Steve Stenersen, the former longtime USA Lacrosse CEO, was honored last week with the Lifetime Achievement Award by World Lacrosse.
Stenersen was selected for the highest honor bestowed by World Lacrosse after dedicating more than 35 years of his life to the growth and development of the sport of lacrosse. He served as the CEO of USA Lacrosse – the sport’s governing body in the United States – from 1998 to 2021 after having led its formation. He also served on the World Lacrosse board of directors as its vice president from 2014 to 2022.
“Steve Stenersen is one of the most influential modern figures in the sport,” said World Lacrosse CEO Jim Scherr. “His tireless contributions and belief in lacrosse are a driving factor in its stature today. He is a special leader and trailblazer, and above all else, a selfless steward who is befitting the highest award World Lacrosse can bestow.”
Under Stenersen’s leadership, USA Lacrosse entered its first year of operations in 1998 with an annual operating budget of about $1 million and approximately 20,000 members nationwide. It grew into one of the most successful and respected national governing bodies of sport in the country and one of the largest non-profit organizations in the region. The organization’s annual operating budget has exceeded $22 million and the number of USA Lacrosse members grew to more than 430,000.
Stenersen, who was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame last year, also impacted the game on a global scale through a variety of roles. During his tenure as World Lacrosse vice president, Stenersen chaired the search committee for the organization’s first CEO in 2017. He also chaired the Blue Skies Working Group, which resulted in membership approval of the sixes discipline – which best positioned the sport for greater international growth and Olympic inclusion – a vision that was realized earlier this week with the IOC voting to include the sport in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Stenersen, a Baltimore native who was a member of two NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse championship teams as a player at North Carolina, has also been heavily involved in other volunteer roles. From 2006 to 2014, he served as a board member and board chair for The Baltimore Station, a residential addiction recovery for homeless veterans. He also served on the board of trustees for his high school alma mater, St. Paul’s School (2012-2019), as well as the board of directors for the Association of Chief Executives for Sport (2012-18). He has been a member of the Tewaaraton Foundation board of directors since 2011.
