Board of Directors

Stephanie Hightower, Chairman and President:
Elected President of USA Track & Field in December, 2008, and selected by the Board as its Chairman, Stephanie Hightower in 2011 was named CEO of the Columbus Urban League, becoming the first woman to hold the position. At CUL, she is responsible for managing overall operations, maintaining a viable budget and sound fiscal policies, generating funding sources and implementing its long-term strategic plan. She previously was Vice President for Institutional Advancement for the Columbus (Ohio) College of Art & Design, where she completed a $12 million comprehensive campaign for scholarships and facilities development. A former world-class hurdler, Stephanie has served the sport in countless capacities, beginning with USATF’s Athletes Advisory Committee and including as USATF women's track & field chair and as team leader, team manager and chef de mission for Team USA at international competitions. During her athletic career, she was named to the roster of 12 national teams, held several records, including the American and world records in the 60 yard dash and 100m hurdles, and was a member of the 1980 Olympic Team.  As a civic leader in her hometown of Columbus, Ohio, Stephanie served for five consecutive years as President for the Columbus Board of Education, a $1.3 billion dollar enterprise, currently serves as an Advisory Officer for US Bank and is a member of several education and cultural boards. 

Steven Miller, Vice Chairman:
Steven Miller is Chief Executive Officer of Agassi Graf Holdings and Andre Agassi Foundation for Education.  He is also the Executive Chairman of the Board for Power Plate International, and previously served as President and CEO of the Professional Bowlers Association, Director of Global Sports Marketing (and in other capacities) for Nike, adjunct professor at the University of Oregon Warsaw School of Sports Marketing, and Director of Athletics for Kansas State University.  He has more than two decades' experience as a high school and collegiate track and cross country coach, is a five-time NCAA Coach of the Year and is a member of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Kenneth Taylor, Treasurer:
 Kenneth Taylor is a CPA who serves as Manager of Audits and Quality Assurance for the Washington, D.C., Department of Housing and Community Development. A former executive with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Kenneth has officiated track meets at all levels of USATF and has been a member of USATF's Audit Committee. He holds a B.S. in accounting and an MBA from Long Island University.
 

Darlene Hickman, Secretary (non-voting): Darlene Hickman has been involved in nearly every aspect of USATF in many years of service.  She has been a coach for her local youth and adult clubs and is a Master Level Official who serves as one of the head clerks for USATF’s Youth Championships. She was appointed as the first IAAF Woman Race Walk Judge from the U.S., has served on several Team USA youth and women’s international teams and has been the secretary of the National Officials Committee.  She was the Board Chair for the first Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials, in 1984, and previously served as secretary of the USATF Board of Directors. Darlene was selected by members of the new Board to serve as its secretary. As she is not a formal member of the board, Darlene serves in a non-voting capacity.

Willie Banks:
Willie Banks is the President and Chief Executive Officer of HSJ Incorporated, a sports consulting corporation with offices in the U.S. and Japan. He formerly served as Vice President of the The Athletics Congress and chairman of the Athletes Advisory Committee and is past President of the USATF Alumni Association.  Willie is an inductee into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame and recipient of the Jesse Owens Award. He is a former world record holder in the triple jump who represented the U.S. in 18 international competitions and was a member of three Olympic Teams.  Willie presently competes in Master's and Senior Events.

Mickey Carter:
A communications, corporate, entertainment and sports attorney, Carter is vice president of national accounts for the Fox News Channel in New York, where he manages relationships with cable and satellite companies, negotiates agreements and leads the account sales team. He previously was senior director of programming for Time Warner Cable, worked as in-house counsel for Zomba Recording Corporation and was chief operating officer for Indianapolis-based SCA Sports & Entertainment, where he handled personnel, budgets and strategic planning as well as serving as a talent agent for entertainers and an agent for professional athletes. In the 1990s he was a captain in the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps, serving as a criminal prosecutor at Ft. Leonard Wood. Carter is a graduate of Harvard University and Notre Dame Law School.

Jeff Darman:
The president of Darman and Associates, a sports marketing firm, Jeff is director of the ACLI Capital Challenge road race in Washington, D.C. He has served in a variety of positions with public, non-profit, and private organizations, including appointments as Special Assistant to the Director of the domestic Peace Corp (VISTA) and as Assistant to the US Ambassador to Australia. He is a member of the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) Hall of Fame and is a past winner of USATF's President's Award and the National Distance Running Hall of Fame's Fred Lebow award for lifetime contributions to the sport. He is a former RRCA president and coordinates the annual Road Race Management Race Directors' meeting and trade show. Active in his community, Jeff has served as a councilman in Kennett Square, Pa., for more than 9 years, including a stint as council president.

Dr. Evie Dennis:
A former superintendent of the Denver Public Schools and a National Track & Field Hall of Famer, Dr. Evie Dennis has served USATF in numerous capacities over the past four decades. In June 1980, she convened the constitutional convention for became The Athletics Congress (later USATF), and served as TAC's acting president. She was chef de mission for the United States Olympic Committee delegation at the 1988 Olympic Games, and has been involved in U.S. team processing for every Olympic Team since 1976. Dr. Dennis has also served as a USATF delegate to the International Association of Athletics Federations, and as past Chair of USATF's Diversity and Leadership Committee.

