Bill Koch to support US Sailing

Accomplished sailor and businessman William I. “Bill” Koch has been appointed to the US Sailing Foundation Board of Directors. Koch will serve on the organization’s board as Director from November 2021 until November 2024. The US Sailing Foundation is the fundraising arm of US Sailing in support of its programs and activities.

“On behalf of all the Foundation board members, I would like to welcome Bill to our board of directors,” says Bill Ruh, Chairman of the Board at the US Sailing Foundation. “His influence, expertise, and experience both on boats and in the boardroom will be a valuable addition to the US Sailing Foundation.”

Koch currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board at Oxbow Carbon, LLC, one of the world’s largest recyclers of refinery and natural gas byproducts. Oxbow also started and built an alternative energy business domestically and internationally.

“I am inspired by the launch of Project Pinnacle and the restructuring that’s been accomplished at US Sailing over the past year. I look forward to working with Bill Ruh and Paul Cayard (Executive Director of U.S. Olympic Sailing) as we help America’s athletes once again achieve podium finishes at the highest level of international competition.”

On the water, Koch built the America³ team which won the 1992 America’s Cup. Other victories included the 1990 and 1991 Maxi Yacht World Championships and the 12 Meter Worlds in 1994 and 2009. Koch also founded and sponsored a team of female crew for the 1995 America’s Cup.

In 2001, Koch was awarded a Gold Medal Award by Prince Phillip and the Royal Yacht Squadron in honor of his helming America³. Mr. Koch was inducted into the America’s Cup Sailing Hall of Fame in 1993 and into the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2018.

Source: US Sailing, Scuttlebutt