PROGRESSIONS AND JOB POSTINGS
Jobson Appoints Richardson OSC Chairman
US Sailing President Gary Jobson announced the appointment of Ben Richardson (Gloucester, MA) as chair of the Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) during US Sailing’s Annual General Meeting, Nov. 3 in San Francisco, California. Richardson will take over from outgoing chair Dean Brenner (Wallingford, CT), who has served as chair since 2008.
“In his role with the Olympic Sailing Committee, Ben can draw on his years of Olympic campaigning,” Jobson said. “He knows firsthand what our athletes need for success. We are very happy to have him in this leadership position.”
In his new role, Richardson will oversee the OSC, an advisory board to U.S. Olympic Sailing made up of sailors with Olympic and Paralympic sailing experience. He will serve as the senior advisor of this committee and represent the OSC as a voting member of US Sailing’s Board of Directors, along with Josh Adams, Managing Director of U.S. Olympic Sailing and former President of Sail America.
“Ben has a long history of involvement in Olympic sailing, including the past four years as a member of the OSC,” Adams said. “He is a trusted advisor to the U.S. Olympic Program, is instrumental in charting the course for the 2013–2016 High Performance Plan, the program’s overall strategic plan, and brings a depth of knowledge that is invaluable to building sustainable performance across the Teams.”
“Like every American sailor I want to see us return to the podium at Rio 2016,” Richardson said. “Just as important to me is that we can look back in 12 years and say that our successes at the 2024 Games were a direct result of the improvements to our development system that this committee identifies and implements over the next four years.”
A graduate and member of Harvard College’s varsity sailing team, Richardson is a partner and portfolio manager for The Boston Family Office, an investment advisory firm responsible for managing over $900 million for private clients. He campaigned for eight years, competing in four Olympic Trials across three quadrenniums, in the Laser and the Soling, and was a member of the US Sailing Team. He represented the USA at the Pan-American Games ('03) where he finished 5th (Laser). He is a national champion in the 210 ('10) and Rhodes 19 ('12), and a Laser Master's World Champion ('11).
Dean Brenner has been a US Sailing board member since 2000, and chair of the Olympic Sailing Committee from 2004–2012. He was a member of US Sailing’s Executive Committee (2003–2004), vice-chair of the Olympic Sailing Committee (2002–2004), and chair of the Sailor Athlete Council (2000–2004). In his role, Brenner led the athletes, coaches, staff and volunteers at the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in London, England. Under his leadership, the 2008 Olympic Sailing Team returned home from Beijing, China, with gold and silver medals. Since taking on this challenge, he has led a turnaround of U.S. Olympic Sailing that includes a more than 300% increase in its funded budget over the last eight years, including a significant increase in direct athlete support
Former Director of Sail America Joins Gowrie Group
Former Director of Sail America and Associate Executive Director of US Sailing, Dan Cooney, has joined the Gowrie Group’s growing commercial insurance division. Within his new role at the New England-based organization, Dan will work with commercial entities, marine businesses and yacht clubs across the US to help them put in place comprehensive insurance solutions and risk management plans.
In addition to providing his clients with broad insurance protection, Cooney will work with businesses to put in place proactive preventive strategies, loss control measures, and safety standards that position the client to:
- Take control of and reduce their total cost of risk
- Look more attractive to the insurance marketplace
- Implement long term preventative programs
"Gowrie brings unrivaled expertise to the table and they genuinely care about and root for the success of their clients,” Dan said. “I'm thrilled to join this group of professionals and become an advisor and advocate for our clients."
Cooney brings to Gowrie Group deep marine industry expertise and sharp business acumen. Prior to joining Gowrie Group, Dan was the Associate Executive Director of US Sailing. At US Sailing, Dan negotiated several million dollars of sponsorship agreements and created a new commercial program for the US Olympic Sailing Team.
Dan's marine roots run deep. He is a long-time volunteer for the Beverly Yacht Club and is currently serving as Rear Commodore and racing J 80s. He is also a Director at Community Boating New Bedford. In the recent past, he served as a Director of Sail America (2005–2008), as a member of the Tabor Alumni and Headmasters Councils, and chaired the Buzzards Bay Regatta in 2006, the largest volunteer-run regatta in the United States.
Dan is a graduate of Tabor Academy, Bowdoin College, and the University of North Carolina's Kenan Flagler School of Business (MBA). He resides in Marion, Massachusetts, with his wife and two young sons. Dan will work out of the company's Newport, Rhode Island office.
Thomas Hubbell Named as President of US Sailing
Thomas Hubbell (Delaware, Ohio) has been elected as the next President of US Sailing. Previous US Sailing President Gary Jobson (Annapolis, Maryland) has led the organization since October of 2009. New board members include John Craig (San Rafael, California), JJ Fetter (San Diego, California) and Jim Walsh (Brick, New Jersey).
This is the seventh year that US Sailing held elections to determine members of its Board of Directors. In October 2005, US Sailing amended its bylaws to restructure the organization and dramatically downsize the Board of Directors, from 49 to 15 members, making it more efficient. The organization's first elections were held in 2006.
Members of the Board of Directors serve for a three-year term.
