USOPC Taps Turnkey Search for Multiple Searches
May 15, 2020 – Turnkey Search, a subsidiary of Turnkey Sports & Entertainment, has been enlisted to help the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) in Colorado Springs, CO to lead its search for both a new vice president of communications and vice president of finance.
“My mindset these days is to be thankful. Be grateful,” said Len Perna, Turnkey’s president, founder and CEO. “There are so many people hurting all over the world. And here at Turnkey Search we get to work with our Olympic team and support our nation’s great athletes. We couldn’t be more thankful for this honor.”
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Founded in 1894, the USOPC serves as both the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It is focused on protecting, supporting and empowering America’s athletes, and is responsible for fielding U.S. teams for the Olympic, Paralympic, Youth Olympic, Pan American and Parapan American games, and serving as the steward of the Olympic and Paralympic movements in the U.S. The USOPC is driven by its mission to “empower Team USA athletes to achieve sustained competitive excellence and well-being.”
Rick Alessandri, managing director at Turnkey Search, is leading the VP of communications search. “The USOPC’s new CEO, Sara Hirshland, is super focused on empowering athletes, giving them the best possible environment and giving them a seat at the table and an impactful voice. It’s an honor to work with the USOPC, to support our nation’s athletes, and to find a world class communications executive to drive that mission forward.”
VP of Communications
The VP of communications will develop and execute strategic communications campaigns to increase the visibility of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement and the USOPC, including that of USOPC programs, athletes, stakeholders and team members. “They will direct various programs and initiatives in support of executive visibility and reputation management as well as oversee the development and implementation of internal and change-management communications efforts at the USOPC Direct Olympic and Paralympic media services for the United States,” Turnkey said. “Additionally, the VP will lead Team USA’s communications staff at Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
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Turnkey is seeking an executive with more than 10 years of full-time, professional media/public relations experience with a university, professional sports franchise or national sports organization. “Proven leadership skills and ability to guide and direct the activities of large teams in dynamic environments and assure high levels of team performance,” the firm said. “They should also have proven ability to oversee large operational budgets and ensure that funds are used efficiently and effectively.”
VP of Finance
Diana Busino, managing director at Turnkey Search, is leading the VP of finance assignment. “With a new CEO, Sarah Hirshland, taking the helm in 2019, the USOPC is evolving in really good ways,” she said. “So we’re helping the USOPC look for a strong finance executive to continue to drive fiscal discipline across the entire organization.”
The VP of finance will help ensure the USOPC’s continued business growth and success. They individual will be responsible for managing all accounting and external reporting functions, establishing and managing the implementation of policies and procedures, and establishing goals and objectives for these functions, Turnkey said. Working with the CFO, the VP of finance will support the financial management of the organization through management of the finance department, maintenance of the general ledger and related subsidiary ledgers, and improvements to financial controls, systems, policies and processes.”
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The right candidate will have 12 to 15 years of corporate accounting experience, including five at the controller level or higher. The organization is looking for someone with proven leadership skills and ability to guide and direct the activities of large teams in dynamic environments and assure high levels of team performance.
20-Plus Years of Experience
Founded in 1996, Turnkey Search is a specialized talent recruitment/executive search firm focused on recruiting C-level, senior-level and mid-management-level talent for sports, entertainment and media enterprises. Over the past 20-plus years, it has filled more than 1,000 positions across these three sectors. The search firm helps teams, leagues, stadiums, arenas, theaters, college athletic departments, events, sponsors, agencies, media companies, private equity firms and other clients identify, recruit and hire top management talent.
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Turnkey’s clients include the University of Alabama, the Atlanta Hawks, CitiGroup, the University of Denver, Louisiana State University, the University of Michigan, the Milwaukee Brewers, the University of Mississippi, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the University of Nebraska, the Oakland Raiders, Richard Childress Racing, RocNation, Rutgers University, the Tampa Bay Lightning, Temple University, Ticketmaster, Townsquare Media, the United Center, VStar Entertainment Group and the Washington Nationals.
Mr. Perna manages all aspects of Turnkey Search. A top executive in the sports industry since 1985, he began his sports career as a business attorney for Cap Cities ABC/ESPN and also served as a top executive for the Detroit Red Wings/Tigers and the Dallas Stars/Texas Rangers.
Mr. Alessandri is managing director and general manager of Turnkey’s growing media practice and oversees talent recruitment/executive search for media, digital and tech companies, as well as for non-media entities including leagues, teams, venues, events and tours looking to build their in-house content creation and production capabilities. “It’s a people business,” said Mr. Alessandri. “That’s always been my passion and my point of connection.”
Ms. Busino was recently promoted to chief operating officer. She is responsible for managing all aspects of the executive recruiting process as well as internal business operations. Ms. Busino is in her 14th year with Turnkey. She reports directly to Mr. Perna.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
