January 19, 2023
Higgins becomes the first chairwoman of the USA Cycling Board of Directors, with six athletes elected to serve on the USA Cycling AAC.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Cari Higgins, former Vice Chair of USA Cycling's Board of Directors, has been recently elected as Chairwoman.
I am honored to have been elected as the Chairwoman of the USA Cycling Board of Directors. It's not just symbolic that I'm the first woman and first athlete in this position. Myself, the rest of the Board, and the newly elected Athlete Advisors are excited to make an impact on all levels of cycling, from grassroots to elite competition.
The 23-time National Champion has been a vocal advocate for amateur and elite racers. She also represents the national governing body as a member of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) Athlete Advisory Council (AAC) and USA Cycling's new Athlete Advisory Council. With Higgins' promotion, Greg Allen has been elected into the Vice Chair position.
"Higgins has made an incredible impact in her time serving on the Board of Directors for the past two years and will continue charging forward as the Chairwoman and making an impact on the future of USA Cycling," said USA Cycling's President & CEO, Brendan Quirk.
Additionally, USA Cycling is pleased to announce the formation of its Athlete Advisory Council. Higgins is USA Cycling's representative to the USOPC's AAC, with Alison Tetrick acting as the alternate. Working within USOPC guidelines, USA Cycling has now formed its own AAC to give athletes a voice across the cycling disciplines.
The Board of Directors is comprised of 12 representatives, with four of them being Athlete Representatives: USOPC AAC Representatives Higgins and Tetrick, as well as Meredith Miller and Maddie Godby. They will gather with the six newly appointed members of USA Cycling's Athlete Advisory Council to continue bringing prominence to the athlete voice:
· Cory Coffey - BMX Freestyle
· Kate Courtney - Mountain Bike
· Andrea Dvorak - Road
· Connor Fields - BMX Racing
· Clara Honsinger - Cyclocross
· Lily Williams - Track
Eligibility to run for the Athlete Advisory Council seats was determined by the USOPC. The pool of candidates and electorate is limited to athletes that have represented the United States at the Olympic Games, UCI World Championships, or Pan American Games within the past ten years.