USA Fencing, Chief Executive Group Form Partnership to Bring the Sport Into America's Boardrooms

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Fencing and Chief Executive Group have formed a partnership that will introduce the sport of fencing to thousands of corporate executives and board directors over the next year.

Under the agreement, USA Fencing will provide speakers, athletes and hands-on fencing experiences at four Chief Executive Group conferences. The first is the Finance & Accounting Technology Expo, set for Nov. 18-19 in New York. The partnership continues at the Directors Forum, March 4-5, 2027, in Scottsdale, Ariz. Two additional 2027 events will be announced.

Chief Executive Group publishes the well-regarded magazines Chief Executive, Corporate Board Member and CFO Leadership, and convenes a network of chief executives, board members and senior finance leaders. In exchange for USA Fencing's participation and the participation of USA Fencing’s membership amongst their media outets, the company will provide the national governing body with advertising, thought leadership and promotional placements across those properties.

“Fencing has spent a long time as a sport Americans admire every four years and then forget about,” says Phil Andrews, chief executive officer of USA Fencing. “The fastest way to change that is to put a blade in someone's hand. This partnership gives us a room full of leaders who make decisions about where their companies put their attention, and it gives them a real experience of the sport rather than a description of it.”

“Our audience responds to programming they cannot get anywhere else,” says Jamie Tassa, publisher of Corporate Board Member and vice president of events for Chief Executive Group. “USA Fencing brings world-class athletes and a genuinely different kind of engagement to our stages. We expect it to be one of the most talked-about elements of our 2026 and 2027 events.”

Attendees at each event will also receive an invitation to try the sport near them following the conference, part of USA Fencing's push to convert curiosity into participation ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

USA Fencing enters the partnership at a high-water mark. The organization finished the 2025-26 season with more than 50,000 members and more than 750 affiliated clubs, having passed a club-growth goal it originally set for 2028. It has set a target of 70,000 members by the Los Angeles Games.

About USA Fencing

USA Fencing is the national governing body for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of fencing in the United States, dedicated to inspiring a lifetime enriched by fencing. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA Fencing is recognized by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, the International Fencing Federation (FIE) and World Abilitysport and serves more than 50,000 members and 750 clubs nationwide. To find a club near you, visit tryfencing.org.

About Chief Executive/Chief Executive Group

Chief Executive Group exists to improve the performance of U.S. CEOs, senior executives and public-company directors, helping leaders grow their companies, build their communities and strengthen society. We publish Chief Executive magazine, ChiefExecutive.net, Corporate Board Member magazine, BoardMember.com, CFOLeadership.com and StrategicCHRO360.com, and operate some of the nation's most essential peer-networking communities, including CFO Leadership Council, Chief and Senior Executive Networks, and Corporate Board Member Network. Learn more at chiefexecutivegroup.com.