About the Foundation - USA Gymnastics Foundation

The USA Gymnastics Foundation raises funds to inspire world-class achievement at all levels of the sport and in life, striving to empower the gymnastics community by embodying these core values:

Excellence – strive to be the best
Integrity – instill transparency and trust
Impact – make a measurable difference
Collaboration – build teamwork and community
Joy – inspire love of the sport
Wellness – support the whole athlete and person

With a vision of Empowering champions and enriching communities for all-around success, the USA Gymnastics Foundation raises funds to inspire world-class achievement at all levels of the sport and in life. Fundraising centers on two primary pillars:

Empowering Champions: Supporting athlete performance, health, and wellness at all levels of the sport.
Enriching Communities: Helping to build and holistically support the gymnastics community, including gyms, coaches, parents, and alumni.

Executive Director Debbie Hesse

Introduced as the Foundation’s executive director May 29, 2024, Hesse brings a history of expansive organizational growth and impact to the USA Gymnastics Foundation. As the first executive director of the USA Swimming Foundation from 2010-2019, she led the organization through a period of expansive growth, more than tripling annual revenues. Also focused on community impact, the foundation’s flagship learn-to-swim program, “Make a Splash,” expanded during her tenure to teach nearly 2 million children to swim each year.

Hesse served as president and CEO of USA Diving from 2007-2010, where membership increased by 39 percent and the organization more than doubled sponsorship and broadcast revenues. She also was executive director of USA Synchronized Swimming from 1994-2001. The former president and CEO of Special Olympics Indiana, Hesse most recently served as assistant vice president of the Texas A&M Foundation.

Hesse is a graduate of Texas A&M University, where she competed on the varsity swim team.

“It is important to the Foundation that our mission reflects the direction of the sport as a whole. We will fund raise and invest in supporting programs where the gymnastics community and athletic achievement thrive together.”

– John Deary
USA Gymnastics Board Chair

Board of Directors

The USA Gymnastics Foundation Board of Directors includes a range of lifelong contributors to the sport, accomplished “change agents”, and respected executives in a range of industries. The board will continue to grow and evolve in the next phase. Current board members include: