US Youth Soccer announces new Board Chair and Members

FRISCO, Texas (Via US Youth Soccer) — US Youth Soccer has welcomed the addition of three new board members, of diverse backgrounds and talents, who will serve on its national Board of Directors. These new members, Dr. Pete Zopfi, Kathy Zolad and Leslie Johnson will join nine other board members whose collective role is to establish policy and provide strategic oversight for US Youth Soccer. In addition to the new board members, Jim Martella was re-elected to serve as the Midwest Region representative and Teresa Goody was re-elected as independent director.

At its recent Annual General Meeting, the National Council of US Youth Soccer elected Dr. Zopfi as its chair, Zolad as secretary and Johnson to the role of West Region representative.

Dr. Zopfi most recently served as chair for the US Youth Soccer Member State Association, California Youth Soccer Association – North (Cal North), from 2010 to 2018, and he also served as the State Association’s vice chair from 2006 to 2009. Altogether, Dr. Zopfi has been involved with Cal North since 1996 where he has held various leadership roles. Along with his administrative experience, Dr. Zopfi has more than 30 years of coaching experience in addition to having played soccer at the University of California, Davis as well as the University of San Francisco.

“After witnessing Pete’s leadership and passion at Cal North, I believe that he will continue to move US Youth Soccer in a positive direction,” US Youth Soccer CEO Chris Moore said. “We all envision a vibrant, relevant and growth-oriented US Youth Soccer, and I look forward to partnering with Pete and our other new board members to advance our mission and make this vision a reality.”

Dr. Zopfi will serve a two-year term as US Youth Soccer Chair before coming up for reelection in 2020. He succeeds Jesse Harrell, who served as chair for two years and will now remain on the Board of Directors as immediate past chair.

“It is truly an honor to be elected to the position of chair of US Youth Soccer, and to have the privilege of serving our Member State Associations,” Dr. Zopfi said. “In this game that we love, it is important to remember that youth soccer is about the kids, and we need to provide our players with the best experiences and development opportunities. I am convinced that through improved communication, teamwork and a renewed commitment to growth and excellence, US Youth Soccer will continue to be a leader throughout the youth landscape.”

As another new addition, Zolad brings years of soccer experience from the state, regional and national levels. With 30 years of experience with Connecticut Junior Soccer Association, Zolad served as the State Association’s President from 2003 to 2015, and before that, as the Executive Director. She has been active in various roles within the East Region and with national programs to include the US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program Committee and the National Championships Series Committee. Zolad was also named to the Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame in 2015.

Johnson recently retired from serving as Executive Director for the Arizona Soccer Association after 22 successful years. During her tenure as the Executive Director, she was the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) Chair for the 2011 US Youth Soccer National Championships, the 2012 Far West Regional Championships as well as LOC Chair for the West Region ODP Championships for the past eight years. Before joining the Arizona Soccer Association, Leslie spent 15 years with Cigna Healthplan.

Martella continues to serve on the US Youth Soccer Board of Directors after first becoming a member in 2015, bringing years of leadership experience to the table. Some of his most notable work includes chairing the National Championships Series Committee for 20 years and working as the Executive Director of Ohio South Youth Soccer for 22 years. Martella has been named to the MLS Top Soccer Leaders list, the Ohio South Hall of Fame and he also received the 2010 US Youth Soccer Administrator of the Year award.

Founder and CEO of the international business consulting firm, The Goody Group LLC, Goody is a business executive and an attorney with a variety of experience as a federal government regulator, strategic business advisor, regulatory compliance facilitator and litigator. Her background involves working in areas such as corporate governance, anti-corruption and fraud examination, risk management as well as regulatory compliance and disclosure. Goody first joined the US Youth Soccer Board as the independent director in 2017, completing the term of her predecessor John Rekenthaler.

US Youth Soccer is a non-profit and educational organization whose mission is to foster the physical, mental and emotional growth and development of America’s youth through the sport of soccer at all levels of age and competition.