Val Belmonte, Janet Judge Appointed to Board of Directors
Posted: November 22, 2016 10:21 AM
Belmonte Returns for Second Term, Judge Brings Unparalleled Equity and Diversity Experience
Colorado Springs, Colo. (Nov. 22, 2016) – The USA Ultimate Board of Directors appointed Val Belmonte and Janet Judge to fill its remaining two positions in a conference call last week.
Belmonte, who served on the board from 2014-16, returns for a second three-year term as an independent board member, while Judge arrives as an appointed board member. Both Belmonte and Judge will begin their terms on Jan. 1, 2017 and serve through Dec. 31, 2019.
Belmonte brings back to USA Ultimate his leadership experience as an executive at various nonprofit and sports organizations, including several national governing bodies of amateur sport and the U.S. Olympic Committee.
"Facing several monster issues, including equity and diversity and growth, we couldn’t have two more qualified and capable people to help us," commented Henry Thorne, chair of USA Ultimate’s Nominating Committee. "Janet Judge literally wrote the book on gender equity in sports, and Val Belmonte has more experience and skill in the sports world than the rest of us combined."
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Currently, Belmonte serves as President and CEO of Winston Knolls Education Group, an Illinois-based nonprofit providing specialized education programming and professional development for individuals with special needs, as well as the Winston Knolls School, a Pre-K-12 school aimed at children diagnosed with autism spectrum and related disorders, developmental disabilities and other health impairments.
Previously Belmonte served as CEO for USA Figure Skating and USA Fencing, Vice President of Quinnipiac University, Director of Athletics at Union College and Director of Coaching at USA Hockey. He also sat on several committees for a variety of NCAA conferences and multiple high performance, coaching and strategic planning committees for the USOC and USA Hockey.
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He is also the co-founder and principal partner at Game 7 Seven, LLC – a development, design, build and management company for sports, recreational and entertainment facilities. In 2016, Belmonte was appointed to the Advisory Board for the World Flying Disc Federation.
As a member of the USA Ultimate Board of Directors, Belmonte also currently sits on the 2019-21 strategic planning task force; governance and board development committee; and the competition, equity and diversity, and marketing, communications and sponsorship working groups.
"I’ve admired ultimate as a great sport, USA Ultimate as a leading U.S. Olympic Committee Governing Body, its wonderful members and dynamic leadership team, and I’m honored to be rejoining their board," said Belmonte. "I have tremendous respect for Tom Crawford, Henry Thorne and all of the other board members, and I look forward to once again working with them."
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Judge is the co-author of the NCAA Manual on Gender Equity and President of Sports Law Associates, LLC, a full-service intercollegiate sports law firm with a concentration on Title IX issues and compliance, sexual harassment, intercollegiate sports and employment law counseling. Considered one of the leading experts on equity in sports, Judge brings to the board diverse legal and athletics experience as an advisor of colleges and universities on sports-related issues, including strategic program development, NCAA eligibility, infractions and certification, Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA) compliance, contracts, pay equity, Title IX, harassment and misconduct.
In addition to her law practice, Judge has conducted workshops at more than 500 NCAA institutions, athletic conferences and coaches' associations with sessions focused on a variety of topics, including leadership, ethics, risk management, branding, social networking, alcohol, hazing and discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual assault.
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Judge is also one of three instructors teaching the popular National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) online Title IX course. She was honored by the NACUA in 2015 for her higher education law practice, is included in the Best Lawyers in America in the areas of sports and employment law, and has been named a Super Lawyer for her intercollegiate sports law work. Judge and Sports Law Associates were also selected Best Lawyers and Best Law Firms for sports law work in 2017.
As the former assistant director of athletics at Harvard University, where she was also a three-sport varsity student-athlete, Ms. Judge was responsible for overseeing the Harvard/Radcliffe Foundation for Women’s Athletics, an umbrella organization designed to accelerate and broaden the base of support for the women’s athletic program at Harvard.
"I am honored to be asked to join the USA Ultimate Board," said Judge. "It’s a privilege to work with an organization that embodies the best aspects of sport, both on and off the field."
Last November, Judge facilitated a retreat in Chicago with USA Ultimate’s Equity and Diversity Working Group and senior leadership team and participated in an open forum with USA Ultimate membership.
Belmonte and Judge join DeAnna Ball and Heather Ann Brauer, who were elected by USA Ultimate members to At-Large and Elite Athlete board seats, respectively, earlier this month.
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