By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
USA Swimming introduced Kevin Ring as its new President and CEO on Thursday, ending a greater than one-year-long seek for a brand new full-time chief.
Ring, who will formally start at USA Swimming on September 17, presently serves because the President of Golf at Legends, a worldwide, data-driven experiences firm that gives holistic, 360-degree providers for organizations throughout sports activities and leisure.
Ring’s hiring comes 371 days after Tim Hinchey formally resigned as USA Swimming CEO final August. USA Swimming instantly named Shana Ferguson interim CEO, after which this previous February, Chrissi Rawak was introduced because the full-time CEO. Nonetheless, she rapidly resigned after a SafeSport criticism was filed towards her. Ferguson reassumed her function because the interim CEO earlier than taking a job at LA28 in late March, and USA Swimming then named Bob Vincent as its interim CEO, a task he’s held for simply over 5 months.
Ring’s function as CEO will primarily concentrate on increasing membership, rising income, and maximizing the game’s momentum heading into the 2028 Olympics. He may even function the CEO of the USA Swimming Basis.
“Swimming is likely one of the world’s most inspiring and international sports activities, and I’m honored to hitch USA Swimming at such an vital second,” mentioned Ring. “There may be a rare alternative to develop participation, join with new followers, and develop progressive partnerships that can gasoline success for the whole swimming group. I look ahead to working with our athletes, coaches, volunteers, and companions to increase the attain and impression of this unimaginable sport.”
Ring has been the President at Legends Golf since 2022, when the group launched a devoted golf division to offer its full-service strategy throughout the golf trade, partnering with marquee shoppers such because the PGA of America and the Ryder Cup to supervise issues akin to sponsorships, licensing, merchandising and fan expertise.
Previous to Legends, Ring served because the Chief Income Officer and Chief Advertising Officer on the PGA of America, the place he spearheaded efforts to develop the sport of golf by way of new sponsorship fashions, media rights offers, grassroots engagement, and enhanced championship experiences.
“I’m excited to see Kevin getting into this function with a concentrate on collaboration,” mentioned Natalie Coughlin, Chair-Elect of the USA Swimming Board of Administrators. “His dedication to empowering athlete management, strengthening coach growth, and bringing all stakeholders to the desk is precisely what USA Swimming wants to maneuver ahead. I’m assured his management will make an enduring impression on our sport.”
Clearly well-versed within the sports activities enterprise world, Ring acknowledged that his familiarity with swimming isn’t the deepest, having solely actually began to observe the game on the worldwide stage over the previous 4 or 5 months as this chance got here onto his radar. Nonetheless, he believes his experiences in organizations centered round membership shall be helpful.
“Whereas my particular swimming data isn’t deep, my data of a membership-based group, and the respect of the coaches, and what the volunteers do, and the native swim golf equipment is such a parallel to my PGA of America expertise,” Ring instructed SwimSwam on Thursday.
He famous that the USA Swimming workers and the Board of Administrators are well-versed within the sport, which can permit him to expedite his deep dive into swimming, and bringing over his PGA of America expertise will make a “actually fantastic, complementary crew.”
Chris Brearton, Chair of the USA Swimming Board of Administrators, mentioned: “Kevin’s monitor report in driving participation and income development aligns completely with USA Swimming’s objectives as we enter a brand new period.
“Simply as vital, Kevin understands the very important function of supporting athletes and coaches at each stage of their journey and making certain they’ve the assets to succeed. His means to carry demonstrated greatest practices from different sports activities to empower our athletes, coaches, and the broader swimming group shall be instrumental as we head into LA2028 and past.”
BUILDING THE SPORT AT THE GRASSROOTS LEVEL, TOP PRIORITIES
Ring emphasised the necessity to proceed rising the game from the bottom up, constructing the membership and supporting native coaches with the assets they want.
“I feel one of many large issues goes to be is basically spending quite a lot of time on how we well develop the game and develop the membership,” he mentioned. “Getting extra individuals within the pool, getting extra individuals, to actually embrace what it’s that’s this lifetime exercise that really saves lives, and you can begin it from, you understand, younger youngsters, infants, up until, you understand, your final breath, and there’s not quite a lot of actions and sports activities you are able to do that.