Philip Dunn:
One of America's top race walkers for more than a decade, Philip Dunn is a three-time Olympian (2000, '04, '08) and four-time national champion at the 50 km race walk. He won the 2008 Olympic Trials and the bronze medal at the 1999 Pan Am Games at the distance. A specialist at 50 km, Philip also has been ranked as high as third nationally at 20 km. A member of 24 national teams, he has been a meet director for several USATF national race walk championships and is a USATF Level 1 coach.  He received a B.A. in English from Carleton College where he ran NCAA Div. III track and cross country. He also enjoys trail running.

Kim Haines:
Kim Haines is a retired teacher, principal, athletic director, coach and military veteran with masters degrees from Northern Montana State and the University of Northern Iowa and an Administrative Credential from Washington State. During his decades-long involvement with USATF, Kim has been past president of the Montana Association, Youth Committee chair and member of numerous committees. Currently a Master certified track official, he organized and accompanied the USATF youth teams to their first international competitions and is a past member of the Board of Directors. He is a member of the Northern Montana State University Hall of Fame and the Montana Coaches Hall of Fame and is a past recipient of the Frank Sevigne Award and a USATF Presidents Award.

Robert Hersh:
One of the most recognizable names, and voices, in international track and field, Bob in 2007 was elected as one of four Vice Presidents of the IAAF and was also appointed as Chairman of the IAAF Competition Commission. A retired attorney who has been the English-speaking announcer at the Olympic Games and World Championships, Bob served as a member of the IAAF Technical Committee from 1984 until 1999, when he was elected to the Council. He has been on the board of USATF and its predecessor organization, TAC, in various capacities since its formation in 1980. He also volunteered his services as General Counsel of USATF from 1989 to 1997.

Aretha Hill Thurmond:
A three-time Olympian, Aretha Hill Thurmond has been one of the most consistent women's discus throwers in the last 10 years. She was the Olympic Trials champion in the event in 2004 and '08 and is a four-time national champion overall. She won the 2003 Pan Am Games gold medal and was second at the 2006 IAAF World Cup. In 1998, she threw a then-collegiate record while competing for the University of Washington, and in 2004 she owned all 10 of the top throws by an American woman that year. One of the Team USA athletes most highly respected by her peers, Aretha was selected as women’s Team Captain at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee:
A member of the National Track & Field Hall of Fame, Joyner-Kersee won three gold, one silver and two bronze medals in track and field, spanning four Olympic Games. She set multiple records during her career and still holds the world record in the heptathlon and the American record in the long jump. Recognized by Sports Illustrated as the greatest female athlete of the 20th century, she was a two-time winner of the Jesse Owens Award. Since retiring from the sport, she has been a community activist via the Jackie Joyner Kersee Foundation and as a cofounder in 2008 of Athletes for Hope, a charitable organization of professional athletes who get involved in charitable causes and inspire millions of non-athletes to volunteer and support their communities. The UCLA graduate also works with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Farm Foundation to promote the availability and consumption of healthy foods by Americans and is a nationally sought-after speaker.

Deena Kastor:
One of only two American women ever to medal in the Olympic marathon, Deena Kastor was the 2004 Olympic Games bronze medalist at the distance. The American record holder in the marathon, she was the 2003 Jesse Owens Award winner as the nation's top female track & field athlete and is a past winner of the Visa Humanitarian Athlete of the Year award. Deena is a three-time Olympian, two-time World Cross Country Championships silver medalist, a five-time USA 10,000m champion and the former American record holder in that event, a six-time USA 15 km champion and seven-time national cross country champion. She also has won the Chicago and London marathons.

Elizabeth Phillips:
Elizabeth Phillips is President of Custom Event Marketing, Inc. (CEM), which has served clients such as Avon, Coca Cola, Xerox and Philips Electronics. CEM served as program managers for Avon Running Global Women’s Circuit, a series of 53 events in 13 countries including walks and runs for women, training seminars and a one-day fitness expo.  Elizabeth served as a referee for the first Women's Olympic Marathon at the 1984 Olympic Games, and she has served USATF as member of its board of directors and as Chair of Women's Long Distance Running. She was a board member of the Road Runners Club of America and the New York Road Runners Club as well as president of the Metropolitan Athletics Congress.  She has competed in 13 marathons and numerous other races.

Eve Wright:
Wright is Vice President and Associate General Counsel of the Miami HEAT, where she negotiates and drafts marketing and sponsorship agreements with companies ranging from Comcast to American Airlines, Verizon, Pepsi, Anheuser-Busch, United Healthcare, Sony and countless others. She also negotiates media rights as well as agreements for staging concerts in the AmericanAirlines Arena. She previously was senior director of business affairs at the LPGA, where among other duties she handled marketing opportunities, contracts and governance issues. A graduate of DePauw University and the Indiana University School of Law, Wright has been recognized among the National Bar Association’s 40 Under 40 Best Advocates and has received the Thurgood Marshall Distinguished Young Leader Award.

Larry James, Counsel to the Board (Advisory, non-voting):
A respected litigator in Columbus, Ohio, as well as an advisor to local and national leaders, Larry James has been on the business, legal, civic, and political scene for the last thirty years.  Larry currently serves as General Counsel to the National Fraternal Order of Police, General Counsel to the Ohio FAIR Plan in addition to his role at USATF. He also serves as Chair of the Ohio State Highway Patrol Superintendent Advisory Panel.  His past experience includes multiple roles in civic service. He is the President of the Board of Trustees for the King Arts Complex, President of the Lincoln Theatre Association and co-founder of the African-American Leadership Academy.  He has served as a Board Member for the Columbus Museum of Art and the Greater Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau.