As president and CEO of NYRR and race director of the ING New York City Marathon, Mary Wittenberg is responsible for setting strategy and overseeing the business and operations of NYRR. Pursuing a consistent growth strategy, Wittenberg and her team have elevated NYRR’s prominence and impact as they seek to lead a global running movement by making running more accessible to a broader audience.

Wittenberg, the first woman to lead NYRR, and her team have expanded the organization’s commitment to the five boroughs of New York City through youth running events and community health programs—creating an unrivaled urban running model. Under her leadership, NYRR has broadened its horizons, fueled by a year-round calendar of classes, clinics, and events. Off the race course, the organization's media reach includes digital, broadcast, and print vehicles. The ING New York City Marathon and its impact have grown dramatically—in 2011, the largest marathon ever boasted more than 47,000 finishers, $340 million in revenue for our city, and over $34 million raised for charities. They've also created new events like the NYC Half.

Partnerships are crucial to furthering NYRR's mission, and have grown substantially. This year, Wittenberg and her team secured a five-year deal to return the New York City Marathon to live national television for the first time in almost 20 years. And to build the sport's fan base and inspire the next generation of runners, NYRR has offered unprecedented support to world-class competitors. Leaders of the pack in New York and across the United States have gained strength through NYRR’s post-collegiate running groups, and athletes from around the world come together in the World Marathon Majors—a two-year, five-race series created in 2006 in partnership with the directors of the Boston, London, Berlin, and Chicago Marathons. Wittenberg and her team have also hosted several national championships, including the 2006 USA Cross Country Championships and the 2008 US Men’s Olympic Trials Marathon.

Wittenberg joined NYRR in late 1998 and became its first Chief Operating Officer in 2000. In 2005 she became President and CEO as well as Race Director of the New York City Marathon. Prior to joining NYRR, she was a partner in the law firm Hunton & Williams in Richmond, VA, and New York City. Wittenberg is a graduate of Canisius College in Buffalo and holds a law degree from Notre Dame University. She won the 1987 Marine Corps Marathon and competed in the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon. She and her husband live a short run from Central Park with their two basketball-playing sons.

Ann Wells Crandall leads business development and strategic partnerships for NYRR. She is responsible for the strategy, management, and P&L for six business units: international, cause marketing, sponsorship, merchandise, licensing, and media, with close to $22 million in revenue. Crandall also collaborates with NYRR’s television, online, and print partners to drive additional revenue and distribution for NYRR and its corporate partners.

Key to NYRR’s growth has been the shift from an event-selling strategy to a marketing engagement platform. Crandall stewarded the development of the organization’s integrated marketing platform, “I’m In,” and worked with the Brand Marketing & Communications group to create it. The yearlong program broadens the reach and relevance of NYRR and the ING New York City Marathon brands through television, print, out-of-home advertising, social media, and public relations to garner stronger runner and consumer engagement.  The success of the platform resulted in new promotional programs developed in conjunction with NYRR’s corporate partners ASICS, ING, and Nissan to get fans involved and engaged in NYC’s largest spectator event.

Prior to joining NYRR, Crandall spent five years as Senior Director of Business Development for the National Basketball Association. Before that, she joined start-up DIRECTV as head of acquisition. She also developed the inaugural television sports subscription business with season-long, out-of-market programming packages for the four major sports leagues. Crandall began her marketing career in New Business Development at TIME, Inc.

Crandall is an avid runner and fitness fanatic; she has completed two marathons and many half-marathons, trail races, and triathlons. She is also an enthusiastic gourmet and oenophile.

Peter Ciaccia is NYRR’s senior vice president of Event Development & Production and the technical director of the ING New York City Marathon. He is responsible for the planning, design, management, and execution of more than 60 running events annually, as well as the technical direction and production of the ING New York City Marathon. Ciaccia also leads TV, video, and live entertainment production, overseeing more than 50 special hospitality events of various sizes, along with the development of new events for the company. He and his team have been instrumental in the marathon's growth; in 2011, they produced several new events surrounding the race, including Marathon Opening Day, the Opening Ceremony and Parade of Nations, and the NYRR Dash to the Finish Line 5K.

