19-time Paralympic medalist Erin Popovich has been hired as the Chief of Staff for the Purdue for Life Foundation after departing as the Director of U.S. Para Swimming following the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
The Purdue for Life Foundation is a Purdue alumni association that connects the Purdue Alumni Association, President’s Council, and the John Purdue Club. The role has been moved to a senior leadership position as part of a remaking of the organization’s leadership under new President and CEO Julie Dussliere.
Dussliere and Popovich have a long relationship from their roles at the USOPC. Dussliere spent 21 years in leadership of the USOPC, including the last two as Senior Vice President, Chief of Paralympics & Internally Managed Sports, before leaving in September. Among the internally managed sports she oversaw was swimming.
Dussliere spent eight years as a swim coach, including serving as the head coach and business manager of Rocket Aquatics in Syracuse, New York from 1999 through 2003. She also spent time with the Kansas City Blazers, Liverpool Jets, and West Coast Aquatics.
Dussliere is a Purdue alum, where she was an Academic All-Big Ten Conference honoree.
“I’ve had the privilege of knowing Erin for many years, and I’m incredibly proud to welcome her to our Purdue for Life team,” Dussliere said. “Her passion and dedication — forged through her remarkable career — will undoubtedly make an important impact on our efforts to connect and engage the global Purdue community.”
As an athlete, Popovich competed at the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Paralympic Games. She was the first ESPY Award winner for best female athlete with a disability and was also named the Women’s Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year after winning seven gold medals in Athens.
She won the same ESPY award again in 2009.
Popovich’s tenure leading the national para-swimming program ended under clouds, though. Her departure coincided with the shutdown of the resident swimming program.
The program has been at the center of scandal in the last few years, as in fall 2022, Paralympic gold medalist Robert Griswold was accused of repeatedly raping a U.S. Paralympic teammate with severe autism whom he roomed with at the U.S. Paralympic Training Center from January through August. The family of the alleged victim sued Griswold, the USOPC, and SafeSport, though the latter was ultimately dropped from the lawsuit. Almost two years later, the case remains in limbo and the criminal case pursued first by the Colorado Springs police department and later by SafeSport remains open but inactive.
The U.S Paralympic swimming team made headlines at the end of the Paris Games, when four swimmers, including star Jessica Long, were banned from attending the closing ceremony after being admonished for their social media behavior. Both the USOPC and Popovich issues statements on the sanctions; neither detailed the behavior in question, though it is likely related to social media posts where the four swimmers appeared to question the disability classification of their teammate Christie Raleigh-Crossley, which the four may face further disciplinary action for.
Popovich graduated from Colorado State in 2007 with a degree in health and exercise science.
