The USC Trojans have hired Dr. Julie Rousseau to be the chair of the athletic department’s new Black Lives Matter Action Team, according to a release on Twitter Tuesday morning.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have someone with Dr. Rousseau’s experience, compassion and ability to connect with people to lead this effort,” AD Mike Bohm wrote in a statement.
Former @LASparks head coach Dr. Julie Rousseau will chair the USC athletic department’s Black Lives Matter Action Team.#FightOn | #BlackLivesMatter
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) August 4, 2020
Rousseau is a native of Los Angeles who played college basketball at UC-Irvine in the early 1980’s. She moved her way up the coaching ranks after her playing career ended, eventually coaching the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA for parts of two seasons in 1997 and 1998. She was also an assistant at Stanford from 2000-2004 and the head coach of the Pepperdine Waves from 2004-2013.
“A native of Los Angeles with experiences as a student-athlete, college and professional coach, and educator, Julie is uniquely qualified to lead our USC athletics Black Lives Matter Action Team,” Bohm said in a statement. “Julie’s passion and vision, strong leadership skills and outstanding reputation, as well as her innovative academic background, make her a wonderful fit to guide this critically important initiative.”
The Black Lives Matter Action Team will work with student-athletes to “ensure that all voices are equally represented.”
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