The Committee for the Preservation of Olympic Wrestling (CPOW) has named Mike Rosati as its Chief of Operations.

Mike first joined the 2020 Vision: Keep the Dream Alive campaign in March, initially as a liaison between USA Wrestling and CPOW.  As the campaign evolved, Mike took on many responsibilities beyond the scope of his initial position.  

“Designating Mike as the Chief of Operations is not so much about additional responsibilities to come, but to better reflect the job that he has already been doing,” said USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender.  “Mike has been instrumental to the campaign thus far and I’m confident that he will greatly contribute to the efforts through September.”

Rosati, a former wrestler from Rider University and a twelve-year veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, has taken a 6-month leave-of-absence to assist USA Wrestling and the CPOW.  

He graduated from Rider earning a B.A. in English (Cum Laude) and a Masters of Business Administration.  His Coast Guard duties have included shipboard operations in Southeast Alaska, Counter-Narcotics in the Caribbean, as a supervisor for a worldwide deployable anti-terrorism team, and most recently, as the Sector New York Deputy Logistics Section Chief in response to Hurricane Sandy.

"I've come to accept that I'll never be an Olympic wrestler… but I still want to dream about it,” said Rosati about his commitment to the cause.

The Committee for the Preservation of Olympic Wrestling (CPOW), made up of highly respected leaders within the American wrestling community, was formed to ensure that wrestling remains a part of the Olympic Games.  Most recently, CPOW efforts have helped support FILA, the international wrestling federation, in its effort, which resulted in wrestling being selected as a finalist for inclusion in the 2020 Olympic Games as a provisional sport. The final vote will be made by the International Olympic Committee General Assembly in Buenos Aires, Argentina in early September.

CPOW is chaired by Bill Scherr of Glenview, Ill., a World champion and Olympic medalist in freestyle wrestling, who help spearhead the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid effort and is a top businessman in the financial services industry. Other members include wrestling legends Dan Gable, Bruce Baumgartner, Rulon Gardner, John Smith, Clarissa Chun and many others.

http://www.KeepOlympicWrestling.com

Rosati feature on Rider’s website