Janet Froetscher

Janet Froetscher is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Special Olympics, leading the organization and all of its functions in seeking to fulfill the mission and the achievement of the goals of the strategic plan. Based at the Special Olympics global headquarters in Washington D.C., she leads an international team of more than 200 professionals throughout the world who are implementing sports, health, education and community building programming in more than 170 countries every day around the world.

Special Olympics addresses inactivity, injustice, intolerance and social isolation by encouraging and empowering people with intellectual disabilities to be productive citizens in their communities which leads to a more welcoming and inclusive society. Ms. Froetscher leads the growth of the movement which is currently serving more than 4.4 million athletes with intellectual disabilities, holds more than 81,000 competitions annually, and welcomes more than one million coaches and volunteers who help make grassroots operations possible. She also serves on the Special Olympics International Board of Directors.

Prior to joining Special Olympics, Ms. Froetscher was the president and chief executive officer of the National Safety Council (NSC), an organization whose mission is to save lives and prevent injuries. Under her leadership, the Council drove initiatives to save 10,000 lives and prevent 1 million injuries by focusing on issues such as workplace safety, distracted and teen driving.

Prior to that, Ms. Froetscher was chief executive officer of the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago where she led the merger of 54 United Ways into a single entity. She also served as chief operating officer of the Aspen Institute and her corporate experience includes leadership roles within the Commercial Club of Chicago and Bankers Trust Company.

Ms. Froetscher holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management of Northwestern University. She is a Board member of the Chicago Board Options Exchange and Chicago Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Chicago Network and Commercial Club of Chicago. Ms. Froetscher is also a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute.