Laura Peeters joins USA Wrestling’s staff full time as its first General Counsel
Share:
by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Today, Laura Peeters of Colorado Springs, Colo. has joined USA Wrestling’s national staff full time as its first General Counsel. She comes to USA Wrestling with extensive experience in the legal industry, as well as a strong background within the U.S. Olympic family.
In this newly created position, she will be responsible for all USA Wrestling legal, contract, intellectual property, human resources, governance and dispute resolution matters. Additionally, Peeters will oversee the organization’s USOPC compliance and manage its Safe Sport Program. Peeters will work from USA Wrestling’s corporate headquarters in Colorado Springs.
“USA Wrestling is incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to officially add such a gifted individual to our team. Laura brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the position. She will take an important and significant leadership role within our National Governing Body in this new position. I’m confident that USA Wrestling will become an even stronger and more relevant member of the Olympic Family with Laura in this role. Through the past several months, we have been able to witness first hand her skills and talents. As a result, we are incredibly optimistic about the future impact Laura will have on our sport. We are excited to welcome Laura, her husband Chris and daughter Charlotte to the USA Wrestling Family,” said Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director.
Peeters joined USA Wrestling from private practice, where she counseled various National Governing Bodies (and other clients) on HR, sponsorships, licensing intellectual property and other issues specifically related to Olympic and Paralympic sports.
She served as USA Wrestling’s Safe Sport consultant since early 2020, handling the organization’s Safe Sport program, a role she will continue in her new position.
“I am thrilled to be joining USA Wrestling and play whatever small role I can in helping grow the sport and serve athletes. Rich Bender has built a fantastic team of professionals and I’m delighted to call them colleagues,” said Peeters.
Previously, Peeters served more than six years as associate general counsel for the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), focusing on operation related contracts, content acquisition, web site and new media initiatives and human resources. She was part of a five-person lawyer team which handled all legal matters for the USOPC.
In addition to her experience with the Olympic Movement, she served as in-house counsel for various Bay Area software companies, including StubHub and Ask.com.
Peeters was a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School, earning her Juris Doctor in 1997. She graduated with honors as an undergraduate from the University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
She completed extensive mediation training from the American Arbitration Association in May 2015. Peeters also received the Olympic Sport Leadership Certificate from the Kellogg School of Management.
Peeters has been active in numerous community and civic organizations. She has served on the Boards of the El Pomar Youth Sports Park, Kids on Bikes and for Taliesin Preservation. Peeters was an Ethics Committee member for U.S. Archery. She also has been a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA).
Peeters was a Senior-level figure skater and a collegiate rower. She has also competed in numerous marathons and other long distance races, including the Ironman triathlon.
In this newly created position, she will be responsible for all USA Wrestling legal, contract, intellectual property, human resources, governance and dispute resolution matters. Additionally, Peeters will oversee the organization’s USOPC compliance and manage its Safe Sport Program. Peeters will work from USA Wrestling’s corporate headquarters in Colorado Springs.
“USA Wrestling is incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to officially add such a gifted individual to our team. Laura brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the position. She will take an important and significant leadership role within our National Governing Body in this new position. I’m confident that USA Wrestling will become an even stronger and more relevant member of the Olympic Family with Laura in this role. Through the past several months, we have been able to witness first hand her skills and talents. As a result, we are incredibly optimistic about the future impact Laura will have on our sport. We are excited to welcome Laura, her husband Chris and daughter Charlotte to the USA Wrestling Family,” said Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director.
Peeters joined USA Wrestling from private practice, where she counseled various National Governing Bodies (and other clients) on HR, sponsorships, licensing intellectual property and other issues specifically related to Olympic and Paralympic sports.
She served as USA Wrestling’s Safe Sport consultant since early 2020, handling the organization’s Safe Sport program, a role she will continue in her new position.
“I am thrilled to be joining USA Wrestling and play whatever small role I can in helping grow the sport and serve athletes. Rich Bender has built a fantastic team of professionals and I’m delighted to call them colleagues,” said Peeters.
Previously, Peeters served more than six years as associate general counsel for the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), focusing on operation related contracts, content acquisition, web site and new media initiatives and human resources. She was part of a five-person lawyer team which handled all legal matters for the USOPC.
In addition to her experience with the Olympic Movement, she served as in-house counsel for various Bay Area software companies, including StubHub and Ask.com.
Peeters was a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School, earning her Juris Doctor in 1997. She graduated with honors as an undergraduate from the University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
She completed extensive mediation training from the American Arbitration Association in May 2015. Peeters also received the Olympic Sport Leadership Certificate from the Kellogg School of Management.
Peeters has been active in numerous community and civic organizations. She has served on the Boards of the El Pomar Youth Sports Park, Kids on Bikes and for Taliesin Preservation. Peeters was an Ethics Committee member for U.S. Archery. She also has been a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA).
Peeters was a Senior-level figure skater and a collegiate rower. She has also competed in numerous marathons and other long distance races, including the Ironman triathlon.
