U.S. Olympic Committee Announces Key Executive Hires

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic Committee today announced the hiring of Bobbi McPherson as chief people officer and Katie Bynum as chief of staff. Additionally, USOC team member Christine Walshe was promoted to chief development officer. All will report to CEO Sarah Hirshland, adding three more dedicated leaders to the USOC executive team.

"I am excited to have Bobbi and Katie join our organization, and to have Christine step into this new role with us as we build an executive team capable of leading the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic community into the future," said Hirshland. "Each of these three accomplished leaders is committed to building the type of organization that the athletes of Team USA so richly deserve."

McPherson brings her 14 years of experience as a human resources chief to the USOC’s chief people officer role, where she will lead the human capital team with an increased focus on talent development and education for administrators in the Olympic and Paralympic movements.

"The athletes of Team USA are the best in the world at what they do and the staff that serves them must be as well," said McPherson. "I’m incredibly impressed with everyone I’ve met thus far and really excited to get started and see how I can help my new colleagues be even better."

McPherson joins the USOC from Two Roads Hospitality, an international lifestyle company that operated more than 85 independent, boutique and lifestyle hotels, and was acquired by Hyatt Hotels Corporation in 2018. Supporting a dispersed workforce, McPherson implemented processes to ensure pay and title equity across remote and property-based employees, improved team member relations through proactive training programs, and reconstituted the HR team to properly meet the needs of a post-merger workforce of 15,000 team members.

McPherson earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management at Texas Christian University and attended Cornell University to earn her master’s degree in industrial and labor relations.

As chief of staff, Bynum will work closely with Hirshland to support critical organizational priorities. She will also oversee international relations and will help coordinate the USOC’s working relationship with LA 2028 and U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Properties.

"I look forward to advancing the strategic priorities and mission of the USOC," said Bynum. "I am honored to join the organization and will work tirelessly to deliver for the athletes we serve."

Bynum joins the USOC from the United States Golf Association, where she served as the managing director of partnerships and championship experiences. Bynum oversaw and developed key strategic partnerships and integrated programs to strengthen the USGA’s global reach and reputation. Bynum previously served as senior manager of global consulting at Wasserman, where she was instrumental in the opening of the agency’s first international consulting office based out of London.

Bynum is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication. Sports Business Journal named Bynum to its list of Leading Women in Sport Game Changers in 2017.

Walshe served the USOC as vice president of principal and major gifts prior to her promotion to chief development officer. In this new role, Walsh serves as the president of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation, and oversees the USOC’s fundraising initiatives, bringing the Olympic and Paralympic movements closer to philanthropic contributors.

"I’m thrilled to step into this new role with the USOC," said Walshe. "Over my last decade of work in the organization, our philanthropic efforts to support Team USA have seen tremendous growth, and I look forward to continuing this trend."

Walshe joined the USOC in 2008 as the development team’s first director of major gifts and was a key person in the creation of the foundation in 2013. Through her historic knowledge, Walshe has been instrumental in building the foundation’s board of directors, trustee program, Olympic hospitality program and creating a culture of philanthropy rooted in matching philanthropists with transformational giving opportunities to support Team USA athletes.

Walshe earned her bachelor’s degree from Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina. She earned her executive master’s degree in sports organization management from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, a program sponsored by the International Olympic Committee.

Bynum and McPherson will join the USOC at the organization’s headquarters in Colorado Springs in April. Walshe assumed her new role on March 4.

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