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Washington, D.C. - Special Olympics International has appointed three new members to its Board of Directors, including an Olympic gold medalist, a prominent lawyer and the President of the Special Olympics East Asia region.
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The new Board Members are:
- Greg Craig – Trial lawyer and partner at Williams & Connolly, LLP
- Donna DeVarona – Olympic swimmer and gold medalist, initial Board Director
- Dr. Dicken Yung – President of Special Olympics East Asia, initial Board Director
The Special Olympics International Board is the ultimate governing authority for the Special Olympics movement and is composed of leaders in the areas of business, government, disability, sports and entertainment. All Directors are elected for a three-year term and may be re-elected twice, for a maximum of nine consecutive years. Among the three new Board Directors, two have served previous terms on the Board.
"I’m honored to welcome Director DeVarona and Director Yung to another term on our Board as they are proof that involvement in our movement spurs a lifelong passion and commitment," said Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver. "It is an equal honor to welcome Director Craig to his first term on our board and I am confident that with his immensely distinguished background he will make significant contributions to the Special Olympics movement over the coming years."
New Board Member Profiles
Greg Craig is a trial lawyer who has successfully defended individuals and entities in a number of high-profile criminal and civil proceedings. Craig is Vice Chairman of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. In 1997, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright appointed Craig to be one of her senior advisors, and he served the Secretary as her Director of Policy Planning from 1997 to 1998. For five years (1984-‘88), he served as Senator Edward Kennedy’s Senior Advisor on Defense, Foreign Policy and National Security issues.
Olympic swimmer and gold medalist Donna DeVarona rejoins the International Board of Directors and is currently serving as a member of the Sports sub-committee of the New York City Urban Initiative Advisory Committee, charged with developing and delivering innovative urban programs that will accelerate growth, increase awareness and enhance the overall penetration of Special Olympics in New York City. DeVarona also served on the Board of Directors for the 1995 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Connecticut. As an Olympic athlete, DeVarona was the youngest swimmer to compete at the 1960 Summer Olympics, and in the 1964 Olympics she won gold medals in the 400 meter individual medley and as a member of the 400 meter freestyle relay. During her career, she set 18 different swimming records before retiring shortly after the 1964 Olympics. DeVarona has been a significant and powerful force in the fight for equal rights for women. She broke a gender barrier in 1965 when she signed a contract with ABC and became the first female sportscaster in television history. She was also a political activist in favor of the Title IX entitlement program and helped to establish the Women's Sports Foundation, where she served as their first President from 1976 to 1984.
Dr. Dicken Yung rejoins the International Board, having served as President of the Special Olympics East Asia region from 1996 through 2007. Yung was a prime mover behind the spectacular growth of Special Olympics China, whose athlete population of more than 600,000 is now the largest of all Special Olympics Programs. Yung was also instrumental in bringing the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games to Shanghai. It was the first World Summer Games to be held in East Asia. Additionally, he is the founder of Special Olympics Hong Kong and served as its chairman from l974 until 1991; served as a Professor at the University of Oregon; has held various senior professional and administrative positions in the British Hong Kong Government.
For a complete list of the Special Olympics International Board of Directors please visit http://www.specialolympics.org/.
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