COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) today announced that sports marketing professional Molly Quinn has been appointed chief executive officer of the 44-year-old organization that provides sports opportunities for blind and visually impaired individuals of all ages and abilities, including at the international Paralympic level.
Quinn is USABA’s first CEO, which until now has been led by an executive director position.
“Molly is uniquely qualified to take USABA to the next level, with her high-energy passion, past successful work outcomes, and proven abilities to provide transformative leadership,” said Dr. Michael Bina, USABA chairman of the board. “We are grateful to executive director Mark Lucas for establishing the national Goalball Center of Excellence and earning our highly respected reputation within the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic movement, the International Blind Sports Federation, and national blindness organizations.”
Executive Director Lucas will report to the CEO.
Prior to the CEO appointment, Quinn served as Vice President, Fitness and Endurance Partnerships, for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. Among her successes was re-inventing the charity’s largest fundraising event, substantially elevating the participation and revenue in the St. Jude Memphis Marathon.
Throughout her career, Quinn has established executive level contacts and relationships across sports agencies, brands, national governing bodies, and non-profits.
“I am honored to serve as USABA’s first CEO. I’m confident we can be a bigger part of empowering people to live and grow through sport and I’m ready to lead our mission to do just that,” said Quinn.
Matt Simpson, a Rio 2016 Paralympic Games silver medalist and USABA board athlete representative, stated, “Speaking for all of our goalball athletes and members, I am extremely excited to welcome Molly. We are all incredibly grateful for the staff leadership that has brought USABA to where it is today and are optimistic about our future opportunities for blind U.S. athletes, including on the international stage at Tokyo 2020 and beyond.”
Prodigy Search conducted the broad-scale recruitment process for the new hire. Quinn assumes the CEO appointment on Aug. 3.
For more information about USABA and its members, board and programs, visit https://www.usaba.org/.
About USABA
The United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) was established in 1976 as a Colorado-chartered 501(c)(3) non-profit tax-exempt membership organization. The membership is comprised of coaches, officials, volunteers, and elite and developmental athletes, who participate in track and field, Nordic and alpine skiing, biathlon, judo, wrestling, swimming, tandem cycling, powerlifting, and goalball. The association has an operating budget and reserves of approximately $1.8 million. USABA is governed by a 10-member Board of Directors. Twenty percent of the Board members must be athletes, with the remaining trustees being independent directors. For more information, visit USABA.org.
Media Contact:
Bill Kellick, Marketing and Public Relations Manager, (719) 866-3222 or bkellick@usaba.org
*PHOTO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/20-0728s2p-molly-quinn-300dpi.jpg
*Photo Caption: Molly Quinn has been named the first CEO of the United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA), a 44-year-old organization that provides sports opportunities for blind and visually impaired individuals of all ages, including at the international Paralympic level.
Related link: https://www.usaba.org/
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