USOPC Announces Hiring of Ethics & Compliance Offer, Other Initiatives

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee announced the hiring of Holly Shick as its new chief ethics and compliance officer coupled with the official rollout of stronger and more comprehensive National Governing Body audit standards. Driven by independent report recommendations from the Borders Commission, these developments are the latest actions taken by the USOPC to increase oversight and accountability within the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic community.

The new chief ethics and compliance officer position will report to USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland, adding to a diverse and dedicated executive team. Under Shick’s direction, the USOPC will launch its new NGB certification program, including via recurring audits on a set of 58 standardsbeginning in January 2021, and will focus on supporting NGBs in their successful interpretation and adoption of the new requirements. In her new role, she will be responsible for ensuring USOPC compliance programs and procedures are effective and efficient in identifying and preventing deficiencies, and upholding the organization’s commitment to respond more quickly and decisively when issues occur.

“I am excited to welcome Holly to our organization in a pivotal role, and at a time when we are confirming our efforts to apply greater accountability for everyone in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic movements,” said Hirshland. “Her addition to our leadership team will elevate and further the progress we have made to strengthen NGB oversight, governance and operational support, as evident by today’s launch of our new audit standards. These requirements are the result of a thorough collaboration by our community leaders to ensure a comprehensive set of standards and tools are in place for all who serve Team USA athletes.”

Shick will oversee the USOPC’s NGB certification renewal program, its NGB compliance division dedicated to addressing problems with compliance, and the audit and organizational advancement team, which assesses NGBs against the updated audit standards each quad.

The USOPC collaborated with leaders from the NGB Council, Athletes’ Advisory Council and U.S. Olympians & Paralympians Association over the past year in architecting the new approach, including the new audit requirements being formally announced today, in an effort to strengthen good governance and more clearly define common operational language, measurements and goals. The new standards focus on five key areas, including:

• Athlete protection and rights– clarity to ensure fulfillment of policies and standards set by the U.S. Center for SafeSport and U.S. Anti-Doping Agency
• Governance and compliance– elevating athletes’ voices and representation with emphasis on board composition and conflicts of interest
• Financial standards and reporting– enhanced financial stability, board approval and oversight
• Sport performance– successful implementation and adoption of team selection procedures and Paralympic classification standards
• Operational performance– additional measures to promote managerial capability, grievance procedures, whistleblower and anti-retaliation policies, gender equity and equal opportunity, strategic planning, and transparency around existing diversity and inclusion scorecard reporting requirements

Shick brings 14 years of experience – including as a federal prosecutor and a senior compliance officer – to the USOPC’s chief ethics and compliance officer role, where she will lead the compliance team in establishing, implementing and enforcing standards and operations to champion a culture of oversight and accountability, both within the organization and across the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic community. She joins the USOPC after serving nearly four years as the global head of the Consumer Financial Crime Compliance Know Your Customer execution program at Goldman Sachs, and previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney for eight years.

“I am excited and humbled to join the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee,” said Shick. “I have followed Team USA for as long as I can remember, so to have the opportunity to contribute to American athletes and the Olympic and Paralympic movements is truly an honor. I look forward to building on the great work that has been done and building a compliance model that provides transparency and support to the USPOC’s stakeholders and to Team USA.”

Shick earned her bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University and her Juris Doctor degree from the American University Washington College of Law. She will begin her tenure at the USOPC in August and relocate to Colorado Springs, Colorado.

About the USOPC
Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee serves as both the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States. The USOPC is focused on protecting, supporting and empowering America’s athletes, and is responsible for fielding U.S. teams for the Olympic, Paralympic, Youth Olympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games, and serving as the steward of the Olympic and Paralympic movements in the U.S. For more information, visit TeamUSA.org.