North grad BAA's 1st woman leader.

• Position: SPORTS

Byline: John Conceison

In her youth, she played sports in East Park while growing up near Shrewsbury Street, and enjoyed the area Italian festivals as part of a large family.

And, at the start of her involvement with the Boston Athletic Association in 1993 as a marathon volunteer, Joann Flaminio didn't envision becoming the first woman president in the 123 years of the organization that presents the Boston Marathon.

"I'm a recreational runner at best, so to reach this pinnacle, at the top of this event, is really a wonderful experience," said Flaminio, who has been on the BAA's Board of Governors since 1996.

In January, the BAA expanded its leadership, which included Flaminio becoming president. Marlboro native Guy Morse, who had been the BAA executive director for 26 years, moved over to the position of senior director of external affairs, from which he now focuses on community outreach and expanding the organization's philanthropic efforts. Tom Grilk, president of the Board of Governors since 2003 and the Marathon's finish-line announcer since 1979, became executive director, taking on many of Morse's programming duties.

"It's quite a transition for us," said Morse, who was instrumental in bringing on John Hancock as a long-term marathon sponsor. The BAA also has added its half marathon, 5K and the inaugural BAA 10K, which will run June 26, under his watch. "It really was more than a one-person job," he said.

Flaminio, a graduate of North High, Tufts University and Suffolk Law School, works closely with Grilk and Morse, offering her strategic management and legal expertise.

"It's an exciting time to be around the BAA because we've expanded our programming for the recreational runners as well as the elite runners," said Flaminio, who has participated in several road races up to 10 kilometers.

"The great thing about the marathon is that it is so many things to so many people - it exists on so many levels," she added. "It's an elite road racing event for world-class marathoners, it's a dream come true for somebody who gets to run it once after qualifying, and it's also a dream come true for those who run it not just for the benefit of themselves but for a charity.

"And, it's the unofficial beginning of spring."

Learning from fiasco

The BAA leadership sure isn't without challenges these days, many of them resulting from last fall's registration fiasco.

"October 18 will loom in BAA history," race director Dave McGillivray said, referring to...