Stephanie Hightower elected president of USATF...
Hightower, a former world class hurdler and member of the 1980 Olympic team, garnered 328 votes in Friday afternoon's runoff election to Jensen's 300 votes.
In Friday morning's voting, Redmond's Bob Bowman was eliminated with 58 votes; Hightower led with 304, and Jensen following with 263. As Hightower did not earn 315 votes (50% majority), an afternoon runoff was necessary.
"I'm excited about the opportunity to serve this organization," said Hightower. "We have a multitude of opportunities that lie before us, and I'm just happy that I'll have the opportunity to work with the USATF family and move the sport into the 21st century."
"This is a historical Annual Meeting," Jensen said. "As I said throughout the campaign, we are at a critical juncture. I would like to congratulate Stephanie on her victory and thank my supporters for their hard work. I look forward to continuing to contribute to USATF's future."
Hightower brings a wealth of experience to the USATF presidency. In addition to serving as USATF's Women's Track & Field Committee Chair, she started her USATF Board service as a member of the Athletes Advisory Committee (ACC) and serving as AAC Secretary and AAC/USOC representative.
Hightower serves on USATF's International Relations Committee and chaired the 2007 CEO Evaluation Committee. The women's team manager at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Hightower was the U.S. team leader at the 2005 IAAF World Youth Championships in Morocco. She was the Chief of the Delegation for Team USA at the 2003 World Outdoor Championships in Paris, served as head team manager at the 1999 World Championships in Seville, Spain, and was an Assistant Manager for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
A resident of Columbus, Ohio, Hightower currently serves as Vice President for Institutional Advancement for the Columbus College of Art & Design, where she is responsible for leading marketing and communications, media relations, philanthropy, community relations, alumni engagement and legislative affairs. She is involved in directing the college's first comprehensive campaign geared to raise $12 million for capital improvements and endowment growth. She has also held cabinet positions with the Mayor's office, where she was responsible for handling sports development.
A former world class 100m hurdler who competed on more than a dozen U.S. national teams, Hightower held several American and world records and was a member of the 1980 Olympic Team prior to retiring in 1988. As a student-athlete at The Ohio State University, Hightower earned Big Ten Conference, NCAA and National championship titles.
Moments before posting, paulmerca.blogspot.com spoke to Hightower, where she expressed her gratitude to those who voted for her and stated her intent to work with all constituents of the USATF family.
Hightower succeeds Bellingham's Bill Roe, who served as president for the last eight years.
NOTE: USA Track & Field contributed to this report.
Comments