Washington, D.C. (August 17th, 2026)
We’d like to share some important news with our community. As you’ll recall, we announced in June that Denise Blake would be joining as our Executive Director following a nationwide search. After much thoughtful consideration, Denise decided that Leveling the Playing Field (LPF) wasn’t the right fit for her at this time. We’re grateful for her time with us and wish her well in her next chapter.
For the past nine months, our Interim Executive Director, Sean Bailey, has been a steady hand at the helm of LPF, helping guide the organization through an important period of transition following founder Max Levitt’s departure. The Board has seen firsthand his ability to lead the organization through significant change, strengthen our financial and operational discipline, support and develop our team, and establish a clearer path forward.
That experience has reinforced our belief that Sean’s combination of mission commitment, organizational leadership, and experience building strong, sustainable organizations is exactly what LPF needs for its next chapter. The Board is delighted to share that Sean has accepted our offer to serve as LPF’s permanent Executive Director.
Sean’s connection to LPF’s mission is both professional and personal. A former collegiate athlete and youth coach for more than 25 years, he has seen firsthand the confidence, resilience, teamwork, and sense of belonging that sports can create for young people. He believes strongly that those opportunities should not be limited by a family’s resources or a community’s access to equipment.
Sean brings more than two decades of leadership experience working with corporate, nonprofit, government, and health and wellness organizations. As a former Senior Director at Accenture, he led large teams and complex operations across local, regional, and global markets, helping organizations put in place the people and practices needed to grow successfully. He has a track record of turning strategy into results and helping organizations grow their reach and impact.
As LPF has grown from a local organization into a multi-market nonprofit serving communities across the country, the leadership needs of the organization have evolved as well. Sean’s experience leading complex, distributed organizations and building teams and culture that make sustainable growth possible, makes him the right fit for this next stage of LPF’s development.
Over the coming months, you will hear more from Sean and the LPF team about the impact we are having in communities we serve, our priorities for the future, and how we are making LPF even stronger and more sustainable. We remain as committed as ever to our mission of expanding access and equity in youth sports and recreation programs for under-resourced communities, and we’re grateful every day for supporters like you.
Please join us in welcoming Sean, permanently, to the Leveling the Playing Field team!
Tracy Scarrow
Board Chair
Leveling the Playing Field
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About Leveling the Playing Field: Leveling the Playing Field is a non-profit organization which collects and re-distributes sports equipment for free to kids in under-resourced communities. Leveling the Playing Field has donated over $23 million in sports equipment to schools, youth teams and leagues, and other non-profit organizations since 2013.
