Tom Grilk, a regular member of the Boston Athletic Association since 1987, was named the Executive Director of the B.A.A. in 2011. He previously served as President of the B.A.A. Board of Governors from 2003-2010. He was first elected to the B.A.A. Board of Governors in August of 1990, and served as vice president beginning in 1995.
As the president of the Boston Athletic Association, Mr. Grilk focused on maintaining the traditions that have fostered a century of achievement, while helping to forge the changes required to keep the organization and the Boston Marathon at the forefront of athletic excellence and community service.
During his tenure and with his leadership, he worked with the B.A.A. Board of Governors and staff to strengthen the B.A.A. as an organization, especially from a managerial perspective. Also, he worked with the board on outlining directives for the B.A.A.’s execution of short- and long-term development programs. Most recently, Mr. Grilk and the Board of Governors solidified the long-term financial strength of the B.A.A. in order to assure that the Association will be able to continue to serve the needs and aspirations of its members and of the many constituencies with which the B.A.A. is engaged.
In addition to his duties on the Board, Mr. Grilk has had his share of hands-on experience with the Boston Marathon, the B.A.A.’s premier event. He has been the marathon’s finish-line announcer since 1979 and is a former competitor, running a personal-best marathon time of 2:49:03 in 1978 and a Boston Marathon personal-best of 2:54 that same year. He has also served as finish-line and public-address announcer at many other New England road races, including the B.A.A. Half Marathon and the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk. In addition, Mr. Grilk serves as master of ceremonies for most B.A.A. press conferences and public events.
Mr. Grilk, born in nearby Wakefield, MA, currently resides in Lynnfield, MA, with his wife, Nancy, and his twin sons, Christopher and David. From 1984 to 1987, he and his wife lived in Tokyo, Japan. As an undergraduate student, he attended Cornell University, and then received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School.