The Athletic Safety Organization dba ProTect Athletics is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 99-1611254) founded by three career Athletic Equipment Managers and safety leaders. Recognizing a critical structural gap in how sports programs manage risk, this trio built ProTect Athletics to raise the standard of safety across every tier of competition. By working alongside educational institutions, professional leagues, equipment manufacturers, coaches, administrators, athletes, and parents, we bring proven occupational and clinical safety systems directly to the sideline. Athletes, like employees, deserve a defined standard of protection. Get to know our Organization, our Mission, our Vision, and our Values.
Our Mission
To provide educational, research-based, collaborative, and training programs to promote the safety of athletes at all levels, including youth, teenagers, young adults, adults, and seniors, while assisting, accrediting, and addressing entities and organizations in the development and implementation of programming, testing, examinations, and related standards concerning athletes and sports safety.
Our Vision
We envision a future where athletes of all ages and levels can pursue their passion for sports in a safe and supportive environment. Through collaborative efforts with experts, manufacturers, leagues, stakeholders, and organizations, we aim to establish a global standard for safety in athletic participation. Our commitment is to equip athletes, coaches, and communities with practical knowledge and resources that build a culture of health, resilience, and sustainable athletic excellence.
Our Values
- Athlete-Centric: We put athletes first. We are dedicated to promoting their safety, well-being, and protection at all levels of athletic participation.
- Research and Evidence-Based: We are committed to a research-based approach, applying scientific evidence and collaboration with subject matter experts to inform our standards.
- Collaboration and Partnership: We value the power of collaboration and work closely with experts, manufacturers, leagues, stakeholders, and institutions.
- Safety and Health: We prioritize the safety and health of athletes above all else. We believe athletes deserve to compete in a systematically managed, minimized-risk environment.
- Education and Empowerment: We believe in the practical power of rigorous education to equip communities and frontline personnel with actionable safety competency.
- Innovation and Continuous Improvement: We embrace innovation and strive for continuous improvement in athletic safety practices and the evaluation of protective technologies.
- Integrity and Transparency: We uphold the highest standards of integrity, governance, and ethical conduct. We are transparent in our standards and decision-making.
- Inclusivity and Access: We are committed to ensuring every athlete and community has access to qualified sideline safety leadership, regardless of school size or zip code.
- Global Perspective: We maintain a global vision and work to establish recognized, defensible standards for athletic safety worldwide.
- Community Engagement: We engage and equip athletes, coaches, parents, administrators, and supporters to build a lasting culture of safety.
These values reflect our commitment to athlete safety, scientific rigor, institutional collaboration, education, and community accountability.
Meet Our Founders
Lewis E. VanHoose, M.A.
CEO, Co-Founder & Board Chair
Chris Kurman
CFO & Co-Founder
Jerry D. Fife, M.Ed.
COO & Co-Founder
Lewis E. VanHoose, M.A. | Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder & Board Chair
Lewis VanHoose is a seasoned athletic executive and operations specialist with more than 25 years of experience dedicated to the safety, administration, and protection of athletes. As Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder, and Board Chair of ProTect Athletics, and President and CEO of Lakeshore Eagle Solutions, Lewis brings an extensive background in interscholastic athletic administration, collegiate equipment operations, capital facility management, and institutional fundraising. His leadership foundation is built on a simple principle: elite athletic performance begins with uncompromising safety standards, rigorous risk analysis, and disciplined equipment protocols.
What sets Lewis apart is a 360-degree operational perspective forged across every tier of organized athletics, from directing an OHSAA Division I high school athletic department supporting more than 1,150 student-athletes across 32 sports programs at Austintown Local Schools, to managing high-stakes NCAA Division I collegiate equipment and facility operations, to working inside professional football equipment rooms. That cross-level experience allows him to adapt comprehensive safety, compliance, and risk-management systems to any athletic environment so that student-competitors and professional athletes alike receive the highest standard of care.
Central to his leadership approach is the "Together Everyone Achieves More" standard, uniting equipment managers, athletic directors, coaches, medical staff, and school administrators around shared accountability. Over the course of his career, Lewis has supported teams capturing 20 conference championships, 6 national championships, 2 OHSAA state championships, and 1 AFC championship across tenures with The Ohio State University, Louisiana Tech University, Eastern Michigan University, and the University of Akron, as well as professional and interscholastic tenures with the Miami Dolphins, San Diego Chargers, Washington (NFL), Austintown Local Schools, and Olentangy Liberty High School.
A native of Cable, Ohio, Lewis holds a Master of Arts in Sports Leadership from Concordia University Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts in History and Speech Communications from the University of Dubuque. Beyond the athletic arena, he is committed to advancing sustainable operational solutions and building standardized safety infrastructure that leaves a lasting legacy for future generations of athletes.
