Athlete Advisory Council
By Kacie Wallace and Sara Clark USOC Athlete Ombudsmen
About the USOC Athlete Ombudsman Offi ce: What We Do
Kacie Wallace, Athlete Ombudsman and Sara Clark, Assistant Athlete Om- budsman, welcome you to the Athlete Ombudsman Offi ce. Our purpose is to serve athletes by offering cost-free, confi dential and independent advice regard- ing opportunities and rights to participate in protected competition, and the various policies and procedures as- sociated with participating in sport at an elite level. We are committed to helping athletes navigate commu- nication lines with National Governing Bodies and the United States Olympic Com- mittee, and mediate con- fl icts as they arise. We are independent in our ability to give advice to athletes, yet uniquely positioned within the leadership of the USOC and Athletes Advisory Coun- cil to understand and advo- cate for the interests of ath- letes. Following are typical is-
sues on which the Athlete Ombudsman Offi ce assists athletes: • Athlete rights • Team selection • Anti-doping • Access to services • Athlete agreements, codes of conduct, direct athlete support agree- ments
• Commercial terms • Citizenship and other eligibility concerns
• SafeSport • Athletes’ voice in the governance of sport
• Ted Stevens Act, USOC and NGB bylaws and policies, International Olympic Committee and International Paralym- pic Committee rules and guidelines
• Informally resolving
disputes with coaches, administrators or other athletes
• Pursuing a formal griev- ance
With each of the above
issues, it is important that athletes have a resource they can trust. When offer- ing advice, the Athlete Om- budsman Offi ce is bound by its duty of confi dentiality to athletes. Athletes should feel free to contact the offi ce in order to talk through con- cerns and questions can- didly, and seek independent and confi dential advice. If called upon to help medi- ate a dispute with a coach, NGB, USOC staff member or others, Kacie and Sara will work with the athlete to determine what and when to share sensitive information that is necessary to resolve the issue. The Athlete Ombudsman
Offi ce is a resource avail- able to athletes at any point in their quest for excellence. Please feel free to contact with any questions, com- ments or concerns.
(left to right) Sarah Clark and Kacie Wallace
Who We Are Kacie Wallace Athlete Ombudsman Kacie has served as ath-
lete ombudsman since Janu- ary 2015. As an attorney with an advanced degree in dis- pute resolution, Kacie spent the prior 10 years mediat- ing disputes for the USOC. She has taught negotiation, mediation and international confl ict management at Duke University and North Carolina Central University Schools of Law, as well as in Hong Kong and Thailand through the Rotary Center for International Peace and Confl ict Resolution
Sara Clark Assistant Athlete Ombudsman Sara has served as as-
sistant athlete ombudsman since 2011. In that time, she has advised athletes, assist- ed in mediating disputes, conducted presentations
July 2015 | USA Shooting News 9
to athletes about Olympic and Paralympic rules and assisted Team USA at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Win- ter Games. She began her career at the USOC working part-time while attending law school. She obtained her juris doctorate degree from the University of Colo- rado and was admitted to the Colorado Bar in 2013. She was the president of the Sport Law Student Associa- tion at CU, and is a member of the Sports Lawyers As- sociation. She obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.
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