USA Swimming Executive Director Search Part 3: Frontrunners

For the first time since 1997, USA Swimming is in the market for a new Executive Director. Chuck Wielgus is stepping down after 19 years at the helm of the sport’s national governing body. In this multi-part series, SwimSwam will tackle the specifics of the job and what to look forward to as USA Swimming continues to search for Wielgus’s successor.

We’ve looked at the job itself and the process USA Swimming will follow in finding a successor. But who are the top candidates to fill the position? We run through some of the early frontrunners here:

Mike UngerAssistant Executive Director, USA Swimming

One of the top internal candidates to replace Wielgus, Mike Unger has been a part of USA Swimming since 1993. Unger has served in a number of roles, including Marketing Director, National Events Director and Chief Operating Officer. Maybe most high-profile is his hands-on work with all of USA Swimming’s TV broadcasts, including the U.S. Olympic Trials. Unger has also worked with NBC Sports on broadcasts of international meets. Unger has also taken a very active role in helping run USA Swimming as Wielgus dealt with cancer treatment over the past several years.

Matt FarrellChief Marketing Officer, USA Swimming

Matt Farrell seems to be the other front-runner internally to replace Wielgus. Farrell is in charge of USA Swimming’s business side, including marketing, promotions, social media, sponsorships and public relations. USA Swimming has excelled in that area lately, rising rapidly in visibility, and is currently one of the highest-profile U.S. Olympic sports. Farrell has been with USA Swimming for 12 years now and has previously worked with the U.S. Olympic Committee and Warner Bros.

Debbie HesseUSA Swimming Foundation Executive Director

Debbie Hesse made the jump from USA Diving in 2010, becoming the executive director of the USA Swimming Foundation, the philanthropic arm of USA Swimming. Hesse has a wealth of executive experience, having led the diving federation in a President/CEO role for almost 4 years and having served as executive director for U.S. Synchronized Swimming for 7 years.

David Berkoffattorney and former USA Swimming Board member

One outside-yet-inside hire would be David Berkoff, 1988 and 1992 Olympian and originator of the “Berkoff Blastoff.” Berkoff served as a member of USA Swimming’s Board of Directors for four years, though he moved away from that position back in 2014 and is currently unaffiliated with USA Swimming. Berkoff is still a regularly-heard voice on issues of coaching abuse, and his tenure on the Board helped produce the Safe Sport program aimed at protecting swimmers from abuse. With perhaps the biggest criticism of Wielgus being a perceived softness in dealing with coaches accused of abuse, tabbing Berkoff as his successor would be a strong message by USA Swimming of its seriousness in dealing with future coaching abuse allegations.

Rob ButcherPresident and CEO of Swim Across America

Rob Butcher has executive experience within the aquatic realm, most notably from serving as executive director of U.S. Masters Swimming for almost 8 years. Butcher left that job at the end of 2015 to take over as President and CEO of Swim Across America, a non-profit organization aimed at curing cancer through raising money to fund research and clinical trials.

Janel (Jorgensen) McArdle, Former President of Swim Across America

Butcher’s predecessor, Janel McArdle, could also be in the mix for USA Swimming’s post. McArdle stepped down from her position at Swim Across America in 2015 to spend more time with family. She had been the organization’s executive director for a decade prior. Like Berkoff, McArdle was a 1988 U.S. Olympian, then swimming under her maiden name of Janel Jorgensen. After he swimming career, McArdle served as Director of Operations for the Oracle Corporation for about 12 years.

Mark Henderson, CEO and Co-Founder of The Athletes Village

1996 U.S. Olympian Mark Henderson is another outside candidate, particularly due to his work with the USOC. Henderson was the chair of the USOC’s Athletes Advisory Council from 2004 to 2008, helping expand communication between athletes and the U.S. Olympic Committee’s board of directors. He currently leads The Athletes Village, his own startup designed to help support athletes by connecting them to important information and tips while connecting athletes to parents, coaches, sports psychologists, nutritionists and others from across the world.

