USA Gymnastics seats new Board

At its June 20 meeting, the USA Gymnastics Interim Board of Directors confirmed the election of the new Board of Directors that was seated at the conclusion of the Interim Board’s meeting.

June 21, 2018

INDIANAPOLIS, June 21, 2018 – At its June 20 meeting, the USA Gymnastics Interim Board of Directors confirmed the election of the new Board of Directors that was seated at the conclusion of the Interim Board’s meeting. Additionally, each of the five competitive disciplines has chosen its two representatives to serve on the newly created Programs Council.

“We want to thank the Interim Board for their commitment to completing the necessary tasks of streamlining and reconstituting our Board of Directors in a short window of time,” said Kerry Perry, president and CEO of USA Gymnastics. “We look forward to working with the new Board to transform our organization to keep athlete safety and well-being as our priority and to promote a positive and empowered environment for our athletes and members to thrive and follow their dreams.”

USA Gymnastics Board of Directors, as of June 20, 2018
NOTE: Terms are staggered and indicated for each director.

Athlete directors

National membership directors

Advisory Council director

Kevin White, 2018-21

Independent directors

USA Gymnastics officers

Here’s a brief overview of how the breakdown of athlete, national membership and Advisory Council directors was determined. For more information on the selection process, please click here.

Athlete directors (three). The athlete directors include one director for each of the two competitive disciplines that have the highest athlete membership numbers (women’s and men’s gymnastics), and one director for the remaining three competitive disciplines (acrobatic and rhythmic gymnastics, and trampoline and tumbling).
National membership directors (three). The national membership directors include one representative each for the two competitive disciplines that have the highest professional membership numbers (women’s and men’s gymnastics), and one representative for the remaining three competitive disciplines (rhythmic and acrobatic gymnastics, and trampoline and tumbling).
Advisory Council representative (one). The Advisory Council voted to select its representative to the new board from the Advisory Council members who expressed interest in the Board position.

To allow for an orderly transition, implementing provisions were approved by the Interim Board that assigned initial terms of service of directors and provided for staggered board terms.

Programs Council members also chosen
Similar to the Athletes’ Council, the newly created Programs Council provides a forum for all five of the competitive disciplines to discuss and provide input on issues of importance to the programs and for the organization’s culture and future. The Programs Council is comprised of two representatives from each of the five competitive disciplines, who are elected by votes cast by the respective professional membership, and one independent director, who is appointed by the Board chair.

Programs Council
Acrobatic gymnastics: Elena Arakelyan and Bob Meier
Men’s gymnastics: Justin Spring and Gene Watson
Rhythmic gymnastics: Stefanie Korepin and Anna Loescher
Trampoline and tumbling: Scott Lineberry and Erin Powell
Women’s gymnastics: Kittia Carpenter and Claudia Kretschmer
Independent director: Lois Bingham

Commitment to athlete safety
USA Gymnastics is committed to creating a culture that empowers and supports our athletes. The organization has and will continue to take specific and concrete steps to promote athlete safety and prevent future abuse by vigorously enforcing the USA Gymnastics Safe Sport Policy, which requires mandatory reporting; defines six types of misconduct; sets standards to prohibit grooming behavior and prevent inappropriate interaction; and establishes greater accountability. Other efforts taken to strengthen that commitment include establishing a dedicated, toll-free number (833-844-SAFE), the safe sport email address ([email protected]), and online reporting to simplify the process for reporting; building a safe sport department that is developing a comprehensive education plan for members; and adopting bylaw amendments to provide the basis for further developing our safe sport programs and governance. The Athlete Assistance Fund, established by the National Gymnastics Foundation, provides financial resources for counseling services for any current or former gymnast who was a member of USA Gymnastics and suffered sexual abuse within the sport of gymnastics.