The U.S. Olympic Committee picked the team that will search for a new CEO, hoping to replace Stephanie Streeter by the end of the year. The organization hired the executive search firm Spencer Stuart on Thursday and appointed a nine-person selection committee that will be led by chairman Larry Probst and board members Bob Bowlsby and Mike Plant. Streeter announced this month she would not be a candidate but was committed to staying in the position through the Vancouver Olympics. The USOC board later decided it wanted a new CEO by Dec. 31. Spencer Stuart was one of nine search firms the USOC considered. The USOC will pay an undetermined fee to the firm after the CEO has been in the job for 18 months. "The goal is still to get someone in place by the end of the year," USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky said. "The other goal is to also ensure that the search is done thoroughly and in a detailed way." The new CEO will face a major rebuilding project, trying to bring international credibility and domestic harmony to a federation that has been in turmoil since Streeter surprisingly replaced Jim Scherr in March. Chicago finished last this month in the voting to award the 2016 Olympics, a stunning setback many critics felt symbolized the USOC's troubles. The selection committee includes representatives from five USOC groups: Phil Godfrey of the Multi-Sport Organizations; Micki King of the U.S. Olympians Association; Trygve Myhren of Paralympics; Dave Ogrean of the National Governing Bodies Council; and Nina Kemppel and Matt Van Houten of the Athletes Advisory Council. NBC Universal Sports and Olympics chairman Dick Ebersol has said he didn't think the USOC needed a search firm and believes candidates must already have Olympic experience. "We'll never be considered a major player in the international Olympic movement until we have people who have the skill set that fits that world, and can get around the American business community, as it applies to sponsorships," Ebersol said.
