New USATF CEO

In the photo

Derrick Adkins, Director of Track and Field at The Armory, 1996 Olympic Champion - 400m hurdles

Mike Frankfurt, Chairman of the Board - The Armory Foundation

Doug Logan, CEO USA Track and Field

Dr. Norbert Sander, president of The Armory Foundation, past winner of the NYC Marathon

Bob Mulligan, Chairman of the Millrose Committee

Howard Schmertz, long time meet director of The Millrose Game

Rich Kenah, Global Athletics

Mary Wittenberg, CEO New York Road Runners and race director for the ING NYC Marathon

God, no!! Please don't make the argument for Rich Kenah. Too young and too embedded to Global Athletics & Marketing. I know Jon Drummond may be a fan but this patsy does not need to be a prop for the Stephanie Hightowers of this sport.

What the f*** were you thinking?

Btw I happen to have a front row seat to this billshit from the firm that was hired to do the search and i can assure you this is not good.

That would be the worst job ever. The board is entrenched with a bunch of stubborn idiots. Doomed to fail from the beginning.

This would be the stupidest move ever. Hightower still in control? At least with Rich Kenah you have a stooge in play.

We need new legislation in Congress which will reorganize USATF splitting out LDR/High Perf into a West L.A. based media property with a new CEO and experienced entertainment industry staff. The profits would be fed back into the non-profitable portions of USATF remaining in Indy.

They already had this in one client but he was dismissed. F***heads/ghetto staff and no sponsors but FUBU.

Except for Logan, none of those fine individuals have any experience at developing professional for-profit sports leagues, teams, entertainment programs, etc.

Well is it going to be Opie or Fantasia?

I think Rich Kenah would be an excellent CEO. He is 40, been involved in the sport consistently for 18 years as a pro athlete, as an agent, negotiating sponsorship deals with all the sponsors, helping to manage the NY and Boston based Grand Prix events with broad corporate sponsorship (ie not just Nike). The Board is obviously dysfunctional but he knows all the players, understands the revenue sources and has credentials. Doug Logan looked better on paper but was ineffective since he couldn't manage the transition to a more professional organization...its going to take some patience and attrition.

I dont know Wittenberg....can't comment. My 2 cents...

Being an 800m runner would likely make him the most sympathetic towards a range of distances and events. He probably ran sprints in high School, then moved up to the distances in College. Being an agent also would make him sympathetic towards the athletes of all different disciplines whom are under his guidance - Tyson Gay, John Godina, Tim Broe. Organizing and co-coordinating televised track meets, makes Rich one the most experienced candidates in terms of helping further promote our sport on television.

It's a job no one in their right mind should want. It's a horrible organization only getting worse. Wittenberg has already made clear she doesn't want it, so why does her name keep coming up? Kenah is pretty much a clear #2 at Global now, really becoming a force in the sport, so I can't see him wanting it either. Neither of them would want to relocate to Indianapolis anyway.

Just because it has "USA" in the title doesn't mean it's a better job. It's a horrible job.

Rich, out of the candidate's I have heard, would make the best CEO at USATF. He is just a bit younger than Masback was when Craig took the position back around 1996. Rich has a better athletic resume than Craig did and has, at this point in his career, more and better experience in the pro and TV track industry.

He is personable but also a tough negotiator. I like the previous comment about his 800 discipline allowing him to embrace more of the sport. I hope Kenah gets it.

Status on this? I thought selection was set for end of February. No announcements or even rumors on finalists?

Heard that once it was for sure Vin didn't want the job that the board was unhappy with all other candidates and so its going to re-start the search with the hopes of having someone AFTER London. This coming from someone mentioned perviously in this thread.

Anyone mentioned as a candidate would have to be pervious.

No one dared to answer my question....is it going to be Opie or Fantasia as the new CEO?

Vin is slated to start his own stable in the Carlsbad vicinity after London 2012. Congrats to Vin making it to the Big Time.

Heard they are flying Wittenberg and Lananna in for interviews. Hard to believe either would take it (especially given the Board as currently constituted). Worry that this is a smokescreen for Board member to step and take interim or perm full time CEO job since "we tried all other options." Even if Mary's or Vinnie's ego would trick them into thinking they could thrive under the leadership of Hightower, Drummond, Banks, etc., this seems like a pay cut (or, if USATF increased comp by 50%, a lateral move).

If Mary was willing to do it, I could support that. Too late to move Marathon Trials back to NYC but she could generate interest with sponsors and maybe bring some major road races back to the fold (if nothing but to promote USATF). Vin has done little to generate revenue - he meets at Stanford were not too successful.