USTA Names Michael McGoohan to Newly Created Role of Chief Growth Officer
Posted: July 9, 2025 in Suppliers
USTA
NEW YORK, N.Y. – The USTA announces that global business executive Mike McGoohan assumed the newly created role of Chief Growth Officer on July 1, bringing extensive expertise in driving strategic growth and performance optimization across iconic consumer, lifestyle and sports brands. In this new role, McGoohan is leading efforts to expand tennis participation and engagement throughout the United States, spearheading strategic growth initiatives across recreational play, digital engagement, and national programming that support player participation and retention. The position is based out of the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.
“Reaching 35 million tennis players by 2035 is an ambitious goal — and it’s going to require a coordinated, collaborative effort across every part of our organization,” said USTA interim Co-CEOs Andrea Hirsch and Brian Vahaly. “That’s why we created this new leadership role. Mike has a proven track record of accelerating growth at scale, and we’re confident that his experience and vision will help us bring the benefits of the world’s healthiest sport to more people and communities across America.”
As Chief Growth Officer, McGoohan is responsible for developing a player participation growth strategy and operating plan to help the USTA to reach its goal of 35 million players by 2035. This is inclusive of national programs such as Red Ball, Youth Leagues, and Cardio Tennis. Working in collaboration with the USTA’s 17 Sections, he will ensure that national and local efforts are aligned to drive scalable and measurable impact. Reporting into McGoohan are Play & Competition, USTA Coaching, Marketing, Digital Strategy, Strategy & Innovation, and Industry & Sales departments. In leading this cross-department team, McGoohan will focus on expanding participation, deepening engagement, and unlocking growth across all demographics and playing levels.
“Tennis holds a powerful place in American culture, and I see tremendous opportunity to unlock growth—particularly among new and casual players,” said Mike McGoohan. “I’m excited to help expand the game’s reach and relevance across diverse communities and to make tennis more accessible and engaging for people of all ages. It’s an honor to join an organization so deeply committed to the sport’s future, and I look forward to partnering with our team to build innovative, data-driven strategies that grow participation and strengthen the tennis ecosystem for generations to come.”
McGoohan joins the USTA from Solo Brands, where he served as President of Solo Stove and Chief Growth Officer for Solo Brands. In this position he led the turnaround and transformation of a $0.5B consumer lifestyle brand platform, stabilizing operations, redefining strategic and commercial priorities, and driving omnichannel expansion across the portfolio. McGoohan developed a multi-year growth plan for the organization, while strengthening the leadership team and building a high-performance culture across the organization.
Previously, McGoohan served as Chief Marketing Officer for Central Garden and Pet, where he co-ed the growth transformation of the company resulting in 14 consecutive record quarters. He also held roles as Chief Marketing Officer and Interim Co-CEO at Performance Health, where he led the brand transformation and accelerated growth of Biofreeze, one of the leading brands in pain relief. Earlier in his career, McGoohan was Vice President, Global Head of Strategy, Insights & Analytics for Mondelez International, stewarding the growth of iconic brands such as Oreo and Cadbury across global markets. Throughout his career, McGoohan has built deep sports marketing experience and developed relationships with top sports organizations and entities to drive commercial growth and increase audience reach. His experience working within sports also includes tenure with Boston Consulting Group, where he advised top sports leagues, teams and brands on strategy, growth and innovation, and at Chip Ganassi Racing, where he managed strategic partnerships for a top-performing IndyCar and NASCAR team.
