ORIGINS
Paul’s love affair with Africa began early in his life when his father took a position in Uganda, East Africa. Spending school holidays in the remotest, northeast corner, known as Karamoja, Paul soaked up the calls of the birds, the dialects of the people, and learned the habits of the wild animals. When his family moved back to England Paul picked up a bike as a way to regain the freedom he grew up with – a 40-year career as a professional cyclist and television commentator began.
Commuting to professional cycling events like the Tour de France and the Tour Down Under, for over 20 years Paul would return to his family base in Uganda where he was passionate about helping his community. He was active in a group that trained bicycle mechanics and distributed bikes to kids. He was chairman of the Ugandan Conservation Foundation dedicated to saving Uganda’s wildlife by supporting its national parks. And he led cycling-based safaris to help drive tourism to the area.
COMMITTED TO PAUL’S
VISION FOR AFRICA
When Paul passed in 2018, friends got together to share stories and were astonished to learn the depth of his work off-camera.
Moved by his efforts to support and elevate the country he loved, along with his family, we decided to turn our sadness into action to keep Paul’s dream alive. By connecting with you, his friends and fans the world over, the directors of the Paul Sherwen Project will carefully choose Africa-based partners to continue to nurture the strong, economically viable and skilled community envisioned by Paul.
Board of Directors
Phil Liggett
Board Chair
Katherine Love Sherwen
Board Vice-Chair
Curtis Coltrane
Board Legal Counsel
Chris Aronhalt
Board Member
Business Development Committee Chair
Sarah Urban Johnston
Board CFO & Treasurer
Sean Petty
Board Member
“If you want to go fast, go alone.
If you want to go far, go together.”
African proverb
Phil Liggett
Chair of the Board
Phil is an English commentator and journalist who covers professional cycling. He has commentated on television since 1978, covering 16 Olympic Games and in 2022, he will report on his 50th Tour de France. Phil has won many awards for his commentaries which has included triathlon, ski jumping and alpine skiing. He has worked for all of the major English-speaking networks around the world including the big three in the USA – ABC, CBS and NBC.
Katherine Love Sherwen
Vice Chair
Married to Paul for 26 years, their romance began at the Tour de France when Katherine was working for ABC Sports and Paul was the commentator. They married soon after and thus began an adventure ranging from Europe to the United States to East Africa. Professional cycling and travel was always a mainstay but so too were safaris, children and animals. In the latter years as Katherine dove deep into yoga teaching and yoga therapy, events on the ground were allowing travel back into the previously insecure area of Karamoja, located in the northeastern part of Uganda. This was an area of Paul’s childhood escapades and he fell in love all over again with the wide, untouched landscapes sheltering wild animals and remote tribes. Katherine has also fallen in love with the people and the beauty of the place and its uniqueness in all the world. As Paul hoped to bring sustainable, people-driven development to the area through skills training and empowerment it is now Katherine’s mission to see it through in Paul’s name.
Curtis Coltrane
Legal Counsel
Curtis L. Coltrane is admitted to the bar in Virginia and South Carolina where he met and became friends with the Sherwen family. He is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court, South Carolina, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the South Carolina Supreme Court. Curtis earned his B.S. in Economics from West Virginia University and his Juris Doctor from The University of Richmond. He has been a Hilton Head Island resident since 1981, was a town attorney from 1989 to 2003, and Master in Equity for Beaufort County from 2003 to 2007.
Sarah Urban Johnston
Board CFO & Treasurer
Sarah transitioned from a formative career in finance to the world of academia in 2011 as the Director of Graduate Career Management at the University of Utah. After increasing the MBA’s program ranking (US News) and developing a fully staffed Center, she joined her MBA colleague in the Executive Search venture, Talent Reconnect. Sarah uses her extensive network and relationship-building skills to connect companies with talent. Her cross-functional background enhances searches in the technical, educational and nonprofit sectors. Sarah is a creator of success which results in achievement for her team members. She is a long-time friend of Paul and Katherine Sherwen.
Sean Petty
Board Member
Sean has been in sports, specifically cycling for more than 30 years and is currently a sports management consultant. Currently, he is a UCI Road Commission Member where he oversees the Under 23 men and Junior men and women’s road cycling events including the World Championships and the Olympic Games road race and time trial. Sean and Paul became friends over the many years they both spent in the cycling world.
Chris Aronhalt
Board Member and Business Development Committee Chair
Owner/President, Medalist Sports – Chris Aronhalt first started as an intern with Medalist Sports in 1994, and ten years later in 2004, became a co-owner of the company as its Managing Partner. In 2020, Chris assumed the role of President and is currently the sole owner of Medalist Sports. With employees across the country, as well as clients, Medalist Sports is headquartered in Peachtree City, GA and employs 13 individuals. Medalist Sports continues its growth and prominence in the industry as an event management and marketing company with over 20 current clients and projects, both national and international. Areas of specialty include the management and promotion of professional and amateur cycling events, peer-to-peer fundraising and cause-related events, as well as Paralympic and para-cycling projects. Employment history also includes Tour de Georgia Director for the State of Georgia (Atlanta, GA), Vice President of Operations for Synergy Sports (Ocean, NJ), as well as Director of Games Management for the 1998 Goodwill Games, Inc. (Turner Sports, Atlanta, GA). Chris graduated from the University of Richmond (VA) in 1989 and from Mount St. Mary’s College in 1994 with an M.B.A. in International Business, with a thesis focus on The Use of Athletic Endorsements in Sports Marketing.