Sports ETA Names John David as President and CEO

John David has been named the new president and chief executive officer of the Sports Events & Tourism Association after spending 20 years in leadership positions at USA BMX, the membership group and sanctioning body for the Olympic sport of BMX. David will succeed Al Kidd, who will retire on June 30 after six years in the leadership position at Sports ETA.

David will become the third leader in the history of the organization, which was founded in 1992 as the National Association of Sports Commissions and led by Don Schumacher through 2017.

Since 2020, David has served as chief strategy officer for USA BMX. He served as chief operating office from 2009 to 2020 and began in 2000 with the American Bicycle Association, the sport’s original sanctioning body. During his time at USA BMX, David has helped produced two Olympic trials, co-coordinated the unification of the sport in the United States and spearheaded the campaign to create a new headquarters, arena, museum and hall of fame in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He also serves on the city of Chandler (Arizona) Parks and Recreation Board and is a UCI international commissaire. David has received several industry recognitions and was named Sports ETA’s rights holder of the year in 2021.

He has also served for 10 years on the Sports ETA Board of Directors as a rights holder representative. In 2022, he became the first rights holder in the association’s history to be elected to the board’s executive committee.

“I am deeply honored to accept the position of president and CEO and join the exceptional team at the Sports Events & Tourism Association,” said David. “With more than 25 years of experience in major event production, membership service, sports marketing and organizational strategy, I am excited to bring my passion and expertise to the table to drive growth and innovation in this dynamic industry. Together, we will work tirelessly to elevate the sports tourism industry, while creating real value for our members through our core pillars of education, advocacy, resources and networking.”

“We are excited to welcome John David as our next president and CEO for Sports ETA,” said Don Dukemineer, director of sports development for Decatur Morgan County (Alabama) Tourism and the chairman of the Sports ETA Board of Directors. “John’s integral understanding of the association, plus his past involvement as a board member and rights holder, will benefit the association in creating value for our membership. John is well respected within the sports tourism industry, and his relationships will prove to benefit the association in creating opportunities for our membership. We look forward to him sharing his vision with our members, and I am encouraged by his commitment to move Sports ETA forward.”

“John David has been involved with the leadership of our association for more than a decade,” said Kidd. “He has had a front row seat and been a part of the organization’s significant changes, which gives John great perspective. John will bring a new approach, energy and collaboration to the association and continue Sports ETA’s important work in leading the sports and events tourism industry in America.”

David was selected after a national search that was conducted by SearchWide Global and led by a search committee of industry leaders.

“I want to thank SearchWide for assisting us with the process, as well as express my appreciation to the Search Committee for their efforts,” said Dukemineer. “Our committee dedicated an enormous amount of time to evaluate candidates in search of the best individual to lead our membership. Their professionalism and service on behalf of the association is undeniable, and we look forward to working with John and the membership to continue making Sports ETA the best association possible.”

Sports ETA serves the sports and events tourism industry by providing a member-directed communication network among host organizations, event owners and suppliers engaged in the industry. The association has more than 600 member organizations and 2,400 sports professionals representing destinations, rights holders and industry partners.

Sports ETA will host its annual Symposium from May 8–11 in Kansas City, where David will be officially introduced to the membership.