USA Swimming Hires Kevin Ring as New CEO After Year-Long Search
A year after the job initially became vacant, USA Swimming has landed on its new leader. Kevin Ring, who has been President of Legends Golf for the past three years, takes over the organization during the critical leadup to an Olympics in Los Angeles.
Ring becomes the full-time leader of the national governing body following a stretch of instability. Former CEO Tim Hinchey resigned following the Paris Olympics, and the process to secure his replacement has been drawn out.
“Swimming is one of the world’s most inspiring and global sports, and I am honored to join USA Swimming at such an important moment,” Ring said in USA Swimming’s announcement of the hire. “There is an extraordinary opportunity to grow participation, connect with new fans and develop innovative partnerships that will fuel success for the entire swimming community. I look forward to working with our athletes, coaches, volunteers, and partners to expand the reach and impact of this incredible sport.”
Ring takes over after three years as head of Golf at Legends, a data-focused company that partnered with the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) of America to drive innovation and sponsorships. Before that, Ring worked for the PGA of America as Chief Revenue Officer and previously Chief Marketing Officer. In those roles, he focused on marketing, partnerships, hospitality, ticket sales and merchandising.
Ring has also worked for IMG Consulting, working with figures in golf as well as Major League Baseball, tennis, Formula One racing and the 2002 World Cup for soccer. Ring has never worked in swimming, but he was once involved in communications for the Olympic Regional Development Authority in Lake Placid, N.Y.
Even without experience in the sport, USA Swimming believes Ring’s experience has prepared him to “lead USA Swimming’s strategy to expand membership, increase revenue and maximize the momentum of the sport. The organization under Ring is also committing to focusing “on the long-term health of the sport in the United States.” The announcement also revealed that Ring will take over as CEO of the USA Swimming Foundation.
Natalie Coughlin, a 12-time Olympic medalist and International Swimming Hall of Famer, is set to take over as Chair of the USA Swimming Board of Directors, and she endorsed Ring’s appointment to the role. “His commitment to empowering athlete leadership, strengthening coach development, and bringing all stakeholders to the table is exactly what USA Swimming needs to move forward,” Coughlin said. “I’m confident his leadership will make a lasting impact on our sport.”
Current board chair Chris Brearton had similar praise, noting that Ring entered his new role with a “track record in driving participation and revenue growth.” Brearton indicated that Ring was committed to “the vital role of supporting athletes and coaches at every stage of their journey and ensuring they have the resources to succeed. His ability to bring demonstrated best practices from other sports to empower our athletes, coaches and the broader swimming community will be instrumental as we head into LA 2028 and beyond.”
The change in leadership at USA Swimming was put in motion after the U.S. national team struggled compared to expectations at major meets, including at the Paris Games. Weeks after that, as numerous issues within the sport became evident at home, Hinchey and former National Team Managing Director Lindsay Mintenko left the organization.
Chrissi Rawak was named to the CEO role in February, but the arrangement fell through after nine days due to a SafeSport complaint.
Shana Ferguson had been interim CEO of USA Swimming from August until March, when she departed to join the LA 2028 organizing committee. Former USA Swimming board chair Bob Vincent had been temporarily in charge since then.
Speaking at the American Swim Coaches Association Convention Wednesday, Vincent said he accepted the role “because I’m a volunteer. That’s what volunteers do. They volunteer. I stepped up to do it, and I’m so glad that I did.” Vincent said that during his tenure, he focused on putting employees in position to do their jobs well while giving the incoming CEO flexibility to shape the future staff. “All of us need to work together to help the new CEO succeed,” he said.
During the time when USA Swimming was without a full-time leader, it did hire a new leader for the National Team, with former Stanford women’s coach Greg Meehan taking on the role in April.
The lack of a full-time USA Swimming CEO came into focus following the American team struggling at the recent World Aquatics Championships, with the majority of team members battling gastrointestinal illness. The organization has come under fire from high-profile figures in the sport, including recently-retired all-time greats Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte plus figures from further in the past such as longtime NBC Sports broadcaster Rowdy Gaines.
In particular, Phelps has outlined “my frustrations with the current state of the sport.” He clarified that his criticism was never directed at the actual U.S. swimmers. Instead, Phelps’ comments were aimed upward. He wrote, “No one really wants to talk about how broken USA Swimming has become. He called for accountability and transparency while saying indicating that the organization’s leadership was “failing.”
Now, it will fall on Ring to lead the USA Swimming’s rebuilding efforts. His goals will surely include mending fences with Phelps and other disaffected veterans while working on revitalizing membership and fundraising opportunities to capitalize on the looming Olympics on home soil.
