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MOORE TO LEVERAGE YEARS LEADING YOUTH SPORTS ORGANIZATIONS TO CONTINUE DRIVING PCA’S MISSION OF TRANSFORMING YOUTH SPORTS TO DEVELOP BETTER ATHLETES, BETTER PEOPLE
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA (September 9, 2019) – Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), a non-profit dedicated to transforming youth sports to provide character development in youth athletes, announced that Chris Moore will succeed organization founder Jim Thompson as CEO. With leadership experience at some of the country’s largest and most influential youth sports organizations, Moore will continue to build on Thompson’s mission since he established PCA two decades ago: to transform youth sports so sports can transform youth.
Moore will report to PCA’s Board of Directors and will be charged with taking the organization to the next level of growth, while leading the national effort to promote positivity in youth sports as a way to increase participation and enjoyment for kids and to develop them as people of character.
“I’m proud of all we’ve achieved in the past 20 years, but we have only scratched the surface of youth sport’s potential to develop the kind of high-character people our world will need to face the coming daunting challenges,” said Thompson. “I am excited about Chris taking PCA to the next level of impact. He has the experience, skills, passion, character and vision needed to do so and I will do everything I can to help him.”
PCA has conducted thousands of live group workshops nationwide and offers invaluable educational resources with its online Development Zone Resource Center for high school and youth sports leaders, coaches, parents and athletes. The organization has grown to a national presence of 18 local chapters, a staff of 70 and nearly 200 trainers creating a positive, character-building youth sports environment for millions of youth athletes.
“As a PCA partner for more than four years, I have seen first-hand what this organization’s focus on the character-building benefits of youth sports can accomplish,” said Moore. “I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to capitalize on the national awareness and training structure that Jim and his amazing team have created and solidify PCA’s position as a leading voice on youth sports in America.”
A veteran of the industry, Moore has driven considerable growth at both nonprofit and corporate organizations over the past 25 years. Most recently, as CEO of US Youth Soccer, the largest youth sports organization in the country, Moore accelerated revenue growth by creating value for its 55 local state associations and more than 6,000 clubs and leagues across the country. He also increased sponsorship and partnership engagement, rebranded the Association and mobilized an army of nearly one million grassroots volunteers to help transform the lives of 3 million youth soccer participants.
Prior to US Youth Soccer, Moore was president and chief operating officer of GENYOUTH, where he facilitated the organization’s growth from a start-up to a high-performing, youth empowerment organization dedicated to creating healthier kids, schools and communities nationwide. While at GENYOUTH, Moore convened leaders in the public and private sectors, media, schools, health professional organizations and the National Football League, to collaborate on a nationwide platform to improve the health of our nation’s youth. He also led GENYOUTH’s partnership with former First Lady Michelle Obama to promote Fuel Up to Play 60, in conjunction with her signature “Let’s Move” program to reduce the incidence of obesity in the U.S.
Chris serves as a champion on the Aspen Institute’s “Project Play 2020,” a collaborative effort by leading sports, health, media and other organizations to increase national sports participation rates and related metrics among youth. He also advises the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in their effort to change the culture of youth sports by creating a national youth sports strategy. Moore graduated from Lake Forest College and received his MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
“I’m delighted to have Chris stepping forward to provide leadership to our formidable movement of talented and committed Staff, National and Chapter Board Members, Trainers, Leadership Council Members, National Advisory Board Members, Partner Youth Sports Organizations and Volunteers. He is the right person to do this,” Thompson added. “A special thanks to Greg Santore of Odgers Berndtson, Search Chair Karen Francis DeGolia and the entire Search Committee for identifying a perfect fit to join and lead a team so committed to our mission of developing Better Athletes, Better People.”
NSGA is a collaborator and shares content with its members through its communication vehicles. Thompson and Jason Sacks of PCA have also participated on speaker panels at the NSGA Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit.
About Positive Coaching Alliance
Founded as a non-profit within the Stanford University Athletic Department in 1998, Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) has the mission of “transforming youth sports so sports can transform youth.” To that end, PCA conducts live and online workshops nationwide for youth and high school sports leaders, coaches, parents and athletes. Workshop attendees have helped create a positive, character-building youth sports environment for nearly 20 million youth athletes.
PCA’s partnership network includes more than 3,500 youth sports organizations, cities and schools. In the past year alone, PCA conducted more than 3,500 live, group workshops across the U.S., while assisting thousands of other individuals via online workshops at www.PositiveCoach.org.
PCA workshops train coaches to be a Double-Goal Coach®, whose first goal is winning and whose second, more-important goal is teaching life lessons through sports. Our sports parent workshops help parents become a “Second-Goal Parent®,” who leaves winning to the coaches and players, while helping their children learn life lessons through sports. Our student-athlete workshops helps athletes become a “Triple-Impact Competitor®,” who works to improve self, teammates, and the sport as a whole.
PCA has the support of elite coaches, athletes, academics and organization leaders on our National Advisory Board (http://www.positivecoach.org/advisoryboard.aspx), including National Spokesperson Phil Jackson, Steve Kerr, Julie Foudy, Dusty Baker, Steve Young, Brandi Chastain, Carol Dweck and many more.