USA Gymnastics has officially named their interim president and CEO – Mary Bono will fill that role during the search for the permanent president and CEO.
Bono was a member of the U.S. House of Representative for California and her most recent job was a principal at the Faegre Baker Daniels, in its consulting branch in Washington. According to USAG, Bono also did gymnastics while growing up.
On one hand, it seems that Bono is more qualified than Kerry Perry for such a position and she is definitely more used to being in the public eye and talking to the media. On the other hand, in their press release, USAG did not address a potential conflict of interest – Faegre Baker Daniels is the law firm that represents USAG in their litigations. It is also the law firm that helped to create a cover story for Nassar’s absence from the gymnastics events in 2015 after he’s been suspended because of the abuse allegations. The cover-up ultimately helped Nassar to continue practicing for another year during which he continued to abuse his patients. In the past, the firm also was advising USAG on the policies related to sexual abuse. In addition, Faegre Baker Daniels was one of the sponsors for the 2015 P&G Championships (the competition for which they helped to create an excuse for Nassar’s absence).
It could be, of course, that Mary Bono was not involved in any of that or even aware of it – after all, she worked at the Washington branch, and in consulting, she didn’t practice law at Faegre Baker Daniels. However, with USAG’s history of conflicts of interests, the public surely would appreciate some clarification on the matter.
Photo: MSN
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