May 17, 2021
Dear Members and Partners,
I write to you today with incredible excitement, having just joined US Sailing as its new Chief Executive Officer. Given your important place in the sailing community, I wanted to connect initially to introduce myself in this manner for now at the very start of my time with US Sailing.
I am honored to have been selected by the Board of Directors, and I am excited to work closely with the passionate, dedicated and talented staff and volunteers and do my part to make a difference helping lead this wonderful organization. The Board has set the tone for the culture of excellence that US Sailing will create and we are all hard at work to do exactly that.
A critical piece of putting us on the path to excellence was the hiring of Paul Cayard as the Executive Director of U.S. Olympic Sailing. Paul is one of America’s most accomplished sailors, with a drive for excellence and a strong competitive spirit, so the US Sailing Team is in great hands. I look forward to working with Paul and creating a successful and complementary dynamic that will strengthen US Sailing for years to come.
I have worked in the sports and entertainment industry for 25 years in a variety of organizations and leadership roles. I grew up loving and playing sports and was fortunate to turn that passion into a career. The teams and organizations that I was pleased to serve provided first-class experiences for members, created successful and rewarding partnerships, were active contributors in the community and produced athletic successes. As I have seen in those experiences, members and partners are the critical foundation of a successful sports organization and winning organizations let the experts do what they are great at. I have great appreciation for the wonderful qualities of sailing and sailors and deep respect for the incredible talent that US Sailing has in its staff, its volunteers and the US Sailing Team.
I cannot wait to bring my decades of experiences and best practices from across the sports and entertainment industry, coupled with a fresh perspective and approach, to help make a difference at US Sailing and provide you – our valuable members and partners – with the very best that US Sailing has to offer.
You have our sincere gratitude and appreciation for your involvement with US Sailing. With the Board’s focus and support and the terrific team of talented and dedicated people we have here, we can all feel incredibly confident about the future of US Sailing. We will be in regular contact with you in the months and years ahead regarding the many good things on the horizon.
Sincerely,
Alan Ostfield
Chief Executive Officer of US Sailing