NU Advisory Partners Retained by USA Swimming for CEO Search
October 11, 2024 – The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) continue to collaborate with search firms to identify and recruit new talent for various roles, including coaching C-level roles, administrative roles, and other leadership vacancies. The latest, NU Advisory Partners has been retained by USA Swimming in Colorado Springs, CO, to find its next CEO. “NU Advisory Partners brings a modern and professional approach to this critical process,” said USA Swimming board chair Chris Brearton. “The board was compelled by their deep understanding of the nuanced requirements inherent to the sport of swimming and leading a national governing body.”
“We are honored to partner with the USA Swimming board of directors to select the next USA Swimming CEO,” said Nada Usina, co-founder and CEO. “I am excited to combine my personal connection to the sport of swimming with our history placing sports executives to match USA Swimming with a leader who can further cement their dominant international standing.”
NU offers decades of experience at established search firms and a familiarity with the sport. Ms. Usina is a former Florida State swim team captain and mentor to multiple swimmers.
Following an extensive request for proposal process, the USA Swimming Board agreed that NU Advisory Partners demonstrated its capability to efficiently and comprehensively identify a diverse pool of candidates poised to lead USA Swimming. Their approach engages USA Swimming members and stakeholders through surveys and personal interviews, ensuring a collaborative alignment on the essential skills and experiences the next CEO should possess.
To coordinate with NU, the board also established a nine-member CEO search task force. The task force includes board members and representatives from critical USA Swimming stakeholder groups. The search for candidates will start immediately.
USA Swimming is the national governing body for the sport of swimming in the U.S. It is responsible for the development and promotion of competitive swimming at all levels, from grassroots to the elite level, including the Olympic and Paralympic teams.
Last year, NU Advisory Partners was launched by former Russell Reynolds Associates recruiters Mar Hernandez, Libby Naumes, Meredith Rosenberg, and Ms. Usina. The firm is focused on senior executive, operating, and board positions.
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Ms. Hernandez specializes in placing corporate officers (CHRO, CFO, general counsel), and also supporting boards, financial services, fintech, telecommunications, and hospitality organizations in different talent needs. Prior to co-founding NU, she was a senior member of the corporate officers, DE&I, and financial services practice at Russell Reynolds Associates, where she was also the co-head of the Hispanic board initiative. Before her 12 years in the search industry, she held senior sales and marketing roles with firms such as Amicorp, Mphasis-EDS, and TTech.
Related: NU Advisory Partners Recruits CFO for Overtime
Ms. Naumes specializes in placing go-to-market and commercial roles across the sports, media, entertainment, technology, consumer, retail, and marketplace industries. Prior to co-founding NU, she spent 11 years building the consumer digital practice of Russell Reynolds Associates while also serving as the co-lead of the global sports practice. Ms. Naumes was previously the director of marketing and communications for NASDAQ’s Global Corporate Solutions Group.
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Ms. Rosenberg is a market leading voice in the edTech sector. She brings more than 25 years of entrepreneurial and operating experience in the education sector. Prior to co-founding NU, she led the global edTech practice at Russell Reynolds Associates. She spent 10 years there working across the entire sector, advising larger public companies and VC and private equity portfolio companies, as well as nonprofits and higher education institutions. Previously, Ms. Rosenberg was a senior vice president at Fullbridge Inc., a workforce development and upskilling company, and helped to co-found Global Student Loan Corporation. She was a vice president at The Yankee Group, where she led the consumer communications practice, and a senior consultant in the telecommunications and media strategy practice of Braxton Associates/Deloitte Consulting.
Ms. Usina’s board, CEO and C-suite placement expertise spans technology, sports, media, entertainment, industrial, and numerous other industries. Prior to co-founding NU, she was a member of the executive committee of Russell Reynolds Associates, the global leader of its technology media, entertainment, and sports practices as well as a senior member of the CEO & board practice. Ms. Usina spent 13 years leading high-level executive searches and advising leading private equity and VC firms across their portfolio companies. She had an extensive career as an executive at digital media and software companies, including as a member of the senior team at Broadcast.com, as president of Nokia Canada, as president of Comcast Venture-backed XOS Technologies which she successfully sold to publicly held JumpTV and then merged the company with NeuLion where she remained as president. Earlier roles in sports included the Florida Sports Foundation, Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games and Florida State University Athletics.
Related: NU Advisory Partners Assists Sigma7 with Chief Technology Officer Search
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
