Colorado Springs, Colo. (Nov. 4, 2022)—USA Ultimate, the national governing body for the sport of ultimate in the United States and member of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, announced today several recent additions to its headquarters staff: Marc Zigterman as the organization’s manager of athlete & national team programs (club division), Gervon Williams as manager for EDI & youth engagement, Emily Woolridge as sanctioning coordinator and Bryan Geenen as the manager of communications.
Hired in April, Woolridge takes over the role of coordinator for event sanctioning. In this position, Woolridge will administer USA Ultimate’s event sanctioning program as well as work with local ultimate organizers, roster participants and all other event-related requirements. Woolridge will work closely with the organization’s Member Services & Community Development department.
Originally from Bloomington, Ind., Woolridge brings a unique background, working for several years as a teacher in Colorado and as a research associate and lab technician in California. Woolridge earned a master’s degree of arts in teaching at the University of Alaska SE and a bachelor’s degree of arts in biology at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. In the ultimate world, Woolridge played for Macalester College’s Purse Snatchers and 11 club teams throughout her career as well as served as a head coach for Colorado College’s Lysistrata for 12 years.
Hired in May, Zigterman now oversees the Club division programs and the adult national teams. The role will involve continuing to grow and develop all club programs, including the Triple Crown Tour (TCT) as well as working to retain youth and college members. Zigterman joins the USA Ultimate HQ staff with several years of ultimate experience including as a player, a captain, a tournament director, a sectional coordinator and on several local ultimate boards.
Originally from Holland, Mich., Zigterman worked as an education professional as a teacher, assistant principal, principal and central office administrator for Dearborn Public Schools in Michigan. Zigterman attended Kalamazoo College, Western Michigan University and Eastern Michigan University. He joins a strong Competition & National Team Programs department and has already been instrumental in the production of USA Ultimate tournaments since his hiring this summer.
Hired in September, Williams is now working as the organization’s manager for equity, diversity and inclusion as well as working in youth engagement. Williams will lead and manage the organization’s EDI programs and develop new outreach and growth initiatives for implementation at the local level as well as assisting with USA Ultimate programs, partners and events. The role also will focus on growing the number of girls and BIPOC youth participating in ultimate and helping local disc organizations expand into new and more diverse communities of players.
Originally from Chambersburg, Penn., Williams joins USA Ultimate with a wealth of sports experience, spending over 10 years in the sports and nonprofit industries. Williams has worked for PGA Reach, Chambersburg Memorial YMCA, USA Rugby and more since graduating in 2016. Williams earned a bachelor’s degree of science in sports management and international affairs from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania as well as earning a master’s degree from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania.
Hired in November, Geenen takes over the role of communications manager, working in the marketing, communications & brand department at USA Ultimate. The role involves maintaining and developing USA Ultimate’s website, social media outlets, public relations, editorial content, graphic design and more. Geenen will also work to build a pool of external content contributors and national and media contacts for outreach.
Originally from Appleton, Wis., Geenen comes to USA Ultimate with multiple media experiences, spending time with Milwaukee Business Journal, Versiti Blood Center and with Marquette University’s athletic department. Geenen earned a bachelor’s degree in arts for journalism at Marquette University.
USA Ultimate Chief Executive Officer Tom Crawford spoke to the new additions and his look towards the future.
“I can’t put into words how excited I am to be re-building our incredibly talented staff with all this new talent,” said Chief Executive Officer Tom Crawford. “We already have an amazing team, and it just got more amazing. Each of these new teammates brings a unique set of experiences and skills that make the USA Ultimate team even stronger, and they are all fun and wicked smart!”