Other Candidates:

Keep an eye on high-ranking officials from other USOC federations, as USA Swimming’s job is high-profile enough to draw interest from a wide range of candidates. Wielgus himself came from the sport of golf before taking USA Swimming’s top job, and USA Swimming officials have frequently gone to other sporting federations, including USA Track & Field CEO Max Siegel, who took that job in 2012.

It’s also worth watching the higher-ups in college athletics who have swimming ties. Athletic Directors at major universities or CEOs/Presidents of college conferences with backgrounds in swimming could all be outside hire candidates if USA Swimming is looking outside its own staff to fill Wielgus’s seat.

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Raymond woods
7 years ago

We should beg Jim Montrella to take the position.

Captain Ahab
7 years ago

I nominate Mel Stewart CEO of USA swimming.

Brad Horner
7 years ago

Mike Unger is awesome. Really good college swimmer and masters swimmer so rhe really knows the sport from athlete perspective. His USA Swimming experience and results appear second to none.

Mike Tornatore
7 years ago

Dave Berkoff would be an excellent join for ED. With a legal background that is particularly strong in Employment Law Dave has a strong understanding in organizational structure. Dave Berkoff more than any swimmer in history transformed modern day swimming, every stroke utilizes an element of the Berkoff Blast. There would be no stronger advocate for swimmers with regard to their personal safety. Coaches everywhere would certainly be held to a high standard of ethics under Berkoff’s leadership.

Taa
7 years ago

I’d like to see someone who is a real swimmer have the job. So I am going with Berkhoff. I don’t think they need to change much. You have to remember that 99% of the membership are age group swimmers. Maybe they should split USA swimming in to two divisions….one to handle the age groupers and another to handle the senior/national team stuff. Don’t you think those are really two separate things.

SJM
Reply to  Taa
7 years ago

USA Swimming has two such divisions – the National Team division and the Club Development division.

Taa
Reply to  SJM
7 years ago

Oh really? Can you point me to the document that will show me how much revenue the National Team generated in 2016? tia

SJM
Reply to  Taa
7 years ago

Sure, it’s posted here: http://www.usaswimming.org/_Rainbow/Documents/3b1a498e-febe-459f-9d80-3aa5ffec08ae/2016%20BUDGET%20SUMMARY%20REPORT.pdf.

Swimswam wrote about it here: https://swimswam.com/2015-usa-swimming-convention-2016-budget-proposal/

The proposed budget is published every year in the Spring for member review and then the 400 person House of Delegates made of members and LSC reps vote to approve it every year at the annual Convention. Staff do not vote on the budget.

Kathy
7 years ago

Ty Taggart

tallswimmer
7 years ago

Not thinking big enough IMHO. Look at an VP from the NFL/NBA/MLB etc, or an Athletic Director from a power 5 school. Technical background in swimming is not required. This organization is so big, but can be bigger, and that comes from the top – someone who knows how to build an organization and the sponsorship that go with it.

SCAQTony
7 years ago

Since the majority of members are girls I think the best candidate to be the face of USA Swimming should be a successful women with extensive media experience.

Unger and Berkoff are joke… emails and their deposition transcripts in sex abuse lawsuits against USA Swimming alone should disqualify them.

SCAQTony
Reply to  SCAQTony
7 years ago

11-negative votes! LOL!

Was I voted down because I suggested a women? Probably since it is demonstrable that USA Swimming is strictly a “mens only” club management wise even though more girls are members then boys.

BTW here is a quote by David Berkoff and the rampant sexual abuse he witnessed within the USA Swimming coaching ranks: http://scaq.blogspot.com/2012_08_01_archive.html

And do we really want this person to be running USA Swimming?

About Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson swam for nearly twenty years. Then, Jared Anderson stopped swimming and started writing about swimming. He's not sick of swimming yet. Swimming might be sick of him, though. Jared was a YMCA and high school swimmer in northern Minnesota, and spent his college years swimming breaststroke and occasionally pretending …

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