USA Triathlon’s 2021 Special Election – Bylaw amendments

The purpose of this special election is to request your support for proposed bylaw changes needed to ensure compliance with the Empowering Amateur Athletes Act passed by Congress in October 2020, and the new U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) annual audit requirements; as well as to implement best practices for governance.

The USA Triathlon Board of Directors encourages you to make your voice count.
 
Voting for all eligible members is open until March 30, 11:59 p.m. MST. Please look for an email from “USA Triathlon Election Coordinator” with a personalized link to your ballot.
 
More information can be found on the Governance page on our website here. 

Dear Members,

All USA Triathlon Annual Members as of Feb. 1, 2021 should have received a special election ballot via email yesterday on Monday, March 1 – you have until March 30 at 11:59 p.m. MST to cast your vote.

On behalf of the USA Triathlon Board of Directors, I’m excited to share additional context and perspective for the proposed bylaw changes on which you have been asked to vote.

The proposed revisions are positive and will support the growth of the sport. Here are the key changes that we are asking you to consider:

• Board Composition: The passage of the Empowering Olympic, Paralympic and Amateur Athletes Act by Congress in October 2020 required the USA Triathlon Board of Directors to adjust its composition, giving Elite Athletes a larger voice on the Board and other volunteer groups, such as Committees. As a result of the Empowering Athletes Act, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee now requires that the Board of Directors for U.S. National Governing Bodies (NGBs), like USA Triathlon, have at least one-third representation by Elite Athletes. The USOPC recommends but does not require that NGB Boards have at least 50 percent representation of truly Independent Directors to promote an unbiased approach. The Board has proposed a middle ground in which the representation of Independent Directors is one-third of the total Board composition. The resulting composition of the Board would be: four Elite Athletes, four General Directors and four Independent Directors.
• Board Representation: The removal of the regional distinction for General Directors eliminates the perception that General Directors speak for a single region while also better leveraging the talents of our full membership. Still, the USA Triathlon Nominating and Governance Committee will ensure that the slate of candidates offered to members for vote is equitably distributed across the U.S. and representative of diverse perspectives. We also ensure that our members are represented directly through our Committee structure, many of which provide the foundation and critical input for Board decisions.
• Bylaw Revisions: The proposed adjustment to the USA Triathlon bylaws that removes the required membership vote on changes to some sections of the bylaws enables the Board to react and respond quickly to the ever-changing legislative environment, and allows the Board to not have to wait until the following year’s election to modify bylaws and remain in compliance with federal law and USOPC measures. Additionally, we will use this opportunity to better engage both our committee members and all annual members on proposed bylaw changes, and actively solicit comprehensive feedback from everyone, rather than a simple yes-or-no vote.

I am thrilled to be part of the above comprehensive bylaw improvements. The Board of Directors, a volunteer group, remains dedicated to transparency and accountability to USA Triathlon’s members and focused on growing the sport we all love.

We encourage you to read more detail about the proposed changes at this link. Please feel free to reach out to me directly at joel.rosinbum@usatriathlon.org if you have any questions.

Thank you,
Joel Rosinbum
President, USA Triathlon Board of Directors