U.S. Equestrian Federation management announced the appointment of Jenni Autry as Managing Director of Eventing. Autry, of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, will relocate to Lexington, Kentucky, and will take over the role formally on Aug. 10, but she will start transitioning into the role on July 15. Autry is well known in the eventing world through her role as managing editor of Eventing Nation. Autry will cease all journalist responsibilities with immediate effect and will also cease her freelance roles with other organizations and individuals.

“We are very excited to welcome Jenni to the eventing managing director role and very conscious of what a huge role she will be taking on,” commented Will Connell, USEF Director of Sport. “Jenni will thus need, and receive, a great deal of support as she establishes herself in this role. The process of identifying the managing director has included three rounds of interviews that have allowed a wide range of stakeholders to pose questions to applicants. Often wrongly perceived as being solely about the senior eventing team and elite program, the managing director has to lead in a wide plethora of areas, as well as develop effective working relationships with a large number of stakeholders within and outside the USEF. Jenni’s detailed knowledge of eventing and her success building Eventing Nation will stand her in good stead, but she will now need to look at the sport through very different lenses. As part of the process of helping Jenni establish herself in the role, we will closely examine roles, responsibilities, and management structures across the programs and the team. Jenni has all the professional and personal skills necessary to take this role on, and I look forward to working closely with her over the coming months.”

“As I close the door on my journalism career, I am excited to become the USEF Managing Director of Eventing,” Autry said. “Every day will be committed to continuing the work of implementing the strategic plan, ensuring the success of the pathway program, and creating sustainable success in U.S. Eventing for many years to come. This job reaches far beyond high performance, and there are big shoes to fill. I am eager to hit the road to speak with key stakeholders who will play a critical role in growing the sport and ultimately getting the U.S. back on the podium.”

Current Managing Director Joanie Morris has held the role since 2012. She will be handing over the reins immediately after the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, where she will be the eventing team leader.