RICH BENDER, DWAINE COOPER NAMED AS ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS FOR USA WRESTLING 
 USA Wrestling Executive Director Jim Scherr has announced the promotion of national staff executives Rich Bender and Dwaine Cooper, both of Colorado Springs, Colo., to the newly created positions of Associate Executive Director. 
 USA Wrestling is the national governing body for amateur wrestling in the United States and a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee and the international wrestling federation FILA. 
 Bender has been named Associate Executive Director for Programs, and Cooper has been named Associate Executive Director for Administration. Both will begin their new assignments immediately. 
 The new positions will be an important part of USA Wrestling's new corporate structure. USA Wrestling's national staff will be divided into four functional departments: Programs, Administration, Development and State Services. 
 As Associate Executive Director for Programs, Bender will oversee USA Wrestling's events, national teams and developmental programs activities.  
 He most recently served as USA Wrestling's National Events Director, where he developed an expanding schedule of regional, national and international events for the organization. Bender joined USA Wrestling full-time in January 1989.  
 Bender served as the Competition Manager for wrestling at the 1996 Olympic Games, working for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG). Bender organized a staff which presented the best Olympic wrestling competition in history. He was awarded a FILA Gold Star for his efforts on behalf of Olympic wrestling. 
 Bender served as a U.S. Olympic Committee intern in the fall of 1988. He was hired as Events Assistant for USA Wrestling in January 1989, and became Manager of National Events in September 1989. Bender has supervised many major events including the 1995 World Freestyle Championships, age-group World Championships, the U.S. Olympic Festival, the World Cup, the Goodwill Games, and the Olympic Trials. He received a degree in Sports Management and Business Administration from the Univ. of Wisconsin-LaCrosse in 1988.  
 As Associate Executive Director for Administration, Cooper will oversee USA Wrestling's finance, merchandise, travel and office administration activities. 
 Cooper has served as USA Wrestling's Director of Finance and Merchandising since joining the organization in January 1991. As Director of Finance, he has played a leadership role in providing the organization with financial stability and a bright financial future. As Director of Merchandise, he has strengthened, expanded and improved the organization's Merchandise Department. 
 He served as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance and Administration for Wendy's of Colorado Springs, Inc./Holland Buerk Enterprises. The company managed 30 restaurants in six states, and during his five years there, Cooper directed activities of the administrative offices at corporate headquarters. 
 He was previously a Partner and National Director of Firm Accounting for the National accounting firm of Fox and Company, C.P.A.'s, where he worked for nine years. He also worked for Crestwood, Inc. for four years, as Internal Accountant and Assistant Manager of Restaurant Operations. He graduated from the Univ. of Denver in 1974, with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration.