USOC tabs former NFL exec to run marketing efforts

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (AP) -- The U.S. Olympic Committee hired former NFL executive Lisa Baird as its chief marketing officer Monday.

Baird, who also previously worked for IBM, takes over for Rick Burton, who resigned in November.

One of her first jobs will be to look for companies to fill holes in the USOC's advertising portfolio. General Motors and Home Depot have let their deals lapse, leaving an approximately $40 million shortfall in the USOC's 2009-2012 budget that represents around 6.5 percent of its overall income.

One area where the USOC can make more money is in licensing, everything from apparel to video games. From 2005-07, Baird was senior vice president of marketing and consumer products for the NFL, where she was in charge of a portfolio of more than 150 licensees worth $3 billion in retail sales.

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