CHICAGO (May 2, 2024) – U.S. Soccer today announced the hiring of two C-suite executives who will help the Federation achieve its strategic vision through thoughtful leadership and innovative practices. Lisa Buckingham joins as Chief Human Resources Officer and Carlos Kuri will be the Chief Legal Officer.
“Lisa and Carlos are talented, experienced executives who will help us continue to work toward our vision for U.S. Soccer,” said U.S. Soccer CEO and Secretary General JT Batson. “Creating a world-class organization is one of our strategic priorities. Lisa and Carlos will help ensure we are operating at the highest level and best serving our membership and staff.”
Buckingham joins U.S. Soccer from the Ellig Group in New York, an executive search firm specializing in DEI recruiting, where she served as president. Previously, she was chief human resources officer for Lincoln Financial Group and Thomson Learning, part of Thomson Reuters. Buckingham brings 25 years of HR experience to the Federation and is charged with championing an inclusive organizational culture and employee experience; implementing strong talent acquisition and retention strategies; and developing a robust performance management and compensation program. Buckingham is an inducted fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources (2018) and serves as vice chair of the NAHR Foundation. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and a board member and investment chair of the Philadelphia Eagles Charitable Foundation.
“The opportunity to serve as the chief HR Officer at the United States Soccer Federation fills me with excitement and determination,” said Buckingham. “In this dynamic role, I’m not just coming in to help with the overall people strategy, shaping teams, but transforming lives. Together, we’ll harness the power of talent, focus and passion for soccer to drive positive change at every level.”
Kuri joins from SXSW, where he served as chief strategy officer and general counsel for the last three years. Prior to SXSW, he was chief legal officer at Heineken USA and was senior vice president and general counsel for Red Bull North America. During his time at Red Bull, Kuri established the legal department for the New York Red Bulls and Red Bull Arena, so this is a return to soccer for him. He will oversee all legal matters, including Federation and member compliance, appeals and grievances, contracts, and litigation. Kuri is a graduate of the University of Texas; he received his law degree from the University of Virginia. He is a founding advisory board member of SERMA (Sports & Entertainment Risk Management Alliance).
“I’m thrilled to join U.S. Soccer at this momentous time for the organization and sport, as we look forward to the Men’s World Cup in 2026, the building of our National Training Center and future home for U.S. Soccer, and the execution of our strategic vision,” said Kuri.
Founded in 1913, U.S. Soccer has been the official governing body of the sport in the United States for more than 100 years. As U.S. Soccer looks toward the future amid an unprecedented moment of opportunity, it has aligned its efforts around five strategic pillars: Grow the game by increasing youth and adult participation and accessibility to the sport; Foster best playing environments through quality of referees and coaches, and commitment to participant safety; Develop winning teams through solidified pathways and success of professional leagues; Grow the soccer economy to fuel reinvestment by increasing membership, fandom and commercial success; and Create a world-class organization through revitalized structure and culture, best-in-class talent, progress in DEIB, and more. For more information, visit ussoccer.com/ourvision.
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