Prior to joining NYRR, Ciaccia held executive positions within the music industry for CBS Records, Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment. For 10 years, Ciaccia was the owner and president of PC Management, Inc., a firm that specialized in artist development and international touring. In his current role, he leads a team of 46 full-time employees and manages a production budget of more than $10 million. Ciaccia maintains close working relationships with city, state, and federal officials on all matters pertaining to event planning. He holds a certification in FEMA & ICS planning and is a certified USAT Race Director.

Ciaccia has a lifetime passion for fitness; he has completed more than 30 half-marathons, marathons, and ultramarathons. He holds the unofficial title of best-dressed NYRR staffer.

Cliff Sperber is the Vice President of New York Road Runners' Youth and Community Services division and the leader of the organization’s quest to make running a part of every child’s school day. He has served as executive director since 2001 and has spearheaded significant growth in the division’s capacity: When the program began, it served about 100 children in New York City; today, it reaches more than 100,000 children throughout the five boroughs, in all 50 states, and in Africa, and the number is steadily growing. In 2011 alone, Sperber and his team took part in over 250 community health events.
 
A tireless community organizer, Sperber previously worked with Pathways for Youth in the South Bronx for over 30 years. He firmly believes that running significantly improves children’s physical health and emotional well-being, and that it serves as a vital change agent for personal development and societal betterment. Sperber was recently named a “Hero” by Runner's World magazine. He holds a BA in Education from Queens College, City University of New York.

Elizabeth Carr joined NYRR in 2007 to work for what was then the New York Road Runners Foundation. As NYRR’s commitment to reaching children through running grew, Carr moved into her current role as Director, NYRR Development and Philanthropy. She oversees the Team for Kids (TFK) program, the premier charity partner of the ING New York City Marathon. TFK is comprised of committed adult runners who receive entry into one of several exclusive endurance events while raising funds to support NYRR’s youth programs. Under Carr’s leadership, the number of events for which TFK fields teams has grown from two to 10, an increase that has fueled significant expansion in the programs’ work with children. Carr also stewards NYRR’s work with individual, institutional, and corporate partners, each of whom aids the organization-wide fundraising effort to support more than 600 schools and 100,000 children from underserved communities each year. In partnership with NYRR’s Board Development Committee, the Development and Philanthropy team depends upon the generosity of tens of thousands of supporters and partners each year and is honored to play a role in improving children’s lives through running.

Prior to joining NYRR, Carr worked in the Commodities division at Goldman Sachs. She lives on the Upper West Side with her husband, Stephen, whom she met while running. A somewhat lapsed marathoner, Carr graduated from the University of Richmond but has proudly returned to her Midwestern roots to pursue her MBA at the University of Michigan, an undertaking that consumes much of her time outside the office.

Bob Laufer is Vice President – Legal of NYRR and Coordinator of the Wheelchair Division of the ING New York City Marathon. He is also Coordinator for Athletes with Disabilities (AWD) in the Marathon and all other NYRR events.  

Laufer joined the New York Road Runners staff in 1999 as General Counsel and was subsequently named Vice President – Legal. Prior to his arrival at NYRR, he was a partner in the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, where he practiced litigation and bankruptcy law for 35 years. Beginning in the late 1970s, at the request of NYRR’s then president, Fred Lebow, the Paul, Weiss firm became NYRR’s principal outside law firm. As lead counsel for NYRR on behalf of the firm, Laufer represented NYRR in connection with many of its early projects, including the negotiation of the New York City Marathon’s first major television contract with WABC. 

Laufer is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a law degree from Columbia University. He took up running in the late 1970s and thereafter competed on the track and roads for the Central Park Track Club, of which he is still a member. He has run 17 marathons, including five New York City Marathons, and has a personal best of 2:48:06, which he ran at the age of 45. His competitive drive has sparked inspired rallies by the NYRR softball team.