2023 USA Triathlon Board of Directors, Athletes' Advisory Council Election Results Announced

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Triathlon today announced the results of its 2023 Board of Directors and Athletes’ Advisory Council elections.

Gabriela Gallegos (El Paso, Texas) was re-elected as a General Director of the USA Triathlon Board of Directors, while Leslie Knibb (Washington, D.C.) won election to join the Board for the first time as a General Director. Both will serve four-year terms.

Keri Serota (Chicago, Ill.) was re-elected to her General Director position on the Board, where she will serve a two-year term.

William Huffman (New York, N.Y.) was re-elected as an Athlete Director for the Board of Directors, while Dylan Sorensen (San Francisco, Calif.) will join the Board of Directors as an Athlete Director for the first time.

Paralympian Kelly Elmlinger (San Antonio, Texas) was elected as an Athlete Representative to the Athletes’ Advisory Council (AAC), a USA Triathlon bylaw-mandated standing committee that broadens communication between USA Triathlon and elite athletes and serves as a source of opinion and advice to the USA Triathlon Board of Directors.

All terms will begin in January 2024.

“I am thrilled for Gabriela, Keri and William to return to the USA Triathlon Board of Directors, and we are excited to welcome Leslie and Dylan to the Board and Kelly to the USA Triathlon Athletes’ Advisory Council,” said Joel Rosinbum, Chair of the USA Triathlon Board of Directors. “Leslie is a longtime passionate triathlete dedicated to growing the sport in her community, while Dylan and William are established leaders who will serve their fellow elite athletes. A Paralympic athlete, Kelly is an athlete who brings an important voice to the AAC in representing para athletes. Gabriela and Keri have brought a wealth of knowledge and dedication to the Board, and I look forward to the opportunity to continue working with both.”

“Thank you to all USA Triathlon members who participated in the 2023 USA Triathlon Election,” said Victoria Brumfield, USA Triathlon CEO. “These six individuals bring diverse talents and a combined wealth of experience in the multisport community, and we look forward to working with each of them to advance USA Triathlon’s strategic goals.”

Gallegos is a USA Triathlon Certified Race Director for Race El Paso, attorney, community health researcher, and social entrepreneur with a passion for triathlon as an important gateway to health and community. As a member of the USA Triathlon Board, she has advocated for inclusion and programs that engage new triathletes. Gallegos works on behalf of triathletes internationally as an elected member of the Executive Boards of Americas Triathlon and World Triathlon.

A longtime age group triathlete and USA Triathlon Certified Coach, Knibb comes to the USA Triathlon Board with a professional background that includes hotel management, event?production, coaching endurance athletes, and teaching nutrition and sports nutrition at the collegiate and?graduate school levels.

Currently serving her second term as a General Director on the Board, Serota is the Executive Director and one of three co-founders of Dare2tri, the nation’s first paratriathlon club. Dare2tri has become the largest para program in the country, introducing many new athletes into the multisport community and USA Triathlon’s elite paratriathlon development pipeline. Serota is a USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach and USA Triathlon Certified Race Director.

Huffman currently serves on the Board as an Athlete Director and previously served on the Athletes’ Advisory Council. Huffman began his career as an elite triathlete in 2010 and retired in 2020, now racing as an amateur age group athlete. During his professional career, Huffman was a member of the 2019 U.S. Pan American Triathlon Team in Lima, Peru, finishing fifth individually and fourth in the mixed relay. Huffman currently works as an Operations Analyst in New York City.

Sorensen, a new member of the Board of Directors as an Athlete Director, is also a member of the Athletes’ Advisory Council. Sorensen, an accomplished runner and former USA Triathlon elite triathlete, is now racing as an amateur age group athlete. Sorensen climbed the ranks to the WTCS level in just his second year in the sport. Sorensen graduated from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and then received a master’s degree from the same institution in Sports Industry Management. Sorensen spent six years coaching track and field and cross country at Stanford University and the University of North Carolina, where he most recently led the UNC program to its best season in program history. Among his athletes, there are three Olympians, three NCAA champions, six American Records, over 50 All-Americans, and a Pan-American Champion. Sorensen currently works as the Director of Growth and Operations at Purple Patch Fitness, a global performance coaching company in endurance sports, in San Francisco, California.?

The Athlete Directors on the Board of Directors provide insight, perspective, and advice from the elite athlete community. Elite Athlete Representatives are full-fledged Board members, participating in all Board meetings and voting on all decisions.

Elmlinger will join the Athletes’ Advisory Council for the first time. A U.S. Army veteran, Elmlinger debuted on the elite paratriathlon circuit in 2018, two years after having her leg amputated due to a rare soft tissue tumor. She made her first Paralympic appearance at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, classing up to race in the PTS5 classification. Her PTS4 classification will be included in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. She won the 2023 world title and wants to help others find joy in sports like she has.

The AAC makes recommendations to the Board on issues related to the needs and concerns of USA Triathlon’s elite athlete members, including, but not limited to: race selection, USA Triathlon Elite and Elite Paratriathlon National Team qualification criteria, elite athlete rankings, competitive rules in elite races and the procedure for the appointment or election of elite athletes to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s Athletes' Advisory Council.

Huffman, Sorensen and Elmlinger were elected by their peers, with voting open to elite triathletes who met eligibility requirements. All terms start in January 2024, with Athlete Directors serving a two-year term and AAC members serving a two-year term.

Voting for the second open position for Athlete Representative for the Athlete Advisory Council resulted in a tie. A special run-off election is currently taking place for all eligible voting members. Preliminary results of the run-off election will be posted on usatriathlon.org on Oct. 20. A two-week protest period will follow. More information on the 2023 USA Triathlon Elections, including candidate platforms, can be found at?https://www.usatriathlon.org/about/governance/2023-elections.