Jack Gierhart, Executive Director
Jack is the Executive Director of US SAILING. Gierhart has over 20 years of sales, marketing, and general management experience in the technology and marine industries. In his 5+ years at US SAILING Jack has lead the Marketing, Membership and IT departments, focusing on growing the organization’s membership base, marketing US SAILING’s broad array of services and products, growing sponsorship and licensing programs, as well as and improving the overall information technology infrastructure, content management and outgoing communications initiatives. Jack was also the founder and CEO of MessageSherpa, an online communications company, and the executive vice president of Nautor’s Swan USA responsible for developing strategies and implementing sales, marketing, and customer service plans in the U.S. Jack served for as a global sales and business development manager for IBM where he developed worldwide sales strategies and enablement programs.
An avid sailor, Gierhart sails both competitively and recreationally. In addition to circumnavigating Alaska and sailing much of the east and west coasts of the US, he has participated in the Fastnet race, numerous Bermuda races and enjoys racing Lasers, H12s, Shields, J/105s, and J/80s. Jack graduated from Tulane University in 1987 and from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business with an MBA in 1993. He lives with his wife, two daughters and son in Marion, Massachusetts.