COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 22, 2019) – Dr. Cecile Reynaud was elected as the 17th USA Volleyball Board of Directors chair/president during the national governing body’s board meeting held June 21-22 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
“I am honored and excited to be selected to serve as the Board chair of USA Volleyball,” Reynaud said. “I look forward to working with our Board, staff and the regions to achieve the goals we have in our strategic plan – safety first; sustained competitive international, Olympic and Paralympic success; competitive growth in participation, programming and membership; resource optimization and marketing and brand affinity.”
Reynaud replaces out-going Board chair Lori Okimura, who held the position since 2014. Okimura’s board position of beach at-large director termed out as of June 30, thus requiring a new board chair.
Reynaud was selected as the 2016 Harold T. Friermood “Frier” Award recipient, the top honor for lifetime achievement USA Volleyball awards as part of its Hall of Fame. She retired from coaching following the 2001 season with 635-326 after 26 seasons leading the Florida State University women’s volleyball program. At the time of her retirement, Reynaud ranked ninth in all-time NCAA Division I victories as the Seminoles claimed six Metro Conference Championships, one ACC title and appeared in 10 NCAA tournaments. She earned conference coach of the year honors four times during her career.
Reynaud’s involvement with USA Volleyball has been extensive, both in coaching and leadership roles. She has been a member of the USA Volleyball’s Coaching Accreditation Program teaching cadre since 1988 and is a highly sought after clinician and speaker. Reynaud has served on USA Volleyball’s Board of Directors in two different segments, the first being from 1985 to 1997. During that time, she was on the USAV executive committee from 1992 to 1996. Reynaud returned to the USA Volleyball Board of Directors in 2013 and is entering her 19th overall year on the board. Her current board position as the coaching director goes through June 30, 2021. She is currently chair of the USA Volleyball Personnel Committee.
Reynaud has served on various USAV Committees: chair of the All-Time Great Coaches Selection Committee (2001-2019), USA Volleyball’s Foundation’s Education Grant Review Committee (2006-present), Special Commission on the Participant Safety (2010-present) and Paralympic High Performance Commission (2013-present). She has also been a leader in USA Volleyball’s SafeSport program since its creation.
Reynaud also served as president of the American Volleyball Coaches Association from 1989-90. She served two tenures on the AVCA board, the first stint from 1986 to 1991 and second from 2006 to 2015. She is currently board president of the WeCOACH, a national organization focused on the recruitment, training and retention of women in coaching in all sports.
Reynaud served as the team leader for the 2012 U.S. Paralympic Women’s Volleyball Team as the squad won the silver medal at the Paralympic Games in London. She was both an assistant coach and team leader for the U.S. Women’s National Team during the 2013 FIVB World Grand Prix. She is involved with the USA Volleyball High Performance Championships as a mentor coach.
Reynaud’s coaching expertise has not been limited to working in the United States. She was an FIVB instructor from 1999 to 2006 after serving as the deputy competition manager for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. She has been a member of the NORCECA Coaches Commission since 2014.
Along with being a highly regarded speaker, Reynaud has numerous publications. She is co-editor of “The Volleyball Coaching Bible, Vol. I” that came out in 2002. She edited “She Can Coach!” in 2005 and edited “The Volleyball Coaching Bible, Vol. II” in 2015. She has also produced numerous volleyball videos and DVDs.
Since finishing her collegiate coaching career, Reynaud has brought her volleyball knowledge to the small screen in the form of television color analyst for several conference broadcasts over the last decade.
Reynaud, who earned her Ph.D. in athletic administration from Florida State, served as a faculty member in Florida State’s sport management department from 2002-2015, helping to teach the next generation of sports executives.