US Sailing hires Greg Fisher as Chief Operating Officer of Olympic Sailing

Greg Fisher © College of Charleston

US Sailing, the national governing body of the sport, has hired Greg Fisher (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) as Chief Operating Officer of Olympic Sailing. Fisher, a former Collegiate All-American, World Champion and world-renowned expert in the sailing community, recently completed his eighth season as Director of Sailing at the College of Charleston (S.C.).

Fisher will be working alongside Malcolm Page, Chief of Olympic Sailing, and the leadership team at US Sailing to assemble and leverage internal and external resources to prepare the Team USA to compete and excel at the highest levels of international competition, including the Olympic Games.

Fisher will lead the administrative, operational and business planning functions, and will work to further develop US Sailing's Centers of Excellence, advance the Olympic Development Program and drive stronger collaboration with college sailing. He will also support fundraising and marketing and communications activities. Fisher will focus his efforts on building a strong culture and program that enables high performance sailors for international success. He will engage and align with other areas of the organization, including the Youth and Education departments, to help deliver on US Sailing's strategy to build a cohesive and connected organization and sport.

"I'm really excited to have Greg involved and assist in molding the future of Olympic Sailing," said Page. "Greg has an amazing reputation in the sailing industry and has been a leader in college sailing. Probably the most important aspect about Greg is his great personality and overall skills in team building. These traits will assist us in building a winning system within the United States for years to come."

During his tenure at the College of Charleston, Fisher and the Cougars collected an impressive list of accomplishments, including Four Fowle Trophies for the "Best all-around sailing team in the Country", two coed Fleet Race National Championships, three singlehanded Men's Nationals Championships, three Team Race National Championships, and one Match Race National Championship. He also presided over 39 All-Americans and Honorable Mentions and 10 Academic All-Americans.

One of the most accomplished competitors in United States sailing history, Fisher has captured 22 North American or National Championships in seven different classes over the course of his successful sailing career, and a J/22 World Championship in 2008.

"I am honored to be able to work alongside Malcolm, the tremendous staff at US Sailing and the skilled and dedicated pool of Olympic athletes to help further this exciting strategy for the Olympic Program," said Fisher. "There is a strong team in place supporting all aspects of the Olympic and youth sailing programs at the organization. US Sailing has made significant investments in supporting high performance sailing in the U.S. The recent successes at Youth Worlds is a product of the strength of the plan and the potential ahead. I am excited to be able to help contribute to this initiative."

"Though I'll miss our sailors, coaches and supporters at the College of Charleston, my experiences there and in college sailing have prepared me well for this new challenge and direction in my career."

Fisher has been an active volunteer for US Sailing in many different roles over the years. A former member of US Sailing's Board of Directors, Fisher served as Chair of the One-Design Council and Chair of Championship of Champions Committee. For his contributions to the sport, Fisher was honored by US Sailing with the Community Sailing Award for Outstanding Director of a year-round program in 2012 and the One-Design Service Award (John Gardiner, Jr. Trophy) in 2007. He also received a US Sailing Arthur B. Hanson Medal in 2003 for contributing to an on-the-water rescue in Annapolis, Md.

"Greg brings an innate understanding of the sport of sailing in the U.S. and a track record of building sustainable programs that consistently deliver excellence," said Jack Gierhart, Chief Executive Officer of US Sailing. "We are thrilled that he is joining US Sailing to work with Malcolm and the rest of our team as we rebuild our leadership in Olympic sailing, and importantly, leverage those investments and successes to improve and grow the entire sport of sailing across America."

Fisher has been involved in the sailmaking industry since 1976. He started his own business, Fisher Sails in 1988 and helped develop the One Design brand at North Sails from 1991 to 2010.