Olympic swimmers Donna de Varona and John Naber were officially added Monday among six new members to the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) board, which is expanding to accommodate a greater place for athlete voices.
Both de Varona and Naber are athlete at-large representatives elected last month. They will take their seats Jan. 1, 2021 ahead of a meeting in the first quarter of the year.
De Varona made her first Olympics in 1960 at age 13. She would go on to win gold in the 1964 Tokyo Games in the 400 individual medley and 400 freestyle relay. She set 18 world records in her career, retiring at age 17 in 1965. De Varona has been a titan in the field of athletic activism on behalf of women and girls for decades, as part of the push for passage of Title IX and as a five-term member of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. A co-founder of the Women’s Sports Foundation and its inaugural president and chairperson, she was awarded the IOC’s Olympic Order in 2000 and the USOPC’s Olympic Torch Award in 2019.
Naber won five medals (four gold) at the 1976 Olympics, including wins in the 100 and 200 backstroke and silver in the 200 freestyle. All four golds were in world-record time. A native of Evanston, Illinois, and graduate of USC, he won the 1977 James E. Sullivan Award as the nation’s top amateur athlete. Naber has worked in numerous sporting capacities since his retirement from competition, including as president of the U.S. Olympic Alumni Association, president of the Olympians for Olympians Relief Fund, board member for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, Chair of “Ready, Set, Gold!”, and on the board of the Los Angeles Sports Council, the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games, and the Pasadena’s Rose Bowl Aquatics Center.
The addition of de Varona and Naber make five athletes elected to the USOPC board, a 33 percent share of athlete representation, and nine total athletes on the board.
The other new members to the USOPC board announced Monday are: fencer Daria Schneider (as the Athletes Advisory Council representative), ski/snowboard exec Dexter Paine (National Governing Bodies Council representative), Muffy Davis (International Paralympic Committee representative) and Gordon Crawford (U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation representative, as a non-voting member).
“We are thrilled to welcome these six new members, each bringing a wealth of experience and unique perspective and knowledge to the USOPC board,” USOPC Board Chair Susanne Lyons said in a statement. “As a board, we are committed to improving the experience and support for America’s elite athletes across the Olympic and Paralympic movements, and I am confident the backgrounds and passion these new directors bring will continue to elevate our work in serving Team USA.”
The six new USOPC board members replace three outgoing members – Robbie Bach, Bill Marolt and Whitney Ping. Monday’s additions increase the female representation and minority representation on the board.
“We are grateful for the addition of our new members and to all who worked to develop new pathways and invite broader representation to this board,” said USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland. “As always, we look forward to adding the perspectives of the new members to the existing board and know that together we will continue to provide leadership and guidance in service to Team USA athletes and the Olympic and Paralympic communities.”