Kellogg Partners With U.S. Olympic Committee

EVANSTON, Ill. --- The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University has launched a two-year Olympic Sport Leadership Certification (OSLC) program to teach 29 executives from the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and various National Governing Bodies (NGBs), including USA Triathlon, USA Swimming, USA Wrestling and US Speedskating.

The program is being spearheaded by the Kellogg School's Center for Nonprofit Management.

"The USOC is committed to leadership development, and to providing executives in the Olympic family with the tools and resources necessary to continually improve their organizations," said Jim Scherr, CEO of the U.S. Olympic Committee and Kellogg alumnus. "The Kellogg program has been designed to address today's ever-evolving nonprofit landscape, while effectively preparing our leaders for tomorrow."

The two-year executive education program is comprised of high-performing employees who have demonstrated the qualities necessary to take a leadership role in the Olympic Movement. Various parts of the 29-day program will be taught in Chicago at the Kellogg School and in Colorado Springs, Colo., at the U.S. Olympic Training Center as part of the USOC's Olympic University. Participants will learn from Kellogg experts as a means to strengthen their skills and understanding of several critical areas affecting nonprofits, including board governance, finance, fundraising, marketing, strategy and performance measurement.

"Several trends have ramifications for nonprofit organizations, including the rise of the nanosecond culture and increased competition for resources," said Liz Livingston Howard, associate director of the Kellogg School's Center for Nonprofit Management. "This Kellogg program has been designed to address these trends and critical management issues, and to teach USOC and NGB executives how to effectively leverage best practices, build networks, fundraise and address challenges and opportunities in the most strategic way."