Absent the need to focus on day-to-day event certification details during the pandemic lull, Villalobos led the development of two new initiatives to help event producers better measure, manage and verify the social and environmental impact of their events.
October 1, 2021 | Portland, OR: Today the Council for Responsible Sport announced that Shelley Villalobos (34), its longtime managing director, has been promoted to the position of executive director. Shelley served as the Council’s certification director for three years prior to being named managing director five years ago.
In making the announcement, Council Board Chair Michele Grossman said: “The Council has been fortunate to have Shelley on staff for the past eight years. Her passion for authentic sustainability, drive to move our mission forward, and exceptional relationship-building skills have served us well. And, as we endure the pandemic and its impacts on the sport industry, her leadership is guiding us through some of our most productive moments to ensure we emerge as an even more capable organization.”
Single event certification has been the backbone of the Council’s service offering since its pilot year in 2007. Over the past 18 months, Shelley convened a team of sustainability and sporting event production experts to help develop a parallel certification track for organizations that produce multiple or many events over the course of the year. After peer review and public comment, the Council for Responsible Sport launched the Responsible Standard for Sport Organizations last month.
“Over the years, the Council put a lot of thought into the new Responsible Standard for Sport Organizations,” said Executive Director Shelley Villalobos. “Years of thought before the Covid-induced cessation of sporting events cleared the calendar enough for new program development. In fact, we found enough room on the calendar for two major projects.”
The other big project is a web-based application that will offer on-demand project measurement, tracking and reporting tools for event planners to use as they strive to produce ever more sustainable events. Whether just getting started, or pursuing one of the Council’s two signature certifications, producers of events of all sizes will find great value in ReScore, which will become publicly available in November.
“When it comes to sport and sustainability, credibility and transparency are two key demands and drivers,” added Villalobos. “Measuring performance against Council standards has offered event organizers a credible, objective frame of reference since day-one. But a seamless user experience, on-demand tools for measurement and tracking, and a real-time project progress dashboard will be welcome features of the new ReScore application.”
Bottom line: As the calendar of sporting events begins to fill again in 2022, the Council for Responsible Sport is ready to go. Ready to support longtime partners with new and improved tools. And ready to welcome newcomers to the growing family of responsibly produced sports events.