Abigail Clifford

RPTM 101

Professor Emigh

November 17, 2023

Career Report

Introduction

On October 3rd, I had the opportunity to interview Lisa Milne, the Director of Alumni

Relations for the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). Our conversation

began with us talking about her education and previous work experience. Lisa shared that she

was an Ohio University graduate with a degree in Exercise Physiology and Coaching and then

later went on to earn a Master of Business Administration degree from Penn State. As for work

experience, she was a rowing coach for eight years at The College of William and Mary, Old

Dominion University, and Ohio University. After her coaching career, Milne gained experience in

several areas of higher education including admissions, athletics, career services, and alumni

relations. She launched her career in alumni relations at the Penn State Alumni Association but

got most of her experience from Ohio University, where she was an Assistant Vice President of

Alumni Relations.

I then shifted our conversation to her current role at the USOPC, and she said that at the

time she had only worked there “since the end of August.” She said that she oversees all alumni

engagement strategies for Team USA and the U.S. Olympians & Paralympains Association

(USOPA).

Mission

Milne did not know the organization's mission off the top of her head because she was

so new to the organization. After looking up the mission statement, she said that the USOPC’s

mission is “ to empower TeamUSA athletes to achieve sustained competitive excellence and

well-being.” (Clifford, Career Report with Lisa Milne of USOC 2023) She went on to say that
their vision is “to inspire and unite us through Olympic and Paralympic sport.” (Clifford, Career

Report with Lisa Milne of USOC 2023) We then discussed the specific mission statement of the

Alumni Association. Their statement reads, “USOPA aims to build a comprehensive national

association of Olympians and Paralympians. In furtherance of this goal, the Organization shall

facilitate the formation of local chapters; help members promote Olympic and Paralympic values

in their communities; and encourage members to stay engaged in the Olympic and Paralympic

movements.” (USOPA 2023) This is an alumni association of former Olympians who are

engaged in advancing the Olympic movement philanthropically and through volunteerism.

Clientele Served

I was interested in who this organization serves so I asked, “What type of people use

your agency?” Milne responded that USOPC serves all individuals that have competed for Team

USA but as well as that her specific job is serving people who have gone to the Olympics and

ones who have now retired from their sport. Then we proceeded to talk more in-depth about the

demographics of the athletes where she said that the normal age range of clients is anywhere

from “16 to 30 years old” with some outliers due to the variety of sports offered in the Olympics.

There are no memberships to be an athlete for the Olympics. You just have to be an athlete that

qualified as an Olympian. Then I asked if the clients had to travel for their service. She shared

that there are regional Chapters for alumni but some of them are more active than others. The

more active ones are located in places like Los Angeles, northern California, Houston, and New

York City. We went back to the topic of demographics when I asked if there were any specific

demographics about the Olympics such as gender, race, etc. She said that in the case of

gender, it was pretty evenly split of men to women but as for race Milne goes into more detail.

Milne said that “this now transition into a more inclusive neighborhood has been a little slow for

us due to the institutionalized beliefs.” She went on to say that “the USOPA is very cognizant of

making sure we have a well-rounded group of athletes.” (Clifford, Career Report with Lisa Milne

of USOC 2023)
Services and Programs

Once I learned about “who” the USOC Alumni Association serves, we shifted to “what

the organization” does and a discussion of services and programs. As for her specific

department, they offer things like an Olympic Athlete database to help Olympians stay

connected to each other, the Olympians & Paralympians Relief Fund (OPRF) that provides

assistance to U.S. Olympians and Paralympians – and their immediate families – who

demonstrate financial hardship. They also provide Athlete365 a platform that has resources

available to all Olympians and Paralympians. Athletes can use the career portal, a mental health

hotline, and more. Medal Replacement and Bereavement services are also offered by her

office. Their programs fall into four categories Professional Development, Continuing Education,

Financial Wellness, and Personal Development

Staffing

There are three people who work with her one as her superior and one that they hope to

hire soon. The USOPC has 500 people who work there and they offer opportunities for

internships for the athletes, within the organization.

Funding

We moved on to the topic of funding and before I even got to say anything she said that

it is all through donors. They get absolutely no government help. Most of the donors consist of

past athletes and companies as well as individuals who enjoy the Olympics. Some of their big

sponsors consist of Deloitte, Salesforce, Nike, NBC, Airbnb, and Delta.

Challenges and Excitement

She said that a lot of the challenges that she faced in her job revolved around change

and the fact that she's not an Olympian herself. Although she said that she really enjoys the

people she works with and says that there's never any drama between them, due to the fact that
a lot of them are athletes and are very good at Teamwork. She said that the best part of her job

is the fact that she gets to collect stories of past Olympians and tell them every day.

Conclusion

All in all, I really enjoyed getting to talk to Lisa Milne. I learned a lot about the business

side of the Olympics that you don't really see as well as what happens to those Olympians after

they retire. it's really cool to hear about all of the plans that she has to improve her division at

the Olympics and I hope to one day be able to have a job similar to hers. One where I can be

surrounded by athletes and be able to tell their stories.

 Work Cited

Clifford, A. (2023, October 3). Career Report with Lisa Milne of USOC. personal.

USOPA. USOPC. (n.d.). https://www.usopc.org/athlete-services/alumni/leadership