U.S. Masters Swimming President Nadine Day sent a letter to the organization’s House of Delegates before they convened next week for the annual convention in Kansas City in light of the news of Executive Director Rob Butcher leaving his post on December 31.
As you will read in the letter, she was part of the committee that hired Butcher in 2008, and will be a part of the team that selects his replacement.
Dear U.S. Masters Swimming House of Delegates,
This week Executive Director Rob Butcher shared with the Board of Directors and National Office staff that he will be stepping down December 31, 2015. On January 1, 2016, Rob will become the President and CEO of Swim Across America. The SAA mission is to raise money for cancer research, prevention, and treatment through swimming-‐related events.
I was a member of the search task force that interviewed and recommended we hire Rob in 2008. At the time, we were seeking an executive director who could transform USMS from a primarily volunteer-‐operated governing body to a professionally managed organization.
Since 2008, Rob has guided the development of our National Office with a steady vision. Milestone accomplishments include rebranding USMS with an inclusive identity, the development of SWIMMER magazine and usms.org into the trusted resources for Masters swimmers, partnerships with Fortune 500 brands Marriott and Nationwide, development of the USMS Masters Coach Certification Program so Masters coaches can provide a better swimming experience for our members, establishment of the Swimming Saves Lives Foundation to provide learn-‐to-‐swim opportunities for adults, and National Office educational programs and services for our members, LMSCs, and volunteers.
In January 2016, the National Office is migrating to a larger location in Sarasota. This move and the hiring of a new executive director signify a new chapter for USMS. As we continue to work with the incredible employees that Rob brought onto the National Office staff, I’m excited about the opportunities to make our existing programs and services even better and to create new ones as we encourage adults to swim.We’re in the process of appointing a search task force and establishing the search process. The task force will work closely with Rob to find a successor who will take us into our next chapter. Our hope is to have a new executive director on board before December 31.
USMS has been very fortunate to have Rob Butcher as our executive director. We truly appreciate all of his many contributions and we have benefited from his outstanding leadership. Swim Across America is a great organization and has many ties to U.S. Masters Swimming. I would like to wish Rob and Swim Across America a very successful future.
Sincerely,
Nadine Day
President, U.S. Masters Swimming
Thank you, Nadine.
Delusional thoughts on the most unscrupulous individual I ever met, but it’s good to know the people who thought it would be a bright idea to hire the guy are still around, doing what they do best. No reason to rejoin that organization, and I now officially withdraw my support from Swim Across America.
Masters swimming has had great growth since you pulled your support from them. Let’s hope SAA fares as well now that you’ve pulled your suppor from them.
The rate of growth was similar when the organization was volunteer driven. The five-year $2 dues increase per/member implemented bonuses that never should’ve been given, not growth.