COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has hired a former assistant U.S. attorney and executive at Goldman Sachs as its chief ethics and compliance officer.
Holly Shick will take over a role suggested in an independent report into the organization that was triggered by the sex-abuse scandals across a number of Olympic sports.
The report from the Borders Commission suggested stronger oversight of national governing bodies - the organizations that run the individual sports - and a reconfiguring of the USOPC board in an effort to give more authority to athletes.
The USOPC has reworked its leadership structure as part of efforts to give athletes a larger voice. Shick will oversee USOPC compliance programs in an attempt to help the federation respond more quickly to athlete complaints about abuse and other issues.
The USOPC also announced new audit standards for the NGBs. They are designed to promote better financial reporting and to ensure NGBs follow policies and standards set by the U.S. Center for SafeSport and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
Among the revelations that came from sex-abuse scandals, including the one involving former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, was that NGBs had different policies about reporting abuse and crimes, and that the USOPC’s oversight of the NGBs wasn’t as clearly defined as it could’ve been.
According to a USOPC news release, Shick will lead the compliance team “to champion a culture of oversight and accountability” in the U.S. Olympic world. She comes to the USOPC after nearly four years at Goldman Sachs as a global compliance officer for consumer financial crime issues.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.