Sportfishing Industry Association Elevates Staff to Senior Leadership Positions

The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) announced the appointment of three staff members to senior leadership positions within the association.  

"It’s my pleasure to announce that Mike Leonard, Liz Ogilvie and Blake Swango have been elevated to Vice President positions," said ASA President Glenn Hughes. "These three individuals are committed to our industry and have the experience and education that melds perfectly with the goals and objectives that will take our industry’s association into the future. We are seeing great support for recreational fishing, and outdoor recreation in general, from this administration. These staff changes will help us capitalize on this momentum and make positive changes for the fishing industry."

Mike Leonard, former Conservation Director, is now the Vice President for Government Affairs. As Conservation Director, Mike was responsible for the association’s activities on a variety of natural resource issues at the national, regional and state levels. He serves on several advisory bodies to promote fisheries conservation and recreational fishing access, including the National Fish Habitat Partnership Board, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership Policy Council and the Center for Sportfishing Policy’s Government Relations Committee. He joined ASA in 2009 as the association’s Policy Fellow. Mike earned a master’s degree in Fisheries Management from Auburn University and a bachelor’s degree in Fisheries Science from Virginia Tech.

Liz Ogilvie, former Chief Marketing Officer, is now Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. Liz joined the ASA staff in 2014 as the Keep America Fishing (KAF) Director. During her tenure as KAF Director, she reorganized its structure to more closely align with Government Affairs efforts to engage anglers. As Chief Marketing Officer, Liz added Communications to her responsibilities, along with the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable and ASA’s efforts to increase fishing participation under the 60 in 60 campaign. Liz earned a master’s degree in Nonprofit Management with a concentration in Digital Communication from Northeastern University, and a BA in Art History from Boston University. 

Blake Swango, former Trade Show Director, is now Vice President for Trade Show and Membership. Blake joined the ASA staff in 2016. He began his career in 2004 working for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) managing meetings for the Builder 20 Clubs program. During his tenure as ICAST Trade Show Director, Blake worked to upgrade processes, increase the number of exhibitors and retailers and improve the look and promotion of the show. The 2018 trade show was the largest in ASA’s history. Blake earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Millikin University. 

Rounding out the management team is the current Vice President of Operations and Chief Financial Officer, Diane Carpenter. 

Hughes concluded, "I’m confident that our management team is up to the challenges in the near-term and strategizing for the long-term. They have my full support."

The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) is the sportfishing industry's trade association committed to representing the interests of the sportfishing and boating industries as well as the entire sportfishing community. We give the industry and anglers a unified voice when emerging laws and policies could significantly affect sportfishing business or sportfishing itself. ASA invests in long-term ventures to ensure the industry will remain strong and prosperous, as well as safeguard and promote the enduring economic, conservation and social values of sportfishing in America. ASA also gives America's 49 million anglers a voice in policy decisions that affect their ability to sustainably fish on our nation's waterways through Keep America Fishing, our national angler advocacy campaign. America's anglers generate nearly $50 billion in retail sales with a $125 billion impact on the nation's economy creating employment for 800,000 people.