After serving four years as the vice president of the National Basketball Association, University of Michigan alum Li Li Leung will serve as the president and CEO of USA Gymnastics, according to a Click On Detroit report.
In a statement for USA Gymnastics, Leung said she looks forward to leading an organization she is passionate about.
“I am honored to be the next CEO of USA Gymnastics and to lead an organization that plays an important role in a sport that I care deeply about and had so much positive influence on my life,” Leung said in the statement.
In the wake of the Larry Nassar scandal, a controversy former physician who was charged with sexually abusing over 150 athletes, Leung is the fourth person to lead the organization in two years. According to Leung, addressing the issues brought up by the Nassar scandal is a top priority for her presidency.
“Like everyone, I was upset and angry to learn about the abuse and the institutions that let the athletes down,” Leung said in the statement. I admire the courage and strength of the survivors, and I will make it a priority to see that their claims are resolved. I look forward to collaborating with the entire gymnastics community to create further change going forward, which requires that we implement important initiatives to strengthen athlete health and safety and build a clear and inclusive plan for the future. For me, this is much more than a job: it is a personal calling, for which I stand ready to answer.”
Leung’s appointment was critiqued by some survivors of Larry Nassar’s abuse victims in a statement from John Manly, attorney to several Nassar survivors. According to Manly, survivors were not consulted before Leung’s appointment as president and CEO.
“Sadly, Ms. Leung has precisely the same sports marketing background as her predecessors Steve Penny and Kerry Perry,” Manly said in the statement. “That is exactly the wrong background to implement change to protect children.”
Leung’s appointment comes after the resignation of interim president, former Congresswoman Mary Bono. In her resignation letter, Bono said personal attacks and critiques of her leadership ability prompted the resignation.
Leung’s duties as president and CEO will begin March 8.