by Larry Eder
Max Siegel has had his contract for CEO renewed for five years by USA Track & Field. The press release praises Max Siegel for his innovative leadership, his success at bringing in sponsors, and the growth of the sport under his tenure.
Like any leader, on a good day, Max Siegel has probably half of his constituency asking for his retirement. The key to Siegel’s success? Support of sponsors and the support of the board. After that, nothing else seems to matter.
Mr. Siegel is dealing with several challenging issues at this time, a lawsuit from Jim Estes, a USATF Board member, and some disruptions just 100 days from the US Olympic Trials marathon.
Max Siegel is a survivor. He also does good press comments, and he is really savvy in a boardroom.
I will address this new development in the next few weeks.
INDIANAPOLIS (November 9, 2023) – USA Track & Field has announced a five-year contract renewal of its CEO Max Siegel, beginning January 1, 2024. Siegel’s transformative leadership of USATF since 2012 has propelled the organization to achieve historic success, marked by record financial growth, programmatic evolution and inclusive representation, including generating over $600 million in revenue and expanding the USATF annual budget to a record $40 million.
The USATF Board of Directors undertook a comprehensive and inclusive CEO evaluation process, including performance analysis and engagement with internal and external stakeholders to share feedback on Siegel’s leadership and provide their insights in achieving USATF’s mission and shared goals. In November 2022, the Board and Compensation Committee Chair and Independent Board Member Dolf Berle also engaged FW COOK, a leading executive compensation firm, to conduct an independent CEO compensation evaluation.
The firm provided third-party advice on the reasonableness of compensation and benefit levels provided in comparison with those of other similarly situated organizations and in line with industry standards. FW Cook provided also evaluated the appropriateness of the overall compensation program in light of organizational performance and other relevant factors. The personnel and compensation committee of the Board methodically analyzed those results in making their recommendations for the new CEO contract to the full Board.
USATF Board of Directors Chair Michael Conley said: “Following an extensive review process of over a year, the USATF Board of Directors is delighted to have renewed Max Siegel’s contract with USATF through 2028. Under Siegel’s visionary leadership, innovative thinking and tireless work ethic, our organization has firmly solidified its standing in the US Olympic Movement. As we prepare for the next two Olympic Games, we are grateful to have secured Siegel for a five-year term as CEO and are more confident than ever in his ability to continue leading us to unprecedented success on and off the track.”
USATF Board of Directors Member and Athlete Advisory Committee (AAC) Chair William Leer said: “As CEO, Max has reversed the financial woes of USATF and created a strong revenue base which has provided millions of dollars in financial support to athletes. As chair of the Athlete Advisory Committee, I am proud the organization was able to retain Max. We greatly look forward to continuing to work with Max and further the work he has been doing. We look forward to supporting him in delivering a new vision which continues to reward excellence and create a safe sport environment for all USA Track & Field athletes.”
USATF Board of Directors Member and AAC Representative Bernard Lagat said: “I am excited that the Board has favorably voted to extend Max’s contract. Max’s leadership, his reliable level of expertise, professionalism and athlete centric approach led USATF to be one of the strongest and most respected sports organizations in the world. While our athletes are tirelessly working towards success at the Paris 2024 and LA 2028 Games, I am confident that Max will also be doing the same to support the athletes and implementing USATF’s strategic plans.”
Under Siegel’s leadership, USATF has secured 19 new partners, including a ground-breaking 23-year deal with Nike, one of the longest and most valuable sponsorships in sports history. Siegel has spearheaded and instituted a ground-breaking elite athlete revenue distribution plan to provide millions of dollars in additional financial support to athletes, ensuring that athletes maintain success at every step of their careers and helping make USATF the number one athletics federation and most successful track and field team in the world.
“I am honored and profoundly humbled by USATF’s decision to extend my contract through 2028,” said USATF CEO Max Siegel. “I want to thank the Board of Directors and Chair Michael Conley for entrusting me to continue to lead USATF. My passion for the sport of track and field and my dedication to putting athletes at the forefront of everything we do has never been stronger. I am thrilled to continue my journey with USATF and look forward to helping USATF carry out its mission and achieve sustainable growth in the exciting years ahead with Paris 2024 and then LA28 on the horizon.”
United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) Board Chair Gene Sykes said: “We are pleased with the news of Max Siegel’s extended tenure as CEO of USA Track & Field until 2028. Max’s exceptional leadership, financial expertise, and unwavering commitment to athlete performance have been instrumental in driving the growth of the sport. This extension recognizes the significant contributions that Max and USATF have made to Team USA, and we look forward to continued successes under his guidance.”
About USATF
USA Track & Field (USATF), based in Indianapolis, is the National Governing Body for track and field, long distance running, and race walking in the U.S. The organization provides leadership for Athletics, the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, and develops and selects Team USATF, #1 in the World.
USATF also provides leadership to school-aged, prep, collegiate, and adult athletic programs and competitions. With more than 30 million adult runners in the U.S., the organization’s activities are broad, encompassing sanctioning more than 8,000 events annually and nurturing grassroots programs, such as the Junior Olympics, to help develop the future stars of the sport.
To learn more about Max Siegel, please check out our archived interview from 2021:
