Julie Dussliere, pictured above at the 2018 APC Extraordinary General Assembly in Lima, Peru, was elected as the first woman and first U.S. representative to lead the Americas Paralympic Committee.

LIMA, Peru – Julie Dussliere, vice president of U.S. Paralympics, was appointed president of the Americas Paralympic Committee today at the APC Extraordinary General Assembly in Lima, Peru. The APC is recognized as the sole regional representative of the Americas region within the worldwide Paralympic Movement. Dussliere was most recently the body’s vice president. The United States Olympic Committee is one of the few National Olympic Committees in the world that is also the territory’s National Paralympic Committee.

Dussliere was appointed after the sole candidate for the position did not receive a majority of affirmative votes from the established quorum of the General Assembly. Under the rules set forth by the International Paralympic Committee, the APC Executive Committee then met to appoint a new president to hold the position until the APC’s next General Assembly in 2019.

“I’m honored to have been entrusted with this important position and dedicated to advancing the Paralympic Movement in the Americas,” said Dussliere. “The athletes of our region deserve the unified support of every National Paralympic Committee in the Americas, and along with my colleagues on the Executive Committee, that is what we will seek to provide. My thanks to Eduardo Montenegro for his recent service as interim president, as well as my colleagues on the Executive Committee for their support of my appointment today. I’d also like to thank Julio Cesar Avila for his willingness to serve and for his continued leadership. Finally, I’d like to recognize the late Jose Luis Campo, whose leadership we all seek to emulate.”

“This is a significant day for Paralympic sport in the United States and further indication of the importance the USOC places on growing awareness and support for the incredible men and women that compete for their countries all over the world,” said Rick Adams, USOC chief of sport operations and Paralympics. “The APC is a critically important organization, and I know that the athletes of the region will be well served under Julie’s leadership.” 

The APC Executive Committee today also appointed Dionicio Zeledon from Nicaragua as the new Member at Large, which will be ratified at the next APC General Assembly. The newly established APC EC is below:

President: Julie Dussliere (USA)
Vice President: Eduardo Montenegro (Colombia)
Members at Large: Bayron Lopez (Ecuador), Pedro Mejia (Colombia) and Dionicio Zeledon (Nicaragua)
Athletes’ Representative: Ileana Rodriguez (USA)