Teamwork in Business - CEO Interview - Bill Shumard, Southern California Special Olympics - January 24, 2010 - Segment Three

Interview with President & CEO of Special Olympics Southern California, Bill Shumard.

“Special Olympics changes lives through the power of sport. Our athletes are more likely to have a job, develop long-lasting friendships and have improved health due in large part to the self-confidence, acceptance and support of our movement.” — Bill Shumard

Shumard’s vision for the organization is to radically grow the number of athletes served, and he has instituted an aggressive Strategic Plan and accompanying business model to help achieve that goal. SOSC’s original base of 10,000 athletes grew by approximately 30% over the first three years of Shumard’s tenure, with much of that growth credited to new partnerships with school districts within SOSC’s footprint. Revenue generation has also been key to the organization’s recent growth. During the first three years of Shumard’s tenure, revenues increased from $6 million to $8 million annually as SOSC moved to strategically grow and strengthen its revenue streams including a strong emphasis on major and planned gifts, and internet fundraising.

Prior to coming to SOSC, Shumard enjoyed a long and successful career in sports management at both the professional and collegiate levels, enjoying associations with teams and programs that enjoyed both competitive and financial success. After receiving his Bachelor’s degree in journalism from California State University, Long Beach in 1972, Shumard was named as CSULB’s Sports Information Director. One year later, he moved to CSU Los Angeles to assume the same position for two years.

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