sportanddev.org says a fond farewell to its executive director

Over the last eight years Jutta Engelhardt has worked tirelessly to ensure that sportanddev.org remains a thriving community. While users might have caught a glimpse of her vast knowledge and keen insights through her newsletter editorials, occasional articles or participation in conferences, it was her behind the scenes work that kept sportanddev.org going.

It is difficult to summarise all of Jutta’s contributions in one article. Under her supervision, sportanddev.org grew in terms of usership and content. She fiercely defended the idea that sportanddev.org should remain a community of practice where users could lead content production, share information and build knowledge. She valued the findings and opinions of researchers and experts but also recognised the importance of the practitioner’s voice. Her vision of what this community could be has ensured that it is a one of a kind online space of interaction dedicated to the sport and development sector.

Jutta worked relentlessly to promote not only sportanddev.org but the sector more generally whenever possible. A talented facilitator and networker, she led workshops, gave keynotes and participated in conferences to build awareness of the important role sport can play in development work. She lobbied for the sector’s voice to be heard during the drafting of the Sustainable Development Goals and encouraged the continued efforts of NGOs and grassroots organisations to get involved at the policy level.

She recently remarked to the Operating Team that during her eight years with sportanddev.org she saw enormous growth within the sector. She was an important part of this growth. Rare were the occasions when Operating Team members attended conferences and talks where prominent sport and development actors did not know her name.

Jutta also displayed an impressive understanding of how the micro and macro levels within the sector work together. She could make connections between people, events and ideas that always improved the content and direction of sportanddev.org. Her insights, as well as her enthusiasm for driving the community forward, will be missed by her staff and the sector as a whole.

In addition to her work on sportanddev.org, Jutta was also programme director for the Swiss Academy for Development (SAD). She worked on many projects that used sport for psychosocial support, education and disseminating information on health. Her experience and expertise in this role will also be missed.

We bid Jutta a very fond farewell and know that, while she is no longer our director, she will continue to participate in the sportanddev.org community in other ways. Going forward, the Operating Team will be overseen by Marc Probst, executive director of SAD.