DENVER (AP) – The U.S. Olympic Committee has hired Sarah Hirshland as its CEO, placing the executive at the U.S. Golf Association in charge of stabilizing an organization that has been hammered by sex-abuse scandals spanning several Olympic sports.
Hirshland will leave her post as the chief commercial officer for the USGA, where she negotiated media-rights and sponsorship deals.
Before that, the 43-year-old Hirshland worked with Casey Wasserman, the chair of the LA 2028 Olympic effort, at Wasserman Media Group.
Known as a hard-nosed negotiator, Hirshland will now be tasked with repairing relationships within a growingly fragile U.S. Olympic community.
Scott Blackmun was essentially forced out of the position after the USOC came under fire from victims of Larry Nassar and others for not doing all it could to protect athletes who had been sexually abused.
Susanne Lyons took over as interim. Hirshland is expected to start later this month.
