The Bell Lap

Founders & Career Coaches

Chris O’Donnell
Co-Founder
About
Chris
Chris is a 32 year NIKE veteran whose career included roles in General Management, Sales Leadership, Product Creation and Merchandising. He started his career as a part time retail sales associate and retired a Vice President. A love for Track and Field brought Chris to NIKE, and today he is inspired to give back to the sport that gave him all he has. In addition to founding The Bell Lap, Chris is also working  with a group to re-energize Track & Field in the USA, serves on the Board of Directors  at  Tracktown USA.  He is also on the Advisory Board of a startup – Q30 Innovation, a company focused on reducing head trauma in athletes.
LinkedIn
David DeFilippo, Ed.D.
Co-Founder
About
David
Since the early part of his career as a high school teacher and track coach David has remained passionate about developing processes and plans for individuals and organizations to help them reach their full potential. David’s 25-year corporate career in senior human capital development roles combined with his doctoral research focused on executive coaching brings both strong methodology and practicality to his work. As a result of his work, David and his teams have been recognized with industry awards for practices such as leadership development, performance management and cultural integration. David presents and publishes regularly on topics related to leadership development, executive coaching and talent management. 
Mary Lou Keeran
Career Coach
About
Mary Lou K
Mary Lou Keeran has always been driven by helping others be their best and providing opportunities for career development and advancement. Experienced in talent acquisition, talent development, career exploration, training facilitation and process improvement. She leverages certifications and experience in personality assessments, change management and coaching to guide her clients finding their purpose in the work they do. She is a subject matter expert in resume, LinkedIn, networking, interviewing and negotiations. She has 30 years of experience in varying industries, and has held the SPHR, SHRM-SCP professional certifications and a bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management from George Fox University.
LinkedIn
The Bell Lap

Advisory Board

Ashton Eaton
Advisor & Athlete
About
Ashton
Ashton Eaton is a 2x olympic gold medalist in the decathlon from the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games. In 2017 Ashton retired from sport, moved to San Francisco, and joined a software startup to learn from engineers and founders how companies and products are built. He left in 2019 and started school for engineering. At the same time he joined Intel as Product Development Engineer in the Olympic Technology Group where he works with engineers and partners to make technologies that advance human health and performance.
Marielle Hall
Advisor & Athlete
About
Marielle
One of the premier 5,000m/10,000m runners in the US, Marielle began her running career as an elite middle distance runner. While in high school, she represented the US for the first time at the 2009 World Youth Games in the 800m. Marielle went on to the University of Texas, as a middle distance specialist. A late bloomer at the NCAA level, she met with immediate success as a professional, making the World Championship team in the 5,000m in 2015. A year later she confirmed her status as one of America’s elite distance runners by becoming an Olympian in the 10,000m. She represented the US at both the 2019 World Cross Country and Track and Field Championships. On the track in Doha, she became the 6th fastest American woman of All-Time by running 31:05 to place 7th in the 10000m. 
Andrew Bumbalough
Advisor & Athlete
About
Andrew
Andrew is a former professional track and field athlete competing in distances from 1500m all the way up to the marathon. During his career, he made two World Championship teams, won a US title at 5k, and was 5th place at the Boston Marathon in 2018. Andrew attended Georgetown University and graduated with a BA in Government and earned a Master's degree in Sports Industry Management during his final year of eligibility. Since retiring from the sport at the end of 2020, Andrew took a job in footwear innovation at Nike and manages a personal coaching business, Highgear Running. He lives in Portland, OR with his wife, Anne, and their two kids where they enjoy the abundant outdoor opportunities the PNW has to offer. 
Renee Washington
Advisor
About
Renee
Renee Chube Washington joined USA Track & Field as its chief operating officer in June 2012. As COO, Washington manages the multi-million-dollar budget and 60 person staff. Alongside the CEO, she develops and implements corporate strategy and direction. Washington has broad cross enterprise oversight of all departments including: High Performance Programs, Events and Broadcast/Entertainment Properties, Merchandise, Legal, Revenue and Marketing, Communications, Grassroots Outreach and Youth, Finance and Revenue. In addition to those duties, she has a key role in contract negotiations and vendor agreements; manages oversight of travel and transportation for staff, constituents, athletes; and with the CEO, manages logistics and preparation for meetings of the 17-member board of directors and acts as the primary contact with international and regional federations.

