SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The United States Olympic Committee continued its restructuring Thursday by adding five new board members, including a former Microsoft executive.
The fifth new director will fill a vacant position created by the departure of Stephanie Streeter, who stepped down as the USOC's chief executive last year.
The board will now have 15 members with Thursday's additions.
"Today the USOC welcomes five new board members, all talented, passionate leaders who have committed to contributing their expertise and talent to the U.S. Olympic movement, and we are a stronger organization with their addition," USOC chairman Larry Probst said in a statement, following a meeting in Redwood City, California.
"The caliber of their talents and backgrounds is a testament to the power and spirit of the movement."
Probst emphasized that the new members all bring special expertise to the posts, specifically in the areas fund-raising, international relations, new media and marketing.
Joining Robbie Bach, the former president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, on the board are James Benson, a past CEO of former Olympic sponsor John Hancock; Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey; cross-country skier Nina Kemppel, a four-time Olympian and Susanne Lyons, who most recently was Visa USA's chief marketing officer.
The board also approved the USOC's 2011 budget and said it expected negotiations for U.S. Olympic broadcast rights for the 2014 Winter and 2016 Summer Games to begin sometime in the second quarter of next year.
(Writing by Steve Keating in Toronto, Editing by Steve Ginsburg)
