CHICAGO (November 8, 2023) – U.S. Soccer announced three additions to the Federation’s executive leadership including Chelle Adams as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Abe Geiger as Chief Product Officer, and Shari Summers as Chief Soccer Growth Officer. Together, the three will help the Federation with internal alignment and external engagement across the U.S. Soccer membership ecosystem on the Federation’s strategic priorities.
“I’m excited to welcome Chelle, Abe, and Shari to U.S. Soccer. Each of them are bright, thoughtful leaders who are passionate about all that the Federation is working to accomplish,” said U.S. Soccer CEO and Secretary General JT Batson. “This is a pivotal moment for soccer in our country. We have a unique opportunity to grow the game for decades to come, and we’re bringing together an elite team that will help us meet the moment. Adding Chelle, Abe, and Shari to our executive team is a critical step in preparing for what’s sure to be a bright future for U.S. Soccer.”
Abe Geiger and Shari Summers began their tenure with U.S. Soccer in Septermber and August, respectively. Chelle Adams began her new role as CFO on November 7th. All three will report to JT Batson.
As CFO, Chelle will oversee financial management of U.S. Soccer. As a part of her role, Chelle will guide investments in people, processes, and systems that enable us to operate at the highest level and in service of our members. Chelle will also oversee our efforts to grow the soccer economy to fuel reinvestment, which includes managing critical new assets like the National Training Center. She has lead complex real estate projects and will be highly involved in the development of U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center.
Abe Geiger as Chief Product Officer will build digital platforms and data architecture that enhance engagement with all aspects of the U.S. Soccer ecosystem. This includes developing tools that enhance talent identification and development, providing scouting and performance analytics to U.S. Soccer staff, players and coaches. Abe is a former U.S. Youth National Team athlete and a 3 year Captain for Stanford’s Mens Soccer Team, appearing in two NCAA Final Fours. In addition to his accomplished playing career, he has served as a referee, participated in ODP, and coached both club and recreational soccer. He also brings 20 years of operating experience building enterprise software and data products.
In her role as Chief Soccer Growth Officer, Shari Summers will work within the Federation and across U.S. Soccer membership to drive growth by supporting efforts aimed at increasing participation such as promoting adoption of Federation coaching and refereeing programs. She played professional for FK Fortuna and was Captain of the Stanford Women’s Soccer Team. Shari has intimate knowledge of the landscape as a former U.S. Youth National Team player and former ODP and Club participant. Her background in digital media will be central to engaging with the next generation of players, coaches, and referees.
The executive team will work to improve existing U.S. Soccer programs and initiatives. Shari and Abe, for instance, are currently working together on our Safe Soccer Clearance Program to develop a technology platform for the program and then implement this across the U.S. Soccer membership.
Read on below for more information on Chelle, Abe, and Shari.
Chelle Adams joins U.S. Soccer from her most recent role as the Chief Transformation Officer of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. At SeaWorld, Chelle was responsible for overseeing growth and development initiatives. Before the role of Chief Transformation Officer, she served as the company’s CFO and Treasurer. Prior to SeaWorld, Chelle boasts a host of experience in finance and accounting, with roles including:
Abe Geiger joins U.S. Soccer from Stagwell, a full-service marketing and communications holding company. Here, Abe oversaw Stagwell’s strategic software and data product innovation division, the Stagwell Marketing Cloud - a suite of SaaS solutions powering research, communications, and media activations for in-house marketers. Prior to Stagwell, Abe has accumulated varied experience in guiding strategic product development as well as an entrepreneur. Previous roles of his include:
Abe also brings substantial experience across various areas of the U.S. Soccer ecosystem as a player, coach, referee, board member and more:
Shari comes to U.S. Soccer with a number of experiences overseeing operations, strategy, and growth for organizations. Most recently, Shari was the Executive Vice President of Operations at Wave Sports + Entertainment, a sports media and entertainment company that has built some of the largest fan-centric communities on digital platforms. Before Wave Sports + Entertainment, Shari gained both business and sporting experience with:
Shari brings valuable insight to her role from her playing experience, which included stints across club soccer, Olympic Development Program, U.S. Youth National Teams, Division I collegiate soccer, as well as the professional level:
Founded in 1913, U.S. Soccer has been the official governing body of the sport in the United States for more than 100 years. As U.S. Soccer looks toward the future amid an unprecedented moment of opportunity, we’ve aligned our efforts around five strategic pillars: Grow the game by increasing youth and adult participation and accessibility to the sport; Foster the best playing environments through quality of referees and coaches, increase DEIB and participant safety; Develop winning teams through solidified pathways and success of professional leagues; Grow the soccer economy to fuel reinvestment by increasing membership, fandom and commercial success; and Create a world-class organization through revitalized structure and culture, best-in-class talent, progress in DEIB, and more. For more information, visit ussoccer.com/ourvision.