Meet Adrienne Benton, first woman of color to serve on B.A.A. board

Last November, the Boston Athletic Association appointed its first woman of color to serve on its board. But as you might imagine, Adrienne R. Benton has been involved with the marathon for years.

“One of my goals is to become a better-equipped ambassador for the sport of distance running and to support eliminating racial and many other disparities within the sport,” the new Board of Governors member said in a press release. “I’m very excited to be a part of the work the B.A.A. is doing.”

Benton first began running after a sibling finished a 5K in 2014, according to the B.A.A. At the time, she couldn’t run a mile. Now, Benton has completed six marathons, including four of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, plus many other shorter races. She was also the Boston marathon’s finish line announcer, according to the release.

“It is my hope that through the Boston Running Collaborative, the B.A.A. can become a catalyst for addressing disparities in the Boston running community through outreach and collaboration,” she said in the release. “Specifically, the Boston Running Collaborative seeks to create access to year-round training facilities, provide more health and wellness opportunities that have community benefit, and foster exposure and access to career development in track and field in Boston.”

Benton is also a member of Black Girls Run – Boston, and the National Black Marathoners Association, the release said. She works on health issues affecting Black people. Also, She sits on the B.A.A. initiative Boston Running Collaborative, which looks to create a more diverse community of runners by making the sport more accessible in Boston, especially for communities of color.

Benton founded Onyx Spectrum Technology, which was recognized in 2020 by the Competitive Inner City’s Inner City 100, according to the release.

The company focuses on IT solutions and works with organizations including Fenway Health, according to the Bay State Banner.

A Rutgers University graduate, Benton was a hospital administrator and took a position at Boston Medical Center. It was a shocking move for Benton, who had lived in cities that were more diverse or were Black-majority.

“It was very visibly segregated. The higher up you got, the fewer people of color that you saw. I’m talking about in terms of income,” she told the newspaper.

Boston Medical Center would become one of her clients at Onyx. The company now has a facility in Lawrence with an assembly area. 

Despite the adversity she’s faced as a Black woman, Benton remains positive, according to Color magazine.

“I work for my team members (I don’t like saying employees) and their families that they support,” she told the publication. “I work for our clients. It’s my job to develop an environment where all the pieces involved can operate at a high level. I love to check in with my team and have them trust that I won’t step on their toes.”

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