“So I feel the place I can actually be supportive of creating certain that I’m supporting the coaches, I’m supporting the grassroots stage, I do know the significance of the grassroots stage, simply because, you understand, day by day, it doesn’t matter what I do, it’s the tangible connection to the swimmer.
“It’s the native membership, it’s the swim coach, and what I can do is be sure that we’re resourcing them, supporting them, rolling out issues which might be progressive and alter, however simply adaptable, and performing some listening.”
When requested what USA Swimming’s largest areas of want are, Ring first spoke in regards to the grassroots stage and supporting the game’s infrastructure on the native stage, however he additionally talked about the Nationwide Group and the expertise of the highest swimmers within the nation.
“I need to be sure that, not forgetting that on the elite stage and the excessive efficiency finish, we’re doing the whole lot attainable to fund, help, and actually work with that group to be sure that we’re performing the perfect we are able to on the pool.
“To me, it’s a two-pronged strategy that I need to carry right here, is ensuring we help the high-end, but additionally the leisure athlete, and ensure we help the volunteers and the coaches on the native stage. To me, that’s large. I realized that lesson rapidly, throughout my PGA expertise, and I feel that’s going to be a very nice parallel to carry ahead.”
On this “two-pronged strategy,” Ring mentioned he received’t prioritize one (membership, rising the game) over the opposite (excessive efficiency, Nationwide Group), however believes the 2 can work hand in hand.
“I feel that the 2 feed off one another. I feel we are able to’t put an excessive amount of of a precedence over one over the opposite, as a result of measurement of success, clearly, essentially the most seen one is our medals. And that must be… in order that’s about that efficiency. However these medals don’t occur if we don’t help, fund, give the instruments which might be crucial at that grassroots coach stage, to be sure that we’re supporting them the very best approach. These two must go collectively.
“I don’t assume at this level, my precedence shall be one over the opposite. The 2 must feed off one another for the success of USA Swimming. And hear, at totally different instances, will there be a concentrate on one over the opposite? Most likely. However I simply can’t inform you precisely what it’s going to be, however I view each of these as crucial, as a result of the native coaches, native swim golf equipment, and the enlargement of the game must feed the following era of athletes. They’ll take part in world championships and high-level competitors, and in faculty.
“And the thrill that usually comes out of that’s by individuals watching the Olympic Video games each 4 years, when swimming is the very best profile sport, individuals get behind it, they usually turn into motivated to get within the pool. So, I feel it’s bought to be each.”
2028 OLYMPICS
With the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles on the horizon, the primary Summer season Video games hosted on U.S. soil since 1996, Ring mentioned, regardless of the surface noise, he believes there was quite a lot of good occurring behind the scenes at USA Swimming to place them in a great spot for these Olympics.
“There’s momentum there, that’s coming across the nook. We’ve bought to dive in, and with heavy ambition and rapidly, actually begin working with that. So I need to carry on constructing on that momentum that’s already in place. I need to be sure that I’m constructing on the crew that’s in place, the expertise that’s there, and actually consider the place we’re to ensure persons are in the correct locations.
“And likewise, simply, you understand, perceive, hear, change is inevitable. I’m a brand new CEO coming in. I don’t know what which means, however I feel that to say that the established order is the place we’re gonna be, just isn’t one thing we’re going to do. So I need to construct on the momentum that’s already in place on the work that’s been completed.
“And, you understand, to be honest to all people who’s there, you understand, I’ve bought just a few weeks earlier than I’m beginning there, so diving in and studying so much, there’s been so much that’s been shared with me in a brief period of time. There’s so much that’ll be shared with me within the subsequent few weeks earlier than I get my toes on the bottom in Colorado Springs.”
Having being employed lower than three years earlier than the Opening Ceremonies of the 2028 Video games, Ring mentioned he’s merely wanting ahead when requested if any alternatives to construct might need been missed with USA Swimming’s prolonged delay of hiring a CEO.
