Sonja Keating to Succeed Moroney as CEO of the U.S. Equestrian Federation

Dressage

U.S.A.

The USEF board of directors has appointed Sonja Keating as the next Chief Executive Officer of US Equestrian, effective January 1, 2027.

Sonja currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel and will succeed Bill Moroney, who retires at the end of this year.

Tom O' Mara, president of USEF, explained that, "before the Search Committee considered any candidate, we put a survey out to the membership asking what you wanted in our next leader. Many of you took the time to answer, and we shared what we heard in open webinars. What we heard from you helped inform the profile of our next CEO, together with the responsibilities of the role and a leadership benchmark developed with Korn Ferry."

O' Mara continued, "We then ran a national search with Korn Ferry. More than 100 leaders from equestrian sport, other national governing bodies, membership organizations and the commercial world were considered. Every candidate, from inside the Federation or outside it, went through the same interviews, assessments and references. Sonja was the strongest fit against what the role demands and what you told us you need."

According to the president, "Sonja came to the committee with a clear plan to communicate with you directly and regularly, to close the loop on what you raise, and to advocate for and support our membership across every breed and discipline."

A native of Lexington, Keating attended Transylvania University for her undergraduate degree and then obtained her J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1996. Keating was associated with the Lexington office of the Cincinnati-based law firm of Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP, where she practiced in the litigation department. Keating worked closely with Julie Goodman, former General Counsel, in both private practice and at the USEF. She joined USEF as Associate General Counsel and was appointed USEF Senior Vice President and General Counsel in 2007.

Keating was also a Member of the Junior League of Lexington where she served four terms on the Horse Show Board for the Junior League of Lexington Horse Show, one of the premier Saddlebred shows in the country.