Adrienne Benton has been named to the Board of Governors of the Boston Athletic Association, becoming the first woman of color to serve in that role in the 135-year history of the organization, which runs the Boston Marathon among other events.
Benton is a six-time marathon finisher and has served as the Boston Marathon finish line announcer. Her term on the BAA Board of Governors began in Nov. 2021, and she follows the most recent Nov. 2020 appointment of Keith McDermott on the 12-member board.
The founder of Onyx Spectrum Technology, Benton also sits on the seven-person steering committee of the Boston Running Collaborative, a BAA initiative that seeks to build a more diverse running community within the city of Boston. Benton is joined on the steering committee by former O’Bryant track coach Kamilah Rowe, Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center manager Sherman Hart, and BAA CEO and president Tom Grilk, among others.
“One of my goals is to become a better equipped ambassador for the sport of distance running and to support eliminating racial and many other disparities within the sport,” Benton said in a statement. “I’m very excited to be a part of the work the BAA is doing.”
After making adjustments during 2020 and 2021, the BAA plans to hold the 2022 Boston Marathon on its traditional date on Patriots’ Day this April 18.
Nate Weitzer can be reached at nweitzer7@gmail.com. Follow him on X @nweitzer7.