The U.S. Soccer Foundation, the major charitable arm for soccer in the United States, has announced the addition of University of Miami President Donna E. Shalala to its Board of Directors. President Shalala has more than 25 years of experience as an accomplished scholar, teacher, and administrator. She is a director of Gannett Co., Inc., the Lennar Corporation, and Mednax, Inc.

In 1993 President Clinton appointed her U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, a role in which she served for eight years, becoming the longest serving HHS secretary in U.S. history. In June 2008 President Bush presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award. Shalala also serves as an independent director on U.S. Soccer’s Board of Directors.

“We are honored to have Donna Shalala join our Board of Directors,” said Ed Foster-Simeon, president and CEO of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. “Her leadership experience and exemplary record of public service will be invaluable in our efforts to use soccer as a vehicle for social change and to create safe places for children to play.”

The U.S. Soccer Foundation also re-elected all three board officers, including chairperson Alan Rothenberg, vice-chair Kevin Payne, and secretary/treasurer Charles Marshall.

The U.S. Soccer Foundation works to ensure that children facing social and economic barriers have easy and affordable access to quality soccer programs that support their physical and personal development. Since 1995, the foundation has supported the development of more than 1,100 fields and impacted over 4.9 million total players in all 50 states.

The foundation recently launched its Soccer for Success program, an innovative after-school youth development program that uses soccer as a tool to combat childhood obesity and promote healthy lifestyles for children in low-income communities.