Toyota Racing Development President & GM LEE WHITE "will retire at the end of the 2013 season and step away from his daily duties immediately due to family health care needs." White was a "key player" in bringing Toyota to NASCAR in '07. He will "continue as a Special Advisor to TRD and Toyota Motorsports for the remainder of the year," but his duties "have yet to be determined" (ESPN.com, 6/4).
EXECS: Footwear brand Keen named Specialized Bicycle Components COO MIKE ABBOTT President, effective July 8 (OREGONLIVE.com, 6/3)....The NBA named former IMG Worldwide Exec DAVID WATTS VP for Russia and former Soviet states. The position "had been vacant since EGOR BORISOV, who was hired to run the Moscow office opened by the NBA in 2010, left the company more than a year ago." Watts will be based in London (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 6/3)....The Trail Blazers named CHRISTOPHER STACKPOLE Dir of Player Health & Performance (Trail Blazers)....The Buccaneers named Rockets Dir of Media Relations NELSON LUIS Dir of Communications (Bucs)....Ketchum Sports & Entertainment named FELIPE SOALHEIRO Sports Dir for its Sao Paulo office and STEPHANIE BURKE Managing Account Supervisor in the N.Y. office (Ketchum).
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