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≡ LEUNG TO LEAVE ≡
“USA Gymnastics President & CEO Li Li Leung on Thursday announced that she will step down from her role at the conclusion of 2025.”
She said in a statement from USA Gymnastics:
“The opportunity to lead USA Gymnastics has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime.
“Thanks to the dedication of the entire gymnastics community, we are now in an incredible position as we turn our attention to the L.A. Olympic Games. The last several months have been a time of great reflection, and I know that now is the right time to pass the torch to the next leader, with the sport and organization thriving. I wanted to ensure the board has the opportunity to conduct a thorough search and also give my successor a long runway into the 2028 Olympic Games.
“I’m going to take some time to reset before determining what is next, and I look forward to USA Gymnastics accomplishing great things in 2025 and beyond.”
Leung, 52, came to USA Gymnastics from the National Basketball Association, where she was a Vice President, and took over an organization in disarray in the wake of the Larry Nassar abuse scandal. Longtime chief executive Steve Penny resigned in March 2017 and the federation went through two more hires for the position until finding Leung. In December 2018, USA Gymnastics filed for bankruptcy under weight of lawsuits related to Nassar and other abuse scandals.
Further, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee filed to de-certify USA Gymnastics as the National Governing Body for the sport in the U.S.
Leung, herself a former gymnast, was determined to fix things. In a message to the USA Gymnastics community when she was hired in February 2019, Leung said:
“As we all know, USA Gymnastics is at a critical turning point, and we now have the opportunity to look forward and to move forward.
“I have the experience, commitment, determination, and perspective to do what it takes to rebuild the organization.”
That she had success is without doubt. The Nassar lawsuits were finally settled through a long process with the survivors, the USOPC and the federation’s own insurers in 2022. The Board of Directors and much of the staff was turned over and the federation’s financial statements showed that at the end of 2023, assets had rebounded to $19.3 million and USAG had total revenues of $27.75 million for 2023, heading into an Olympic year. Not spectacular, but now steady.
Membership has rebounded from 205,500 in 2020 to more than 240,000 members and 3,300 member clubs.
Leung received total compensation of $632,567 ($577,925 in cash) for 2023, according to the USA Gymnastics tax filing. Given her performance, she could be in line for a much more lucrative position elsewhere, if she chooses to pursue it.
Leung is also a member of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) Executive Committee, re-elected for another four-year term in October 2024.
USA Gymnastics said it has hired CAA Executive Search to helm the search for a new chief executive, expected to be named later this year and work with Leung for the transition.
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