USRowing Appoints USA Swimming Executive Joel Shinofield as Chief Executive Ahead of LA28

The USRowing Board of Directors appointed Joel Shinofield as the organization's new Chief Executive Officer on October 7, 2026, ending a six-month national search. Shinofield will officially assume the role on October 13, stepping in to lead the national governing body as it prepares for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. He replaces interim CEO Peter Roby, who will transition to a senior advisor role.[1][3][4]

Shinofield arrives from USA Swimming, where he served as the Managing Director of Sport Development since 2018. In that capacity, he oversaw the organization's largest division, which generated roughly $24 million in 2024. That figure represented more than 60 percent of USA Swimming's total revenue during the Olympic year.[1][3][4]

His tenure in the swimming world was marked by significant structural investments across the grassroots and elite levels. Shinofield directed a multi-million-dollar initiative focused on coach education and certification, reaching 20,000 coach members. He also spearheaded the distribution of more than $1.4 million in annual grant funding designed to improve access to the sport.[1][3]

"Everything in my career — as a coach, an executive director, and a leader within Olympic sport — has been about strengthening the pathways that let athletes participate and excel," Shinofield said in a statement. "The rowing world is passionate and deeply invested in this sport's success. I look forward to quickly becoming a member of the community."[3][4][6]

The transition follows a period of leadership instability for USRowing, which saw former CEO Amanda Kraus step down in April 2026 after a five-year tenure. The subsequent search, led by the executive advisory firm Elevate, engaged more than 200 members of the rowing community to outline the requirements for the next chief executive.[3][4][5]

USRowing Board Chair Robert Zagunis noted that stakeholders demanded a leader with deep national governing body experience and a member-first orientation. "The profile they shaped called for a leader with the discipline to modernize how we serve this sport," Zagunis said. "Joel Shinofield is that leader."[4]

Before his time at USA Swimming, Shinofield spent six years as the Executive Director of the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America from 2012 to 2018. During his tenure, he guided the organization from near insolvency to a position of renewed national influence. He successfully navigated collaborative efforts with the NCAA and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee.[1][4][5]

His coaching background extends directly to the collegiate deck, having served as the head coach and director of aquatics at Washington and Lee University from 2003 to 2012. While Shinofield is a self-described novice in rowing, his family has deep ties to the boathouse. He met his wife, Aubrey Borland Shinofield, while both were coaching at the University of Minnesota; she previously won a national rowing championship at Princeton.[3][4][5]

Shinofield's immediate mandate involves aligning USRowing's performance, membership, and business objectives ahead of a critical domestic Olympic cycle. The organization recorded an all-time high of more than 77,000 average individual members in 2023, and the new chief executive is tasked with converting that participation into sustained revenue and elite success.[1][5]

In a recent interview, Shinofield emphasized the importance of integrating athlete voices into governance structures, an area he identified as a necessary evolution for national governing bodies. He noted that organizations must focus on the specific talent athletes bring to leadership roles, rather than simply fulfilling a mandated ratio.[2][4]

With the LA28 Games approaching, USRowing faces a compressed timeline to capitalize on the Olympic spotlight. Shinofield's first major test will be translating his proven revenue-generation models from the pool to the boathouse, ensuring the federation has the financial durability to support its national team ambitions.[1][4]