Jon Lee | 2020 Harold T. Friermood “Frier” Award

Jon Lee, like many other parents, was introduced to the sport of volleyball as an adult through the junior volleyball community. He had his first taste of the sport in 1989 when his then-13-year-old-daughter Jamie joined a local club team.

Since his indoctrination to the sport, Jon has used his expertise as a lawyer to become a pillar within the sport to help ensure athlete safety well before other governing bodies started mandating such components.

Shortly after his entry into the volleyball world, Jon assisted the Evergreen Region in establishing a due process procedure. He was designated as the Evergreen Region ethics and compliance officer by then-commissioner Kevin Twohig, and served in that role from 1993 to 1996.

When Kevin was elected treasurer for USA Volleyball, Jon was asked to complete his tenure as Evergreen Region commissioner in 1996, a position he held until 2008.

During Jon’s tenure as commissioner for the Evergreen Region, he was instrumental in advancing the sport not only in his area, but USA Volleyball as a whole. He established and updated the Regional Due Process procedure, which serves as the template for several other regions.

In 1998, Jon’s leadership helped found the Pacific Northwest Junior Girls Championship Qualifier held in the Spokane area and has served on the qualifier’s board of directors from its beginning. He was at the forefront of the region background screening process, which laid the groundwork for the USA Volleyball national background screening policy. He also helped established a Coaching Accreditation Program IMPACT certification requirement for coaches in the Evergreen Region. Jon also assisted in the establishment of the Puget Sound Volleyball Region.

While commissioner, the Evergreen Region hosted several national team events including the FIVB World League where Jon served as the coordinator of the scoring crew. He also served on the hosting committee for the 1997 NCAA Division I National Women’s Volleyball Championship.

He remains Evergreen Region commissioner emeritus and continues to serve as an at-large board of director and serve as the region’s Ethics and Compliance Officer.

Jon also impacted USA Volleyball on a national level in many other ways. In 2000, he was selected to the USA Volleyball Board of Directors and spent 14 years on the Board representing the Regional Volleyball Association Assembly.

Jon’s national resume has not been limited to the Board of Directors. He has served on several committees including vice president of the Regional Operations Division from 2004 to 2008. During Jon’s leadership of the Regional Operations Division, he was instrumental in drafting and updating the USAV redistricting policy, introducing and directing the passage of the USAV background screening policy, assisting in the initial event arbitrator program for which he is the current chair and implementing due process at national events. Jon has also been involved with the Governance Committee, Ethics and Compliance Committee, Structure and Function Committee, Insurance Committee, Diversity Committee, Membership Review Committee and Pacific Zone Committee.

For his extensive work on the regional and national levels, Jon has previously been recognized by USA Volleyball with the Dr. Neville “Doc” Booth Outstanding Commissioner Award in 2006, followed by the Rebecca B. Howard Diversity Star Award and the Joseph B. Sharpless Arbitrator Service Award in 2008, and the George J. Fisher Leader in Volleyball Award in 2014.