The recently named new United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation Board of Director’s is ready to meet for the first time as a Board, August 10-12, 2007. The USBSF has been overseen by a USOC Management and Governance Committee for the past year. The new Board will assume the duties of governing the USBSF, in cooperation with the USOC Management and Governance Committee, in conjunction with their first meeting.

Selected to the new eight-member Board of Director’s are the following individuals:
Ted Offitt – Independent Director – four-year term
John Ball – Independent Director – two-year term
John Donovan – At-Large Director – four-year term
Marci Francis – At-Large Director – two-year term
John Rosen – Technical Director
Doug Bagley – Club Director
Kevin Ellis – USOC AAC Representative
Valerie Fleming – USBSF AAC Representative

Please see below for biographies on each USBSF Board member:

Ted Offit , Esq, Co-founder, Offit Kurman, Owings Mills, Md.:
Mr. Offit is a co-founder and Chair of the Management Committee and Business Practice Group of the law firm of Offit Kurman which has over 65 staff members with offices in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Md. and Philadelphia, Pa. He has substantial experience in numerous practice areas, including, corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies, non-profit organizations, taxation, mergers and acquisitions, financial planning, reorganizations for financially troubled companies and asset protection strategies. Offit graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting in 1977. He received his Juris Doctor degree and his Masters in Taxation from the University of Baltimore in 1981. He and his wife, Risa, reside in Glyndon, Md. with their three sons, Elliott, Sam and Max.

John Ball, Managing Principal, Oz Architects, Inc., Scottsdale, Ariz.:
Mr. Ball became Managing Principal of Oz Architects, Inc. in November 2003. Oz Architects is a 25 person, full service architectural practice specializing in five-star resort and hospitality projects. In his position with Oz Architects, Inc., Ball provides management and leadership expertise to an award winning, multi-studio, full service architectural practice. He has extensive experience in the areas of marketing, proposal development, contract writing and client relationship building. Ball has continually worked his way up through the architectural industry since receiving his Master of Architecture degree in 1983 from the University of Oklahoma. Ball received his bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts at Drake University in 1980. He also completed the Harvard Graduate School of Design Summer Executive Program in Cambridge, Mass. and received his diploma in 1987. Ball is a member of the American Institute of Architects, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and the Urban Land Institute. He also teaches lighting design and ambient environments for Arizona State University’s College of Architecture. He is active in his community and youth sport organizations.

John B. Donovan, Donovan Consulting, Tacoma, Wash..:
Mr. Donovan began his own consulting firm in September of 2002. He specializes in assisting non-profit organizations identify and creatively solve philanthropic challenges and strategically plan for their future. Donovan has twenty years of professional experience in philanthropy with hands-on proficiency and understanding of the non-profit sector. Donovan recently became involved in the sport of skeleton and is affiliated with the Utah Skeleton and Bobsled Association. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Physical Education in 1971 from Downers Grove, Ill. He went on to receive his Master of Science degree in Camping, Outdoor Education and Administration from the same school in 1976. He studied at the Institute for Charitable Giving in 2001.

Marci Francis, Stratham, N.H.:
Ms. Francis brings not only professional experience, but also experience as a United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation Europa Cup Team Coach (2006-07) and skeleton athlete on the America’s Cup and Europa Cup tours (2004-06). Francis currently works as a Senior Account Executive, television host and producer for MyTV Boston, a Fox Television News Corp affiliate. At the 2006 Olympic Winter Games she was a freelance reporter for The Rutland Herald/Times Argus . She has experience in marketing, sponsorships and special events. She is a co-founder and board member of The Flaim Foundation (founded by four-time Olympian Eric Flaim), a board member for the Rutland County Women’s Network and Shelter and co-founder of Women’s Inline Skate Happening, a fundraiser for the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition. Francis graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Geoscience and Geophysics from Boston College.

John Rosen, Park City, Utah.:
Mr. Rosen has been heavily involved in the sports of bobsled and skeleton as a volunteer. He served as the Start Leader for both sports at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Park City, Utah. Rosen is a FIBT licensed Jury Official in the sports of bobsled (since 2003) and skeleton (2007). He is also the original author of the Officials Training Curriculum which is currently used to train and certify local and national officials in Park City, Lake Placid, N.Y. and Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Rosen served as Race Director for the 2006 Bobsled World Cup in Park City and also as the Race Director for the 2006 Skeleton America’s Cup also in Park City. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and graduated with high honors from the University of California, San Diego. He has also completed graduate courses in Computer Science from San Diego State University and received a Certificate from Advanced Management College at Stanford University.

Doug Bagley, President, Utah Skeleton and Bobsled Association, Salt Lake City, Utah:
Mr. Bagley became Acting President of the Utah Skeleton and Bobsled Association on April 1, 2007. The Utah Skeleton and Bobsled Association is the largest and only club organization in the country to provide services for both bobsled and skeleton on a recreational and developmental basis. The club also supports and educates individuals to officiate and volunteer at international, national and regional events. Bagley is the owner and president of A-1 Pioneer Moving and Storage, a company he started in 1987. Bagley’s business won the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Blue Chip Enterprise Award for Utah in 1994. He has significant fundraising experience including for the Utah Skeleton and Bobsled Association. Bagley received his Bachelor of Arts degree with a minor in Accounting from the University of Utah. He also speaks and reads German fluently.

Kevin Ellis, 2006 U.S. Olympic Team Member - Skeleton, Dallas, Tex.:
Mr. Ellis is the bobsled and skeleton representative to the United States Olympic Committee’s Athlete’s Advisory Council. He was a member of the 2006 United States Olympic Team that competed in the XX Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. He took up the sport of skeleton in 1999. Ellis competed in track at Stephen F. Austin University where he received his degree. Ellis currently works as an accountant in Dallas.

Valerie Fleming, 2006 Olympic Silver Medalist - Bobsled, Foster City, Calif.:
Ms. Fleming is the Athlete Advisory Council representative of the United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation. Fleming won the silver medal in women’s bobsled (with teammate Shauna Rohbock) at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. Fleming is the brakeman and Rohbock is the driver. She took up the sport of bobsled in 2003. She attended college at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

The new board will assume the duties of governing the USBSF, in cooperation with the USOC Management and Governance Committee, in conjunction their first meeting, August 10-12. The USOC Management and Governance Committee consists of Jay Warwick, Eric Parthen, Tammie Forster, Tommie Gipson and Kevin Ellis. Tommy O’Hare and Steve Powderly are non-voting participants of the committee.