USA Water Ski names new executive director
POLK CITY, Fla. – USA Water Ski has named Steve Locke as the organization’s new executive director, it reported in a recent statement.
Locke brings more than 20 years of executive management experience to the national governing body of organized water skiing. He will begin his new position at USA Water Ski headquarters in early November.
“We are all very excited to have such a dynamic and experienced executive coming on board,” said Jim Grew, president of USA Water Ski. “Steve Locke is a proven leader with a solid record of professional experience.”
Locke served as the chief executive officer for USA Triathlon for 12 years between 1991 and 2004, according to USA Water Ski. He led growth initiatives that increased membership from 9,000 to 53,000; grew the organization from an annual budget of $300,000 to $6 million; initiated new sponsorship relationships resulting in millions of dollars of budget relief over a 12-year span; and created a reserve fund of $2 million through generated profits.
Most recently, Locke has served as the chief executive officer for the International Peace Garden, which is found in North Dakota and Manitoba, and the proprietor of Steven M. Locke Marketing, a marketing and event management firm based out of Fort Collins, Colo., the association reported.
“It is a huge privilege for me to become involved with USA Water Ski,” said Locke, who also has served on the board of directors for the United States Olympic Committee (1996-2004) and as president of USA Taekwondo (2004-2006). “Through my involvement with Olympic and Pan American sports, luminaries such as Tony Baggiano and Steve McDermeit kept me up to date with the pulsating action of all the diverse disciplines of USA Water Ski. Their enthusiasm along with everyone else I have met has me enthused about going to work for USA Water Ski and growing the sport of water skiing across all nine sport disciplines. It should be a lot of fun.”
Upon receiving a unanimous endorsement from USA Water Ski’s five-person Executive Search Committee, Locke’s hiring was subsequently approved by USA Water Ski’s Executive Committee and the organization’s board of directors.
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