Scheeler named chairman of HISA board

Board members of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority have elected Charles Scheeler, a retired attorney who once led an investigation into performance-enhancing substances in Major League Baseball, as chairman, according to the organization.

Scheeler was elected as chair of the nine-member board at the authority’s first board meeting on Thursday. The members of the authority’s board and its two standing committees were announced two weeks ago.

Scheeler is a former federal prosecutor who was the lead counsel for former Sen. George Mitchell when Congress opened an investigation into the use of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs in professional baseball more than a decade ago. Scheeler also has “extensive experience” investigating and monitoring compliance programs for the NCAA, the authority said.

"With the election of Charles Scheeler as the authority’s chair, the board of directors is moving ahead with the development of uniform safety and integrity rules for the industry,” said Nancy Cox, the co-chair of the authority’s nominating committee. “Under his leadership, the authority is well positioned to recommend and implement a new and effective regulatory framework to safeguard the future of racing.”

HISA was created late last year with the passage of federal legislation authorizing national oversight of the horse racing industry. The authority’s rules are slated to go into effect in July 2022.