COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Dec. 11, 2000) - Marketing specialist and mountain bike racer Mary Monroe has been named USA Cycling's first-ever chief marketing officer, the organization announced Monday.

As chief marketing officer, Monroe will oversee business development, communications and sponsor relations. The position was created as part of USA Cycling's new vision for the organization in the forthcoming years.

"With the addition of a chief marketing officer, USA Cycling will be able to reinforce relationships with our current business partners, but more importantly, acquire new resources that will help strengthen the cycling community," said USA Cycling CEO Lisa Voight. "With a solid background in marketing and her passion for cycling, Mary will be a great asset to the organization as we look to the future."

Previously, USA Cycling's chief operating officer was responsible for marketing and sponsor relations. Under USA Cycling's new business plan, Chief Operating Officer Steve Johnson will assist Voight with planning and budgeting, leaving marketing operations to Monroe.

"People in cycling choose these professions over any other because we have a true passion for the sport. We are all cyclists ... everyone who is involved in it," said Monroe, who hails from Elm Grove, Wis. "My goal is to garner more inclusion. Our sport is too small to be fragmented. I'm excited to help make cycling stronger and healthier."

Most recently, Monroe served as a sports marketing consultant to several sports companies, including McQuaid Publishing in London, Catalyst Communications in Boulder, Colo., and PlanetOutdoors.com. She also created a strategy and development plan for '96 Olympian Juli Furtado's bicycle company, Juliana.

Monroe served as director of sports marketing and sponsorship at the Trek Bicycle Corporation for more than seven years, before leaving in 1999. At Trek, she managed promotional programs, obtained sponsorship and funding for the company's first professional mountain bike team and oversaw communications.

Among her highlights at Trek was the acquisition of Volkswagen sponsorship for the company's team, leading to a $20 million-plus advertising and promotion campaign and the creation of the Trek Jetta. Monroe was responsible for signing the U.S. Postal Service Team to Trek. Monroe also developed the concept for the Trek/Volkswagen Urban Mountain Bike Festival, which was held in six major markets and broadcast on ESPN.

In addition to sitting on the National Off-Road Bicycle Association (NORBA) Board of Trustees, she is the vice president of the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA), a trail advocacy organization. She furthers her passion for cycling by competing as an expert-level mountain bike racer.