations in our sport.
Read the press release and consider this, NSAF has moved into the next generation. Good job! And congrats Josh.
Oh, read our interview with this good looking guy as well! Click here: https://www.runblogrun.com/2022/02/socialing-the-distance-featuring-josh-rowe-nsaf-board-member-all-about-the-2022-nike-indoor-champs.html
Oh, and thanks to Steve Underwood, who provides the communications from NSAF.
NSAF names Josh Rowe as the next Executive Director
May 3, 2022-The National Scholastic Athletics Foundation is excited to announce Josh Rowe as its new Executive Director. Rowe succeeds Jim Spier, who is retiring in June after 30 years of leading the organization.
Rowe, currently the Director of Marketing for Harvard University’s Innovation Labs, is an industry veteran, bringing a deep passion for the sport and 24 years of sports marketing and athletics management experience to the organization. A proven leader and innovator in the sport, Rowe left an enduring footprint over a decade at NIKE, has served as Head of Performance Marketing at New Balance, and has been involved with the NSAF since 2000 in a variety of capacities across brands and roles. Rowe was named to the NSAF Board of Directors in 2015 and currently serves on its advisory panel.
Driving leaps in both technology and innovation, many things that are commonplace in the sport today originated or were created under Rowe’s leadership, including real-time cross country scoring, the seamless integration of social media at events, and the now ubiquitous event backpack.
“Josh was a clear choice to carry on our mission of developing the sport and bringing life-changing opportunities and experiences to student-athletes,” said NSAF Board of Directors Chairman Chelo Canino. “He brings a deep passion for the sport and unparalleled leadership and industry experiences to
“Josh was a clear choice to carry on our mission of developing the sport and bringing life-changing opportunities and experiences to student-athletes,” said NSAF Board of Directors Chairman Chelo Canino. “He brings a deep passion for the sport and unparalleled leadership and industry experience to our organization to carry on the incredibly impactful work our co-founder, Jim Spier started 30 years ago.”
“Josh has been a key contributor to our organization for over 20 years,” said NSAF co-founder Spier. “His contributions have taken the sport and our organization to new levels, and we are thrilled to welcome him aboard in his new Executive Director capacity.”
“It’s an incredible honor to succeed Jim,” said Rowe. “Under his leadership, the NSAF has impacted so many lives and transformed the sport. I look forward to steering the NSAF and its team to a future that includes expanded opportunities for student-athletes, both domestically and internationally, building and expanding upon NSAF’s renowned programming, and creating new and engaging innovations.”
About the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation, Inc.:
The National Scholastic Athletics Foundation (NSAF) is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1990, with the mission of creating life changing experiences for high school-aged student-athletes through athletics. Since its inception, the foundation has impacted the lives of more than 220,000 student-athletes, including over 400 Olympians from 42 countries, earning nearly 200 Olympic medals. The NSAF annually distributes travel and development grants to support a wide and diverse range of teams and individuals and has distributed over $4M to date.
For more information about the NSAF, please visit www.NationalScholastic.org.
