Proven Leader in U.S. Olympic Movement to Implement New Organizational
Vision and Strategy
Colorado Springs, Colo. – The USA Team Handball Board of Directors today appointed Barry Siff as Chief Executive Officer effective immediately. Siff brings considerable experience as a proven leader in the Olympic Movement after having served as the volunteer President of USA Triathlon’s Board of Directors from 2014 to 2019. Siff resigned from the position earlier this month in order to join USA Team Handball.
“I first saw team handball live at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, and my love and respect for the sport has stayed with me over the years,” said Siff. “I believe it is a sport made for American athletes – fast, physical, high scoring, and requiring great athleticism – truly a formula for America’s next great sport. As recently as the Olympic Games Rio 2016, I shared my passion and hopes for the sport with both Thomas Bach, IOC President, and Hassan Moustafa, International Handball Federation President, and I am thrilled to now have the opportunity to lead this organization.”
The USA Team Handball Board of Directors has been actively working over the last eight months to implement the organization’s official strategic plan that was outlined in August of 2018. Included in that blueprint was the goal to hire a CEO who can help grow the sport both at the highest and grassroots levels through development activities, marketing, fundraising and solid leadership.
“Barry brings extensive experience in effectively collaborating with the U.S. Olympic Committee and international federations, and there is no doubt his passion and drive will help us move team handball forward,” said USA Team Handball Co-Chair and President Bob Djokovich. “The board looks forward to working with Barry to accelerate the growth of our sport.”
Siff succeeds Michael Cavanaugh, who has transitioned to Operations Director where he will work with Siff in aligning organizational policies and procedures with all USOC programs, as well as managing several important domestic and international competitions.
"The USA is on its way to becoming a major team handball nation,” said International Handball Federation President Hassan Moustafa. “Given the current rate of progress, I have no doubt that the U.S. will soon be able to compete with the top nations of the world. I wish the USA Team Handball Board of Directors and Barry Siff the very best in their efforts to promote our game.”
After a comprehensive search process that included four board members and two athletes, Siff was recommended to the board and his hire approved.
“Barry brings a valuable skill set and a lot of enthusiasm to USA Team Handball,” said Rick Adams, USOC Chief of Sport Performance and NGB services. “We welcome him to the NGB community in his new role and look forward to working with him to achieve his goal of strengthening USA Team Handball on and off the field of play.”
As President of USA Triathlon he was integral in identifying and advancing USA Triathlon’s key organizational priorities, including development of its current 2020 Quad Strategic Plan. Siff also led the hiring process for Rocky Harris, who was named CEO of USA Triathlon in August of 2017.
A champion for gender equity within USA Triathlon governance, he helped to exponentially increase female representation on the board of directors. Siff also added an integral perspective to the board as a former event organizer and was a strong voice for all race directors while pushing the organization to better serve this key constituency group. Additionally, Siff was also a driving force for USA Triathlon’s ambitious efforts to grow participation and expand awareness for the sport — highlighted by the launch of the unprecedented “Time to Tri” initiative in partnership with IRONMAN, as well as the Legacy Triathlon, a new event leading up to the LA 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and set to debut this July in Long Beach, California.
As a member of the Executive Boards of the International Triathlon Union (ITU) – the sport’s international federation – and the American Triathlon Confederation (CAMTRI), Siff has served on several committees guiding the global direction of the sport over the last four years.
Siff left the corporate business world, and the position of Senior Vice President at the major food conglomerate, ConAgra, in 1998 to build 5430 Sports, one of the most successful event management companies for endurance sports in the U.S., later selling it to IRONMAN in 2009.
An accomplished athlete, Siff has completed numerous IRONMAN competitions, marathons, Eco-Challenge Expedition Races, and has run the Leadville Trail 100-Mile Run. He continues to compete, and lives in Tempe, Arizona with his wife, Jodee.
About USA Team Handball: USA Team Handball (USATH) is the U.S. National Governing Body for the Olympic discipline of Team Handball, and is responsible for the development of grassroots programs, preparation of national teams for international competition - including the Pan American and Olympic Games - as well as the day-to-day oversight of the sport of team handball in the United States. The mission of USATH is to develop, promote, educate and grow the sport of team handball at all levels domestically, and to enable U.S. athletes to achieve sustained competitive excellence to win medals in international and Olympic competition. USATH is a member of the International Handball Federation, the North American and Caribbean Handball Confederation, and the United States Olympic Committee, and is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo.
For a good quick look at the sport of team handball, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjNuTKO9Xkk
Media Contact:
USATH Board of Directors
USA Team Handball
Contact: board@usateamhandball.org