Estes and Sternfels to Join USA Water Polo Board of Directors
2/5/2009 12:00:00 AM
Huntington Beach, Calif. – February 5, 2009 – Ellen Estes Lee and Bob
Sternfels, two innovators in their respective fields and passionate water polo
veterans have joined the USA Water Polo Board of Directors. Estes-Lee, a
two-time Olympian from the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games fills an athlete
representative slot, previously occupied by Rachel
Ruano. Estes is joined by Sternfels, a managing director at
McKinsey & Company and former member of the USA Junior National Team.
“Ellen will be a great addition to the board,” said Chairman Michael Graff.
.”She brings a wealth of athletic leadership and experience to us, and can
therefore inform our thinking from the athlete's
perspective on a number of issues. I also expect Ellen to be able to contribute
to our thinking on a range of management and organization topics given her
management education and experience.”
“Bob will add a number of
dimensions to our board,” Graff went on. “He is an ex-Stanford
player. He also led the Mckinsey/USA Water Polo growth strategy
team, and from that experience can help guide us through its
implementation. We are eager for his help on a number of new initiatives
to grow our sport. He is also our first independent board
member from the Northern California region.”
Estes Lee is no stranger to the water polo community having carved out a
stellar undergraduate career at Stanford
University while becoming
a stalwart for the women’s national team. She earned two Olympic Medals at the
2000 and 2004 Games in Sydney and Athens in a national team
career spanning six years. A respected leader in the pool, she has accomplished
a great deal out of the water as well. Currently a candidate for an MBA from
the Harvard Business School,
Estes Lee has spent time at The Boeing Company as an engineer and project
leader, and at Genentech, a biotech company. She will serve as the Athlete
Advisory Committee representative to the United States Olympic Committee and as
one of two athlete reps on the USAWP board, along with Jeremy Laster, who
joined the board in 2008.
Sternfels was also a graduate of Stanford
University and brings
strong ties from the Bay Area. A senior partner for McKinsey and Company- a
revolutionary global consulting firm - Sternfels has been with the group for
over a decade and has helped to launch an office in South Africa while also working
with clients around the globe. Specializing in private equity practice,
Sternfels has helped oversee a strategic growth plan with USA Water Polo CEO
Christopher Ramsey. Sternfels was a Rhodes Scholar and earned an MA in
politics, philosophy, and economics from Oxford.
To satisfy US Olympic Committee regulations, Estes Lee’s appointment made it
necessary for former USAWP athlete representative Rachel
Ruano to step down after three years of distinguished
service. Bradford Bowlus, another three year board veteran also announced
his resignation to spend more time on his various business interests. “USA
Water Polo is indebted to the service provided by Rachel and Brad,” said
Christopher Ramsey. “Rachel helped shaped the board’s understanding of
competition and athlete concerns, as well as providing an informed perspective
from one of our most successful clubs. Brad made a tremendous
contribution to building our annual fund, as well as providing savvy management
counsel. Both were generous with their time and committed to doing the
very best for our sport. They will be missed.”
About USA Water
Polo
USA Water Polo, Inc. is the
national governing body for water polo in America,
overseeing our United States
Olympic program as well as 20 different championship events annually, such as
Junior Olympics and Masters Championships. With more than 30,000 members, USAWP
is also the sanctioning authority for more than 400 tournaments nationwide.
USAWP is committed to the development of the sport nationwide. It fosters
grass-roots expansion of the sport, providing a national system of affiliated
clubs, certified coaches and officials.
USA Water Polo Corporate