October 3, 2022 | By Brian Logue | USA Lacrosse | usalacrosse.com | Submitted by Luis Robert Lee
Longtime USA Lacrosse volunteer Andrew Lee began a two-year term as chair of the organization’s Board of Directors in August. It’s not a stretch to say that he was born for this role.
In addition to serving in board roles for other nonprofits and businesses over the past two decades, Lee, who is half Seneca, has a special connection to lacrosse and its Native American heritage.
“It runs in my family’s blood, in our community’s blood,” Lee said. “Growing up, I always had a stick in my hand. I played youth and high school lacrosse in Connecticut and then went on to play at Hamilton College in central New York.” He continues to play competitively in Colorado, where he currently lives. “It’s an important part of my life, like it is for any Haudenosaunee person. It’s much more than a game, it really is medicine.” Just as his father did, Lee introduced the game to his three sons, carrying on an ancient Haudenosaunee tradition.
Lee began his service to USA Lacrosse by serving on the board’s Sport Growth Committee and then joined the Executive Committee in 2019 and served as vice chair from 2020-2022. He was instrumental in the selection of Marc Riccio to succeed longtime CEO Steve Stenersen last year.
“Steve Stenersen built such an incredibly strong foundation for the organization and left it in a position of strength so that Marc can use his extensive talents and experience to take USA Lacrosse to even greater heights,” Lee said.
The relationship that he has developed with Riccio through the hiring and onboarding process is key to the organization’s future success.
“In any healthy organization you want the board and the staff to work in lockstep,” Lee said. “The goal is to strengthen that partnership in a way that benefits the organization’s mission to fuel the game’s growth and enrich the experience of participants.”
Lee sees a few main priorities that he’d like to address during his term:
- Growing and diversifying the sport, particularly in new geographies and among underrepresented communities
- Tackling the big challenges of the sport such as fragmentation, unequal access and safety
- Expanding awareness of the game’s Native heritage and an understanding of American Indians in general
One of the ways he’ll accomplish his goals is to lean on his experience as an executive at institutions such as Harvard, Aetna, and now Management Leadership for Tomorrow. Lee is familiar with working with and leading boards, serving as a chair, director or advisor on a wide array of boards for organizations such as the Smithsonian Institution, the Tewaaraton Foundation, Harvard University, the Chickasaw Nation, the National Congress of American Indians, and 4 The Future Foundation, among others.
Key to all of the experience is his roots.
“There’s a lot to be learned from Native values,” Lee said. “Imagine the possibilities…” he notes, “if more people and organizations embraced the Haudenosaunee principle of seven generations, which holds that leaders have an obligation to reflect on the wisdom of those who came seven generations before and to make decisions for the benefit of those to be born seven generations ahead.”
Lee wants to ensure that the traditional Native elements of the sport —inclusiveness, creativity, respect, and fun — are not lost as the sport continues to expand.
He’s also a big proponent of the effort to help lacrosse reach the biggest stage — the Olympics.
“Lacrosse returning to the Olympics would be incredible” Lee said. “To have such visibility would be a tremendous benefit to our effort to get more sticks in hands and restore the game’s rightful place of honor on the global stage.”
The board that Lee oversees consists of 19 dedicated volunteers who share a passion for the game.
Note from Luis Robert Lee:
“Andrew Jonas Lee is my son and an excellent representative of the Haudenosaunee, he will do so much for the game and the heritage of the game.
I played and was honored to be co-captain with Grant Stevens with the Newtown Golden Eagles in the 60’s and 70’s in a number of games in the Can/Am league. It was also an honor to play with Oren Lyons in the New York and New Jersey Lacrosse Clubs, I played at Syracuse University as did Oren before me.
This is an excellent article to include in the Newsletter, an inspiration to our youth and the people of the Seneca Nation. Nya:wëh.”
