AAU ANNOUNCES NEW PRESIDENT AT NATIONAL CONVENTION

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL. Last week, the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States held their 124thNational Convention at the Harbor Beach Marriott in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was the largest convention held in AAU history with an overwhelming number of volunteers and delegates who traveled from districts all over the United States to cast their votes for what was the first full election in over 20 years.

More than 800 votes were cast for the office of President in congress on Friday. Candidates consisted of President Henry Forrest and AAU National Volleyball Chairman, Dr. Roger Goudy. When the result came in, 462 votes were cast in favor of Dr. Goudy, making him the new President of the Amateur Athletic Union.

Dr. Goudy who lives with his family in Madison, Ohio, is the first AAU President from Ohio since James A.Rhodes. He has been the Superintendent of the Madison County School District since 2008. Prior to that, he was the Director of Business Affairs at South Euclid Lyndhurst Schools for 10 years. On October 2nd 2014 he received an award from the Buckeye Association of School Administrators (BASA) which is the Ohio Superintendents Association, for exemplary leadership as a  school superintendent . He has been volunteering with the AAU for over 35 years and has served on the board of directors as the National Volleyball Chairman for 23 years and the National Secretary for 6 consecutive terms.

President Goudy, whose campaign slogan boasted a “New Day” for the AAU, is looking forward to launching the organization into the future.

'I've always been part of the AAU," said Goudy. "My entire family has been involved for the past several years, as athlete members, volunteers and beyond and I believe we will always continue to be part of it. My son, Brian, is the Lieutenant Governor of the Lake Erie district. I am looking forward to having the opportunity to work with the AAU’s wonderful staff and hundreds and thousands of volunteers across the country.'

One of his first major plans that will be ongoing throughout his tenure as President is to restructure and repair relationships with organizations such as Disney, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), the National High School Sports Federation and the NCAA.

Along with Dr. Goudy, four other officers were elected in congress. Rusty Buchanan was elected First Vice President, making it his second term in that position. Matt Williams was elected Second Vice President and Cynthia Trombly and Jo Mirza were elected as National Secretary and National Treasurer, respectively. The officers are ready to get to work and believe that with teamwork, they will be able to work with National Chairs and volunteers in the organization to grow the AAU and reach one million members.