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Workshop - Social License: Setting a New Bar

Commonwealth 2/3
1/12/2024   -   2:00 PM   to   5:00 PM
Session Speakers
Lisa Lazarus

Lisa Lazarus

As Horse Racing Safety and Integrity Authority’s (HISA) Chief Executive Officer, Lisa Lazarus oversees the Authority’s full operations, including the implementation of the Racetrack Safety Program and the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program. Lazarus works with stakeholders inside and outside the racing industry to evaluate and improve both programs on an ongoing basis.

Lazarus has a strong background in sports business and law, having established and led the Equestrian Practice at Morgan Sports Law, where she represented athletes, owners, and trainers in disputes before national and international governing bodies. Before joining Morgan Sports Law, she served as General Counsel and later Chief of Business Development & Strategy at the Fédération Equestre Internationale, the international governing body for equestrian sports. Prior to that position, Lazarus spent a decade at the National Football League where she served as the league’s Labor Relations Counsel and Senior Legal Counsel. Lazarus began her legal career working as an associate at Akin Gump after clerking for a Federal District Court Judge in Memphis, Tenn., following her graduation from Fordham University School of Law.

David O'Connor

David O'Connor

David O’Connor, a decorated Olympian, is no stranger to US Equestrian. O'Connor represented the USA for 20 years as an athlete, earning individual gold and team bronze medals in eventing at the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics and a team silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. Additionally, David served as the USEF President from 2004 to 2012 and currently serves on the FEI Board of Directors. In 2021, he was presented with the USOPC’s General Douglas MacArthur Exemplary Service Award in recognition of his continued service and commitment to equestrian sports within the Olympic and Paralympic movements.

O'Connor was hired as US Equestrian Chief of Sport in October 2022, where his responsibilities are primarily strategically focused. He is responsible for working with the Executive Team regarding overall international and national sport support of the USEF Strategic Plan and its initiatives: sport integrity, education, and equine and human safety and welfare. Additionally, he provides oversight of the international and national sport operations, ensures the Sport Department’s short-term and long-term strategic plans align with USEF’s priorities, and he focuses on strengthening relationships with stakeholder groups such as the USOPC, FEI, and USEF's Recognized Affiliates.