Olympic gold-medal swimmer Rowdy Gaines has joined the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance staff as vice president of partnerships and development.
In addition to acting as a PHTA spokesperson, he will manage the Step Into Swim Program, which has the goal of creating 1 million new swimmers by 2022. He also will work on partnerships and business development for the group.
As a swimmer, he has earned three Olympic gold medals, been inducted into the US Olympic Hall of Fame and the International Swimming Hall of Fame, and worked as a commentator during Olympics coverage.
He also has led the USA Swimming Foundation, raising more than $50 million and developing the Make a Splash initiative. For the past five years, he was vice president of aquatics for the Central Florida YMCA and, before that, served as executive director of both the USA Swimming Foundation and the LIMU Company.