“I’m an enormous believer in wanting ahead, and I’m not making an attempt to push that query, however I’m an enormous believer in pushing ahead, and if I do look again, I feel the hiring of Greg Meehan was clearly a beautiful begin to this.
“He’s revered by the athletes, coaches, and I feel that’s quite a lot of… an amazing step in the correct route. Spending quite a lot of time with him to ensure, once more, going again to the assets, go and be sure that now we have the whole lot that’s essential to develop.”
Meehan was USA Swimming’s first key rent following the resignation of Hinchey, as the previous Stanford ladies’s head coach was named Nationwide Group Director in April. The previous Nationwide Group Director, Lindsay Mintenko, moved on from the function final August, the identical time Hinchey resigned as CEO.
“I can’t say whether or not something was missed. I do know that wanting ahead, that’s a precedence. It’s a once-in-a-generation alternative to have a Summer season Olympics in the US. We’ve bought to make the most of that, and I imply that in essentially the most optimistic approach. How can we be sure that our athletes have the instruments to carry out? How can we be sure that we’re placing the framework and the inspiration in place on the grassroots stage to be sure that we are able to develop when all of the eyes are on the game in July of 28, and the way can we be sure that popping out of that, when now we have the success that I might anticipate, that we can also actually construct off that popping out of it? So, to me, it’s all about wanting ahead and constructing on what’s already been completed.”
WORKING WITH MICHAEL PHELPS & OTHER ALUMNI
Among the sport’s largest names have been outspoken and important of USA Swimming in current months, most notably with Olympic gold medalists Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte and Rowdy Gaines expressing their displeasure with each the route of the group and the crew’s efficiency on the current World Championships final month.
On the 2025 World Championships, the US completed atop the medal desk with 9 gold and 29 complete medals, outperforming their 2023 and 2024 Worlds gold medal totals. Nonetheless, many nonetheless felt the crew underperformed, with a lingering sickness picked up at a pre-Worlds coaching camp in Thailand enjoying a task.
After the criticism in regards to the World Championships, Phelps launched a prolonged public assertion placing the group’s management on blast whereas offering a three-step motion plan to get issues shifting in the correct route (from his perspective).
Ring understands the load of feedback from somebody like Phelps holds, and he plans on having a dialog with him within the close to future to get his perspective on issues and begin working collectively relatively than going forwards and backwards within the media.
“I’m a fairly clear and open communicator,” Ring mentioned. “The best way I’m going to handle that’s, Michael, I’m going to succeed in out to as quick as attainable. I’m wanting ahead to listening to from him, having a dialog with him. Seeing what he needs to do, and simply listening, as a result of he, clearly, has a lot fantastic to contribute to the game. He’s completed a lot for the game already. I’m simply wanting ahead to having that dialog with him as quick as attainable.”
He reiterated the significance of speaking with not solely Phelps, however Lochte, Gaines and different former swimmers and discovering a option to transfer collectively.
“It’s vital to me for the entire alumni, the influential alumni, you understand, speaking to Rowdy, speaking to Ryan, who had some conversations, some issues that he mentioned after Michael posted. These are individuals who have meant so much to the swimming group, have completed so much for USA Swimming as an entire, and so all I’m gonna do is attain out to them, hope to have conversations with them, and see how we are able to construct a bond shifting ahead, and seeing what we are able to do collectively to actually construct USA Swimming as an entire.”
COMPENSATION
Based mostly on trade requirements, SwimSwam initiatives Ring’s annual wage to be $500,000 or extra, along with the prices of two search corporations over the previous 12 months, CAA and Nu Advisory.
USA Swimming confirmed to SwimSwam that the CEO search consists of the price of two search corporations and different transition bills, however didn’t disclose the entire, noting that it’s going to turn into obtainable on their monetary paperwork once they’re made obtainable.
In accordance with ProPublica on the 2022 PGA 990, Ring made $633,776 yearly (and a further $57,092 listed as “different”) because the Chief Income Officer on the PGA of America.
USA Swimming’s CEO contracts have traditionally been 4 years.
Learn the total story on SwimSwam: USA Swimming Broadcasts Legends Golf President Kevin Ring As New President and CEO
