sep.20.2008

The U.S. Olympic Committee added the president of Xerox and the chairman of the board of a multibillion-dollar entertainment firm to its board of directors Wednesday, one step in the process to find a replacement for chairman Peter Ueberroth.

The USOC appointed Ursula Burns of Xerox and Larry Probst of Electronic Arts to the board for six-year terms, which are expected to begin at the federation’s annual assembly next month.

They will replace Ueberroth and Erroll Davis, whose terms on the board are expiring.

Burns and Probst will be the newest members of the 10-person board from which Ueberroth’s replacement will be picked. The USOC is hoping to have the new chairman in place by next month.

Board members are unpaid volunteers who chart the direction of the USOC and its staff, which have undergone drastic changes and streamlining since the scandals surrounding the Salt Lake City Olympics.

Ueberroth’s return to the USOC has been widely credited for giving the federation a recognizable face in front of international colleagues. His term is running out, but earlier this year, the USOC passed legislation that allows the 71-year-old businessman to stay on as an honorary president with no voting privileges.

The USOC wants Ueberroth there in some capacity through at least next year, when International Olympic Committee members will choose the host city for the 2016 Olympics, with Chicago among the contenders.

Burns has worked for Xerox since 1980 and is currently responsible for global research, development, engineering, marketing and manufacturing of Xerox technology, supplies and related services.

Since 1984, Probst has been at Electronic Arts (EA), which, according to the USOC, is the world’s leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment. He was the company’s CEO from 1991 through 2007. During that time, according to the USOC, the company’s annual revenue grew from $175 million to $3 billion.

Other members of the 10-person board are Bob Bowlsby, Anita DeFrantz, James Easton, John Hendricks, Jair Lynch, Mary McCagg, Mike Plant and Stephanie Streeter.