Atlanta United president Garth Lagerwey taking ‘indefinite leave of absence’
Atlanta United president and CEO Garth Lagerwey is stepping down from his function after being diagnosed with cancer, the club revealed in a statement Thursday.Lagerwey, 52, will take an”indefinite leave of absence “following his medical diagnosis, with the club saying that there is no timetable for his return.Advertisement Per the group, he has started getting treatment.
The club did not
clarify the kind of cancer, however stated that Lagerwey’s diagnosis is”motivating.””On behalf of myself, Atlanta United, and the entire Blank Family of Companies, we stand completely behind Garth and his family as they browse this difficult challenge, “stated Atlanta United owner and chairman Arthur Blank in the declaration.”Garth’s resilience and optimism belong to what makes him such an exceptional leader, and I know he’ll carry those strengths in the days ahead. I have complete self-confidence in our leadership team and players as we navigate this shift together. All of us anticipate welcoming Garth back in the future and will be wishing him and his household’s ongoing strength, and a smooth healing.”In the statement, Lagerwey thanked Blank for his assistance in both his health problem and his shift.”I have made the tough choice to go back from Atlanta United to take on
my cancer treatment head-on, “Lagerwey stated in the statement. “I want to express my profound appreciation to
Arthur Blank for not only his support, however by doing everything in his power to make this procedure as pain-free as possible for me and my family. “Lagerwey, a former goalkeeper-turned-GM, started his front-office profession with Genuine Salt Lake in 2007 at age 35, ending up being MLS’s youngest GM at the time. He signed up with Atlanta United as president and CEO in 2022 after 8 effective years with the Seattle Sounders.In Lagerwey’s absence, 3 members of Atlanta United’s senior management– primary soccer officer Chris Henderson, chief organization officer Skate Noftsinger and senior vice president of strategy Dimitrios Efstathiou will lead the club’s everyday operations. Lagerwey will receive routine reports from these department heads, per the team.”Chris, Skate and Dimitrios are experienced and skilled leaders, and I have complete confidence in their abilities to lead our club in my absence. In the meantime, I’m anticipating seeing our fans again soon at Mercedes-Benz Arena,” Lagerwey stated in the declaration. “I will return.
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