Asking Sarah Bullard McDaniel about her favorite memory as a U.S. national team player is a little like asking a parent who their favorite child is. That’s what happens when nearly a dozen years in the national team program includes four gold medals. Her connection to USA Lacrosse goes back even further as the Massachusetts native represented the New England region three times at the historic USA Lacrosse Women’s National Tournament as a young high school player.
Those experiences have uniquely qualified her for her new position as chair of the USA Lacrosse Board of Directors after previously serving as secretary and vice chair since joining the board in 2020. McDaniel assumed the chair role on August 1.
“I feel very humbled and honored to do it honestly,” McDaniel said. “It’s been a full circle type experience. During my playing years, I was obviously very connected to USA Lacrosse, but really focused on the national team experience. It’s been so much fun to get involved as a volunteer and really get a much greater exposure to how the organization is supporting and growing the game at all levels.”
Taking on a leadership role is nothing strange for McDaniel. She was a captain for the 2007 U.S. U19 team that won gold in Canada. She was a two-year captain during her All-America career at Duke and culminated her third U.S. senior team world championship by being selected a captain alongside Devon Wills for the 2017 U.S. team that brought home the World Cup from England.
In addition to her lacrosse credentials, she’ll bring a host of business experience to her new role. She was a vice president in the early days of Wheels Up, a membership-based private aviation service, before going back to school to get her MBA from Harvard. Since graduating from Harvard, she’s worked the last five years for Gusto, a late-stage technology startup that provides HR and payroll services to more than 300,000 businesses. She has spent her time at Gusto in strategy, operations, and chief of staff roles.
“My business career has been focused on go-to-market, strategy, and operations at high-growth startups” McDaniel said. “Over the past several years on the USA Lacrosse Board, we have been focused on the key customers and stakeholders of the organization, and improving how we speak to each of those stakeholders on what the sport, and the organization, can do for them. That aligns well with the focus in my day job. It’s been really fun to combine some of that professional experience in the business world and then layer in the former national team experience to bring some different perspectives to those conversations we’re having.”
McDaniel knows her national team experience is important, but she’s also learned over the last few years that broadening her scope is important to being an effective leader.
“The exposure to the perspectives of each of the board members, be it as a lacrosse parent, a coach, an official, a national team player, or a business person, has been a valuable learning experience,”McDaniel said. “It’s important that we engage all of those perspectives in support of USA Lacrosse’s mission and goals.”
McDaniel sees the key to her role as making sure that the board and the staff – led by CEO Marc Riccio – work in concert.
“The board has great confidence in the direction that Marc and his team are leading the organization,” McDaniel said. “My role, and the role of the board, is to be strategic advisors and to provide accountability that we’re collectively hitting the vision and strategy that has been laid out. We’re here to help.”
Some of the key areas of focus for the board will be helping the organization prepare to maximize the opportunity the LA28 Olympics provide and expanding the philanthropic and commercial arms of the organization to help drive the mission. The mission has been unwavering since Riccio took over as CEO in 2021 – fuel the growth, enhance the experience and field the best national teams.
It's a mission that both drives McDaniel and gives her an opportunity to pay it forward.
“Lacrosse has been an absolute defining part of my life and making me who I am,” McDaniel said. “It’s given me so much in terms of incredible relationships with teammates and coaches. It's really a pleasure to now be able to give a little bit back and trying to help others have that experience, at any level of their engagement with the game.”
