US Olympic and Paralympic Athletes’ Advisory Council Primary Representative: Haley (Johnson) Stewart

 

USOPC AAC Alternate: Currently vacant. To be filled by 1/1/2021.

 

US Biathlon Board of Directors Athlete Representative: Sean Doherty

 

International Biathlon Union Athletes’ Committee Chair: Clare Egan

 
 
This February and March, US Biathlon will be holding the USBA Athlete Representative election to elect two new representatives to serve on the USBA Board and the USOPC Athlete Advisory Council.

Please find below information from Haley (Johnson) Stewart, the current Primary Athlete Representative regarding who is eligible to run and vote, as well as the process for the election. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Haley (hhjstewart@gmail.com) or Director of Operations, Sara Studebaker-Hall (sara@usbiathlon.org) if you have any questions.

Election information:
More details can be found in the attached document. General dates are below.

Eligible to nominate, vote & run: Any current or former athlete who competed for USBA at the Winter Olympics, World Championships or on the World Cup or IBU Cup between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2020.
Nomination period: Feb. 8-26
Eligible athletes sent online voting link: Mar. 1
Online Election period: Mar. 1-19
Results confirmed: By the March USBA Board meeting
Term: April 2021-Dec. 31, 2024

Nomination
Please send an email to Haley Stewart, current Primary Athlete Representative at hhjstewart@gmail.com nominating yourself or another eligible candidate (see list below of Eligible Athletes) by February 26th. If you are nominating yourself, please include a statement of intent and answer the following questions: 
  • How do you envision serving as an athlete representative to meet the mission of USBA?
  • What is your experience with engaging and/or leading groups of people?
  • What life experiences will you draw upon to inform your role?
  • Can you speak to your work-life balance and how you plan to meet the demands of this role?
Currently, Haley is the Primary Representative and Sean Doherty (Olympian ‘14 &’18) is the General Athlete Representative. The Alternate Representative to the Primary is vacant. Together, they make up USBA’s internal Athlete Advisory Council. They’ve worked on important projects this year, such as: 
  • advocating for reduction in athlete self-pay, 
  • improving athlete and organization communication, 
  • drafting an athlete contract,
  • running a successful Athlete Career Sustainability survey to provide a more comprehensive look at the state of elite biathletes and their needs, and 
  • providing mentorship to current athletes. 
Up ahead, the new reps will get to help elect a larger, more diverse internal athlete advisory council, elect members and serve on Board committees, and importantly, continue to be an important communication between athletes and the organization - the essence of this role. 
Importantly, our athletes are in need of representation now more than ever.  In addition to the impacts of a global pandemic on their sport and their individual lives, the current national team is a highly motivated, intelligent, and successful group of athletes that want to be more engaged in the organization and to advocate for athlete career sustainability. 

Should you have any questions or would like to learn more about this role in USBA, please reach out and we’d be happy to connect. 
 

Thank you,
Haley Stewart

ELIGIBLE NOMINEES (download)

ELECTION PROCEDURES (download)

 


Purpose

The purpose of US Biathlon athlete representatives is to represent currently active athletes on the US Biathlon Board of Directors by facilitating communication between the Board, organization and athletes. As voting members on the Board and committees, they are able to incorporate athlete perspective into Board decisions and oversight of the organization. Representatives are elected by eligible current and past teammates, thus becoming mentors to junior, senior and retired athletes. For those dual-hatted as reps to the USOPC AAC, their purpose is to ensure communication between the USOPC, currently active athletes, and the Board. Additionally, these reps serve as a source of opinion and advice to the USOPC Board of Directors with regard to both current and contemplated policies of the USOPC in coordination with athlete reps from other all other Olympic and Paralympic sports.


To learn more about the USOPC Athletes’ Advisory council, check out Team USA and relevant guiding documents and bylaws.


Athletes rights and representation

Athlete reps are critical to ensuring that the interests and rights of athletes are considered when sports organizations make decisions. The Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act requires that 20% of seats and votes are held by athletes on national governing body boards of directors, committees, and task forces within the Olympic & Paralympic movement, including the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) itself.


Contact

Please reach out at any time with questions, comments and concerns. We are here to support you!

Haley Stewart, hhjstewart@gmail.com

Sean Doherty, sdoherty68@gmail.com




-Revised 3/4/2020