Kevin Klipstein to Step Down as US Squash President and CEO

US Squash President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Klipstein will step down from his role at the end of 2025, ending a 20-year tenure that saw the organization make seemingly impossible growth in membership and revenue projections while also getting the sport on the Olympic program.

The organization’s revenue from membership has increased 570% and revenue from accreditation has increased tenfold. Total participation has more than doubled to 1.3 million players in the U.S. according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. The staff has grown from three to more than 30 full time employees and was added to the 2028 Olympic Summer Games program in Los Angeles.

“Serving the sport in this role has been incredibly rewarding,” Klipstein said. “It’s not easy to step away from something that’s been so important to me professionally and personally for such a long time. I am grateful for the opportunity and for the support I’ve received from so many throughout my time here.”

US Squash will begin a national search to fill the role and Klipstein will stay on to support the search and transition.

“Kevin’s steadfast dedication to US Squash has led to the most expansive growth in our history and elevated the sport to new heights,” Board Chair Sandy Tierney said. “His long-term vision for what was possible and the persistence and determination with which he pursued this vision are astonishing.”

Under Klipstein’s leadership, the historically separate collegiate women’s and men’s coach-led organizations merged to become the College Squash Association in 2018. US Squash runs the world’s largest team championships (U.S. High School Championships) and individual championships (U.S. Junior Open) and pioneered the world tour’s move to prize money parity after the U.S. Open led the way by providing equal prize purses for women and men in 2013.

These championships and more than a dozen others are run out of the $41 million Arlen Specter US Squash Center opened in 2021 on Drexel University’s campus in Philadelphia. The center houses 20 courts, US Squash’s national headquarters, its Hall of Fame, the Team USA Squash High Performance Center and Squash Smarts, a local squash and education youth program.

“I’m proud of what the organization has achieved and I really believe it’s well positioned to make the most of all that comes from Olympic inclusion,” Klipstein said. “US Squash has a healthy, proactive Board, an experienced management team and a newly formed U.S. Squash Foundation so I am confident the community will rally behind it to continue its momentum.”

Started in 2013, the US Squash High Performance Program now supports a roster of professionals with direct funding and expansive centralized services at the Specter Center. The result has been a steady improvement in Team USA Squash’s performance on the world stage and the world No. 2 ranking for the U.S. women.

“Kevin’s commitment to US Squash’s mission and his long-standing aspiration to make US Squash the best run governing body, have resulted in what US Squash is today — a truly well-respected member of the USOPC,” said Kelly Skinner, vice president for high performance at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. “The athletes’ consistently outstanding performance at the Pan American Games over the last decade speaks for itself, and we’re eager to support them in the lead up to their Olympic debut in LA.”