DAVE MONA & SUSAN ADAMS LOYD NAMED CO-CHAIRS OF NATIONAL SENIOR GAMES 2015

Beth Pinkney Appointed Executive Director

Minneapolis (October 10, 2013) --- Local business leaders Dave Mona and Susan Adams Loyd have been named volunteer co-chairs of the 2015 National Senior Games presented by Humana. Mona and Loyd will lead the Bloomington/Minneapolis/St. Paul Local Organizing Committee (LOC) in planning the competition scheduled to take place July 3 15, 2015 at a variety of venues in the Twin Cities.

Beth Pinkney, formerly president and CEO of the Saint Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation (the producers of the Saint Paul Winter Carnival and Cinco de Mayo West Side Saint Paul) has been appointed executive director of the event.

The National Senior Games is the largest multi-sport event in the world for adults 50 and over with an expected 12,000 athletes competing and 30,000 guests attending. The 2015 event theme is Stay Golden.

Mona, Loyd and Pinkney will work directly with three Twin Cities-based tourism organizations: Meet Minneapolis, Visit St. Paul, and Bloomington Convention & Visitors Bureau. Their duties will be to head-up the local committee, actively fundraise and organize the games.

Co-Chair Loyd is President & General Manager at Clear Channel Outdoor -Minneapolis/St. Paul Division. Previously, Loyd was Principal at Beavers Pond Press. She also spent more than 30 years in television management at stations in Minnesota and Florida including four years at WCCO-TV as Vice President & General Manager and nine years at KARE 11 as Director of Programming. She has earned numerous industry and community service awards including a regional Emmy, the National Association Broadcasters Service to America award, and the University of Minnesotas Notable Alumni Award. She has been an active member for many civic boards including the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce and the University of Minnesota Alumni Association.

A native of Edina, Loyd has enjoyed athletics throughout her life, and has excelled as a competitive figure skater. She currently takes part in the Senior Games Movement by competing in Masters Track & Field events; both nationally and internationally, will represent the United States at the World Masters Championships in Brazil in October, 2013.

My first attendance at a National Senior Games was as an athlete, and it was transformative, says Loyd. These games promote fun, friendship and a healthy lifestyle. One might think, what can be compelling about watching older people plays sports? But, once you attend some of these events, and see the level of competition and the true camaraderie that exists between competitors, youll be looking forward to turning 50 and beyond.

A 2013 inductee in the Minnesota Business Hall of Fame, Dave Mona is a Minneapolis native with a diverse background in the media business. Before joining forces with Sid Hartman on the WCCO Sports Huddle in 1981, Dave spent time as the sports editor of the Minnesota Daily, as the Twins beat writer for The Minneapolis Tribune, and as the first editor of Dave Moore's Bedtime Nooz on WCCO-TV. From 1998 to 2010 he was the color analyst on WCCO Radio's University of Minnesota football broadcasts, and in 2006 he won the AP and Edward R. Murrow writing awards for his pregame vignettes.

Mona is the founder and recently retired chairman of Weber Shandwick, the region's largest public relations firm. He is very active in community events and currently chairs the board of the Minnesota Vikings Children's Fund. He is the past national president of the 60,000-member University of Minnesota Alumni Association; past national president of the Council of Growing Companies; former chair of the Greater Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce; and recent chair of Meet Minneapolis, the convention and visitors association.

Beth Pinkney was recently named executive director of the National Senior Games by Loyd and Mona. Pinkneys responsibilities will include all aspects of the financial, operational, and business areas for the National Senior Games.

For the past five years, Pinkney has served as president and CEO of the St. Paul Festival & Heritage Foundation, producers of the Saint Paul Winter Carnival and Cinco de Mayo West Side St. Paul. Prior to that, she had a 14-year career as a planner and coordinator of professional golf tournaments, including a three-year term as championship director for the USGAs 2008 U.S. Womens Open at Interlachen Country Club in Edina. She is native of Hoyt Lakes on Minnesotas Iron Range and a graduate of the University of Minnesota.

The National Senior Games Association (NSGA) is a nonprofit member of the United States Olympic Committee that promotes health and wellness for adults 50 and over through education, fitness and sport. NSGA governs the 2015 National Senior Games Presented by Humana, the largest multi-sport event in the world for seniors. NSGA sanctions member state organizations across the country that host Senior Games or Senior Olympics to provide seniors with quality sports activity. Visit www.NSGA.com for more information.

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Molly Mulvehill Steinke

Senior Media Relations Specialist

Nemer Fieger

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