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USA Shooting Hires Olympic Sports Executive Bob Gambardella for New Chief Operations Officer Role
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (May 14, 2019)
Long-time Olympic sports administrator Bob Gambardella has been hired by USA Shooting for the role of Chief Operations Officer. Gambardella will begin his duties with America’s Shooting Team beginning June 3.



The organization conducted an exhaustive search for the position that included several good candidates. A seasoned executive, Gambardella was chosen based on his vast knowledge and experience with the U.S. Olympic Committee, Olympic and Paralympic sports management, international diplomacy and high-performance development. His selection was a unanimous decision among USA Shooting leadership and coaching staff.

Gambardella moves to USA Shooting after having served as a senior sports consultant for global advisory firm Burson Cohn and Wolfe for the past two years, helping guide critical high-performance and governance initiatives for India’s Olympic Committee as well as the International Lacrosse Federation.

“Bob brings a wealth of experience, energy and drive and I am excited he is joining our team,” said USA Shooting CEO Keith Enlow. “Additionally, he is a big fan of our sport, is an ardent supporter of the Second Amendment, loves the outdoors, and has a passion for helping athletes and sports organizations achieve maximum potential.”

“I am thrilled to be joining the USA Shooting staff,” Gambardella states. “It's great to be part of a team that is focused on taking the organization to the next level. I’m impressed with the amount of passion, coupled with sport expertise, that my colleagues possess. Being part of a program that is clearly destined to move in the right direction and set the standard toward sustained competitive excellence is exciting.

“I am confident that vision of 'where we’re going’ and our mission of ‘how we’re going to get there’ will undoubtedly set us down the road to success both on and off the shooting range,” he added. “This is a great challenge for all involved!”

From 2009 to 2016, Gambardella was based overseas as the Chief of the Singapore Sports Institute where he led a staff of 123 and managed a budget of $S73m. Under his leadership, his team achieved breakthrough performances, forged strategic alliances and developed systems for sustained growth and success of athletes, coaches and sport organizations. The most notable accomplishment during that time was helping the Singapore Swimming Association and athlete Joseph Schooling achieve the first-ever gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games. At the 2016 Paralympic Games, Singapore earned three medals, including two gold.

Gambardella worked at the United States Olympic Committee from 2000 to 2009 in the areas of High Performance and International Relations. During that time, he stepped in as the CEO of USA Taekwondo to help transform their organization in a time of crisis. Bob has travelled to over 50 countries and has worked in various capacities at 10 Olympic Games.

Prior to work at the USOC, Gambardella served as the National Team Director and Director, Junior Athlete Development and High-Performance Programs at USA Volleyball between 1996 and 2000. He spent 13 years as head volleyball coach at the United States Military Academy at West Point where he compiled a 326-166 win/loss record and has an overall coaching record in the sport of 487-202.

Gambardella has earned two masters’ degrees in sport management including with the International Olympic Committee’s MEMOS Program (Executive Masters in Sports Organization Management) back in 2004 where he led a project titled “Analysis of Sport Organizations and the Development of World Class Athletes for Sustained Competitive Excellence.” He also earned a Master of Arts degree in physical education/sports management from the University of Northern Colorado in 1997.

Here is my best wishes that Bob helps the current staff do a better job than occurred over the many years leading up to now. The deplorable lack of competitors at the National Championships and lack of regional major matches or even PTOs is a result of a complete and total failure of USA Shooting to develop new talent. That includes almost a complete lack of support provided to the few Certified Training Centers that have made an effort to address this.

I wish him and USA shooting all the best because this is MY sport and I care what happens to it.
That said, it always gives me pause when someone steps into a role that they don’t actually have any participation or experience. Is this guy a shooter ? If so, I missed that. Sorry.
I guess some believe that anyone with managerial experience can come in and run any organization. But, when you start running everything like a “business”, you risk losing sight of the fact that this is a sport first. A passionate sport I might add. I wonder where his passion rests.

Dr.

I tend to agree with Dr. Lee. Treating "management" as agenic to what is being managed has long been a recipe for trouble.

I would also advise USAS to focus on broadening the base, not simply funneling all resources into a handful of competitors at the Olympic level.

Mike, like you I appreciate any focus from USA Shooting to broaden the base.
In the background of any desires like that we all must keep in mind that the #1 purpose of USAS (or any Olympic NGB) is to bring home medals from the Olympics. All else follows from that directive.

Any real broadening of the base will really come from the clubs and programs that make it (part of?) their priority to feed the Olympic program.
All of us "out there" in these programs can do our part by encouraging juniors to shoot in "International" events ... not just "American style" shooting programs. The JO Qualifiers (SG, P & R), the NCAA rifle programs, and those clubs committed to holding International event PTOs are really the programs that broaden the base, and they are oiled & driven by the volunteers, coaches, and shooters themselves.

Bob begins a tough job ... best wishes in that regard.