Elizabeth Ramsey Named First Executive Director for USOPC Athletes’ Advisory Council

Photo Courtesy: USOC

Elizabeth Ramsey was announced Thursday as the executive director of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) Athletes’ Advisory Committee.

The newly created position is an effort to formalize the power of the AAC and allow it to, per the press release, “more effectively and professionally advise the USOPC and advocate on behalf” of athletes. The role comes out of a January memorandum of understanding between the USOPC and the AAC that aimed at the athletes’ council attaining increased financial and operational independence. Key to that is greater administrative resources, which Ramsey will provide.

“I am very excited to join Team USA, and I look forward to working with the AAC and its leadership to help them reach their goals and establish meaningful and positive influence across the Team USA athlete community,” Ramsey said in a press release. “I have many fond memories watching Team USA, and I am humbled and honored I will get to work in support of these athletes on a daily basis.”

“We are delighted to welcome Elizabeth to the AAC,” AAC Chair Han Xiao said. “Elizabeth brings a wealth of experience in collegiate and professional sports that will be invaluable in helping us navigate the unique issues that Team USA athletes face. We have no doubt she is the right person to help us transform the way we engage with and advocate for the athletes we represent.”

Ramsey most recently worked in the front office of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings as its director of basketball operations and intelligence. She’s worked in sports for more than a decade as a member of NBA Women in Basketball Operations Committee and working with the NCAA. She holds a law degree from Indiana University’s McKinney School of Law and a masters of sport administration from Canisius College.

Elizabeth Ramsey will report to Xaio, as the AAC chair. Among her duties are to, “work with the AAC’s elected volunteer leadership to establish strategic goals and advance relationships between Team USA athletes, the AAC, the USOPC and other key stakeholders.” She begins the job next week and will work out of Colorado Springs.

The AAC has been increasingly vocal in recent months, as athletes in general have taken a more public stance on social justice issues in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by police in late May. The AAC’s most visible action was a letter, which included 1968 Olympian John Carlos, urging the International Olympic Committee to change Rule 50, which bars athlete protests at the Games. Ramsey’s administrative role could help those kinds of efforts blossom even further.

“We are thrilled with the addition of an executive director to the AAC and look forward to working with Elizabeth to further elevate athlete voices in our work,” USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland said. “Athletes are facing increasingly complex issues, and we are committed to partnering with Elizabeth and the AAC to fully address and support the holistic needs of our athlete community.”

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