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Travis Tygart

2021 Panelist
US Anti-Doping Agency
CEO
UNC Class of:
1993
2021 Bio:
Travis has worked with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) since its inception in 2000 and became USADA’s Chief Executive Officer in September of 2007, having served as its Director of Legal Affairs and General Counsel prior to becoming its CEO. As CEO, Travis works closely with the USADA Board of Directors to carry out the organization’s mission of preserving the integrity of competition, inspiring true sport, and protecting the rights of clean athletes. Since becoming CEO, Travis has reached out and made himself available to many Olympic athletes, embracing them as an essential part of the fight against doping. Travis was recognized for these efforts when he was awarded the USA Swimming Award in 2016 and won USA Swimming Athlete’s Appreciation Award in 2019.
Under Tygart’s leadership, some of USADA’s most significant efforts to protect clean athletes have come in the form of major investigations. Working alongside federal authorities, USADA investigated the international steroid bust, Operation Raw Deal, and the international doping conspiracy involving the BALCO laboratory in San Francisco. Tygart also led the investigation into the U.S. Postal Service pro-cycling team doping conspiracy and the Lance Armstrong case. Tygart has also led the international effort to advocate for justice and reform in the aftermath of the Russian state-sponsored doping scheme. This effort has ignited a movement to change the global anti-doping system to make it more independent and to give athletes a stronger voice and vote in decisions. As well, these efforts led to the passage of the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Fraud Act, a landmark new law that criminalizes international doping fraud. Tygart’s tenure as CEO as also produced many other achievements for clean athletes including the groundbreaking research on the importance of true sport: “What Sport Means in America,” and the “TrueSport Report.” These efforts led to the founding of USADA’s True Sport program a movement to ensure all athletes have the right to healthy, safe and good sport.
Travis is a 1993 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel with a BA in Philosophy and after teaching and coaching high school for a few years, he earned a law degree from Southern Methodist University where he graduated Order of the Coif. Travis received the Distinguished Young Alumni Award in 2010 from UNC-CH and the Alumni Award from SMU in 2014. He was recognized by Time magazine as one of the Time 100 most influential people in 2013 and was recognized by Sports Illustrated as one of the 50 Most Influential people in sport. Travis and his wife, Nichole, have three children ages 19, 17, and 14.
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