Since Washington became COO, USATF has realized substantial operational cost savings and efficiencies while adopting new business policies and practices. Under her operational oversight, USATF has awarded six U.S. Olympic Team Trials, secured theWorld Athletics Indoor and Outdoor Championships, successfully participated in two Olympic Games and three World Champion-ships, launched the U.S. National 12K Road Race, hosted the meeting of the World Athletics (formerly IAAF) Council, and revamped the USATF Annual Meeting, which attracts more than 1,000 stakeholders in the sport each year.

From September 2018 through June 2019, Washington served on an independent commission formed by the USOPC referred to as the Athlete and NGB Engagement Commission renamed the Borders Commission. The Commission considered (i) the USOC's proper role and engagement with athletes, and (ii) the USOC's proper role with NGBs. The Commission recommended to theUSOC specific actions designed to address and resolve ecosystem failures and required changes to the Ted Stevens Olympic andAmateur Sports Act.

In furtherance of reform efforts for the USOPC and NGBs, from December 2019 through May 2020, Washington served on theUSOPC Member Certification Focus Group. That working group was charged with identifying how the United States Olympic andParalympic Committee (USOPC) should implement changes regarding:
• The standards that member organizations will be held accountable to meet as a condition of certification by the USOPC.
• The methods in which standards will be measured to ensure consistency of expectations and demonstration of best-in-class organizations.
• The process by which member organizations should be audited to evaluate whether standards are being sufficiently met.

Prior to USATF, Washington’s career spanned vast and impressive corporate and government roles. She was a contracts manager atNorthrop Grumman Systems Corporation where she managed a portfolio of contracts for local, state and commercial customers.She administered, extended, negotiated and terminated standard and nonstandard contracts. Washington conducted proposal preparation, contract administration, and customer contact activities to provide proper contract acquisition and fulfillment in accordance with company policies, legal requirements, and customer specifications.

Washington also previously held a position as contracts department director for CICOA, a private, nonprofit agency advocate for the aged, where she had oversight of the development, implementation and evaluation of policies, procedures and services as they relate to legal requirements and state or federal regulations. She prepared business contracts and coordinated contractual requirements with operating staff. Washington reviewed contract clauses and monitored compliance and acted as the focal point of contact for contracts with vendors and participated in negotiations. She also conducted legal research on varied topics. Prior to CICOA, Washington served as a Staff Attorney, in the State of Indiana office of the Attorney General where she furnished legal advice to state officers, agencies, boards and commissions with emphasis on the Indiana Open Door Law and Access to Public Records Act.

Before relocating to Indianapolis, Washington worked for the U.S. Department of Labor in several roles. As Deputy AssociateGeneral Counsel with the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C., where she supervised staff attorneys who perform judicial clerkship responsibilities in workers’ compensation law. She ensured technical and legal quality of work maintained and implemented staff goals and objectives to meet organizational production requirements. Washington advised judges, general counsel and branch staff on case law, Board practice and procedure and was a liaison between staff and higher management.She performed preliminary check of cases for assignment according to complexity, novelty and number of issues.

As Acting Associate General Counsel, United States Department of Labor, Washington headed a division composed of four supervisory attorneys and seventeen staff attorneys who performed judicial clerkship responsibilities in workers’ compensation law.She reviewed all documents prepared by the division for factual accuracy and legal analysis and ensured that all final documents issued by the division were consistent with the policies of the Benefits Review Board, applicable regulations, and the laws of the appropriate United States Court of Appeals and United States Supreme Court.

A member of the Benefits Review Board, Washington was a staff attorney for the U.S. Department of Labor where her judicial clerkship responsibilities included oral presentations to Federal Administrative Appeals Judges advising appropriate disposition of cases arising under workers’ compensation statutes. She drafted final decisions and orders, reviewed case records, performed legal research and wrote memoranda. Washington managed her own caseload entailing all associated responsibilities from initial analytic stages through decision completion while she acted as legal counsel for Chief Administrative Appeal Judge.

In 2017, Washington was named a 2017 Game Changer by Sports Business Journal, as a female executive making a difference in the business of sport. She earned a Cynopsis Top Women in Sports honor in 2019 as a leader in sports operations.

A Georgetown University Law graduate and Spelman College graduate, Washington is the past president of the Junior League ofIndianapolis where she embraced the organizations commitment to develop the potential of women while improving the community with the leadership of trained volunteers. Her extensive work in social causes includes volunteering for Wishard Memorial Hospital’s Foundation Board; the Girl Scouts; American Cancer Society Guild; and numerous educational, cultural and political causes.

She currently lives in Indianapolis.