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WASHINGTON, DC, 5 June 2007 – Special Olympic International has appointed 11 new members to its Board of Directors, including two Special Olympics athletes and leaders from business and politics. Three of the newly elected members were also announced for the Special Olympics International Advisory Committee.
The new Board Members are:
- Eddie Barbanell, actor and Special Olympics athlete
- Loretta Claiborne, marathon runner and Special Olympics athlete
- Yolanda de Varela, President, Special Olympics Panama
- Vivian Fernandez de Torrijos, First Lady, Republic of Panama
- Kevin Farr, Chief Financial Officer, Mattel, Inc.
- Marc Feltgen, National Director, Special Olympics Luxembourg
- Muhtar Kent, President and Chief Operating Officer, The Coca-Cola Company
- Yoshiko Mitsui, Chair, Special Olympics Nippon (Japan)
- Angelo Moratti, Vice Chairman, SARAS S.p.A.
- Robert Norbie, President and Chief Executive Officer, Special Olympics Montana
- Dr. Mathews Phosa, Chair, Special Olympics South Africa, and former Premier of the Mpmumalanga province of South Africa.
All Directors are elected for a three-year term and may be re-elected twice, for a maximum of nine consecutive years.
The Board of Directors serves as the ultimate governing authority for the international Special Olympics movement, with overall authority for managing the organization’s global affairs, policies and programs. An international leader in the area of intellectual disabilities, Special Olympics serves 2.5 million athletes in more than 165 countries worldwide. The Special Olympics International Advisory Committee is a sub-committee of the Special Olympics Board.
“We are fortunate to have the passionate commitment of these men and women who are distinguished experts in their fields,” said Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver. “I am confident they will prove to be great additions to our Board, and will make significant contributions to the Special Olympics movement over the coming years.”
Board Member Profiles
Eddie Barbanell has been a Special Olympics athlete for nearly 20 years, competing in volleyball, tennis, bowling, and basketball for his local Special Olympics team in Ft. Lauderdale (Florida, USA), The Tamerack Bulldogs. Barbanell is also an actor, co-starring with Johnny Knoxville in the 2005 film "The Ringer."
Long-distance runner Loretta Claiborne is among the most accomplished and celebrated Special Olympics athletes, having competed in more than two dozen marathons, finishing with the fastest 25 women runners in the Pittsburgh Marathon and twice with the top-100 women runners in the Boston Marathon. Frequently honored for her work on behalf of Special Olympics, she is the recipient of the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage from ESPN. She previously served on the Board of Directors and was the first Special Olympics athlete ever appointed to the Board.
Yolanda de Varela is currently President of Special Olympics Panama and has been affiliated with the organization since 1993. A member of the Latin America Strategic Advisory Council since 2003, she resides in Panama City with her four children, including her daughter Zimena, who participates in Special Olympics in tennis, bowling and swimming.
For more than a decade, Vivian Fernández de Torrijos has traveled throughout Panama in her role as First Lady, providing her with a clear understanding of the needs of people with intellectual disabilities. She has actively led a variety of social benefit projects that have focused on improving the living conditions of disadvantaged people, and her first act as First Lady of the Republic was to support the creation of the National Secretaryship for the Social Integration of the People with Disabilities.
Kevin Farr is the Chief Financial Officer for Mattel, Inc., responsible for the company’s worldwide financial functions, as well as strategic planning, investor relations, corporate communications, consumer affairs and customs administration. Farr serves as a Board member for Beckman Coulter, Inc., a leading manufacturer of biomedical testing instrument systems, tests and supplies, and chairs the Board of Directors of the Mattel Children’s Foundation.
Marc Feltgen is the National Director of Special Olympics Luxembourg. During his 16-year tenure with the Program, Feltgen has served as Chairman of the Board, head of the Special Olympics Luxembourg delegation at Special Olympics World Games and European Games, and Games Director for several European single-sport events held in Luxembourg. Since 2001, he has been a member of the European Football Committee.
Muhtar Kent, President and Chief Operating Officer of The Coca-Cola Company, oversees all day-to-day operations. Before being appointed to his current role, he previously served as President of Coca-Cola International, responsible for the company's operations outside of North America. From 2005 to 2006, Kent was President and Chief Operating Officer of the company's North Asia, Eurasia and Middle East Group, responsible for operations across a broad and diverse geographic region which included China, Japan and Russia.
In 2006, Special Olympics Nippon (Japan) named Yoshiko Mitsui as Chair of the Program, working to enhance public awareness of Special Olympics within Japanese society. Prior to the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Nagano, Mitsui played an integral role as an Executive Committee member of the 5 Million Persons Torch Run, an event designed to help raise awareness and support for the Special Olympics movement across Japanese prefectures and municipalities. The event involved 320 villages, towns and cities across Japan.
Angelo Morrati is Vice Chairman of SARAS S.p.A, the largest oil refiner in the Mediterranean. He also serves as a Board member of numerous organizations, including Armani Jeans Olympia, Syntek Capital Group, Aon Nikols Italia and Associazione Amici del Centro Dino Ferrari.
Robert Norbie has been with Special Olympics for 15 years, and has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Special Olympics Montana since February 1993. He served as the interim National Director for Special Olympics South Africa in 1998. Norbie has been involved in a number of Special Olympics International committees, including the Chapter Management Advisory Council; Special Olympics Long Range Planning Task Force Northwest Region Representative; and Program Innovations Committee Chairman to the United States Leadership Council.
Dr. Mathews Phosa is Chairman of Special Olympics South Africa. In 1994, he became the first Premier of the Mpmumalanga province following the establishment of democracy in South Africa. During his term he distinguished himself as one of the most successful provincial leaders, retiring from politics in 1999 to pursue a career in business. He now serves on the boards of numerous companies and organizations.
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