Arlington, VA, Dec. 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The USO announced today that Dr. J.D. Crouch II will step down from his position as Chief Executive Officer and President at the end of 2025, concluding more than a decade of dedicated leadership with the organization that proudly serves members of the U.S. military and their families throughout their time in uniform.

“Serving as CEO and President of the USO has been such an honor for me,” said J.D. Crouch. “Over the past decade, I have been inspired daily by the incredible talent, creativity, and commitment of our global USO team. Together, we have accomplished so much, and I know the USO is well-positioned to continue leading the way in strengthening the well-being of service members and their families.”

Under Crouch’s leadership, the USO has expanded the breadth of its programming and has seen a more than 40% increase in center locations as well as significant growth in the hundreds of thousands of service members and family members accessing programs each year. Today USO support for the military community includes a new set of transition services that helps service members and their spouses throughout their military journey, a growing gaming program with thousands of organized events around the globe, dedicated USO canine volunteers that contributed a total of 4800 hours last year alone, and USO Centers aboard eight aircraft carriers as part of the USO’s naval support initiative. These are just a few examples of the many ways the USO is now more than ever capable of providing consistent, high-quality service for all wherever their mission takes them. 

“On behalf of the entire Board, I want to thank J.D. for his courage and extraordinary leadership over the past decade,” said Gen. David Goldfein (Ret), USO Board of Governors chair. “He and my predecessor, Gen. George Casey (Ret.), led the USO through a transformative journey consolidating 19 independent USO chapters into one strong, unified organization. It was a pivotal shift that demonstrated J.D.’s vision for the organization and commitment to its future success. Today’s expansion of USO deployed operations across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, on USN ships, and with families at home is a direct reflection of his passion for our troops and his leadership of the incredible USO team. “

The USO Board of Governors has formed a search committee and will initiate a comprehensive search for Crouch’s successor in the new year. This process will be thorough, with a focus on finding a leader who aligns with the USO's core values and can build upon the organization’s strong foundation.

About the USO:
The USO is the leading nonprofit dedicated to the well-being of all people serving in the U.S. military and their families. Since 1941, the USO has been by the side of servicemembers throughout their military service. Impactful support is provided through our 250+ locations around the world, a robust care package delivery program, global entertainment, military spouse and youth programming, and much more, all made possible by dedicated donors, corporate partners, volunteers and staff. To learn more and support our critical mission around the globe, please visit USO.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Jennifer Passey
USO
jpassey@uso.org