Sandra Baldwin

Sandra Baldwin graduated from Arizona State University in 1962 and later worked as an English teacher in Arizona, also receiving a master’s degree from Arizona State in 1969. She eventually worked in real estate sales. All of that eventually became important in her Olympic career.

Baldwin entered sports administration with USA Swimming, becoming treasurer (1978-82), executive vice-president (1982-84), and President (1984-86). She was later President of USA Shooting from 1994-95. She began serving on the US Olympic Committee (USOC) Board of Directors in 1985, serving on the Budget Committee from 1993-96, and eventually was named vice-president. Baldwin was Chef de Mission for @TeamUSA at the 1995 Pan American Games and the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She was on the Board of Directors of the Organizing Committee for the 1996 Atlanta Games (ACOG) and the Board of Trustees for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

In December 2000 Baldwin was named President and Board Chair of the USOC, the first woman to hold either role. In 2002 William Hybl resigned from the IOC and Baldwin was co-opted into the IOC at the 113th IOC Session. Her tenure would be one of the shortest ever, lasting only 77 days. Shortly after becoming an IOC Member, it was revealed that there were major falsehoods on her curriculum vitae. She had stated on there that she had received a PhD in American literature from Arizona State in 1967, and then taught as a professor for 11 years, neither of which was true, and after these revelations, she resigned from her positions with the USOC and the IOC.