Alumni Spotlight: Scott Davison '86

11/21/2023 12:30:00 PM

Scott Davison '86 was a member of the men's swimming and diving and track and field teams during his time at Middlebury. Currently, he serves as the Chairman, President and CEO of OneAmerica, a leading mutual life insurance and financial services company. He is also the co-chair of the 2024 USA Olympic Swimming Trials.

How did you get involved in the 2024 Olympic Swimming Trials?

I developed a relationship with USA Swimming leadership and the Indiana Sports Corp. while leading the technical aspects of the 2004 World Championships. Afterwards, I co-lead the effort to restore the Indiana University Natatorium, the largest and most iconic swimming venue in the USA, and a site of many major USA Swimming competitions. Five years ago, I started conversations with Tim Hinchey, the then-new visionary CEO of USA Swimming. We became good friends and began to imagine ways we could take the sport of swimming to an entirely new level. We started to talk about putting Olympic Trials in our NFL stadium in Indianapolis. We won the bid process and the rest, as they say, is history.

What has it been like being the Co-Chair of such an incredible event?

It's been so much fun to be part of something that is so groundbreaking. This will be the largest swim meet in modern history (30,000 fans a night) and the first meet utilizing three pools on the field of an NFL stadium. Indianapolis is uniquely well suited because of the expertise we gained when we hosted the Super Bowl, Final Four, College Football National Championship and many other events. The entire city of Indianapolis will be activated for the trials, providing a Super Bowl level of excitement and fan experience. Closest to my heart is our legacy project which will teach 50,000 kids from underserved communities to be water safe. Drowning is the second highest cause of accidental death for kids and is a particular issue in communities of color because of historic exclusion. We are going to transform the sport of swimming through this event.

My role in this event is quite different than during Worlds in 2004. Our technical team is the best in the world so my focus is on developing the vision for what the trials can be, promoting the event, ensuring its commercial success, and empowering the team of 2,000 volunteers it will take to make the vision a reality. I would love to see Middlebury students and alumni come to Indy for the trials. It will be an event you won't want to miss!

I am also excited that my company, OneAmerica, has formed a long-term partnership with USA Swimming that will lift our brand on a national level, while supporting the sport and its efforts to become more inclusive through the funding of swimming programs at HBCUs. We are proud that OneAmerica will be the only corporate brand on the USA Swimming team uniforms at the Paris Olympics. Building our brand, supporting our city, lifting up the underserved and transforming the sport that has done so much for me…so much to be excited about.

What have your experiences been like being a part of teams both in athletics as well as in the business world?

They have been amazing experiences because every one of them connected me with great people with whom I have lifelong relationships and they provided experiences that helped me grow and learn. But what has brought me the most joy has been my experiences coaching high school swim teams for 17 years. Using swimming to teach young people the process of team and individual achievement and enabling their confidence was the most satisfying thing I have done outside of my family and my professional work.

Is there one piece of advice you would pass down to current Middlebury student-athletes?

As a Middlebury athlete you'll be asked to lead in your life – in your job or in the community. Athletics provides invaluable lessons in leadership and building healthy teams. Pay attention to the process and pack those lessons away. I was nothing special as an athlete, but my athletic experiences shaped and enabled everything I have done since.

What was your Midd Moment?

For me, all the moments are about relationships. One that sticks is a Terry Aldrich hill workout at Chipman Hill during track season. Brutal sprints up the road. We were all dying, but we took turns encouraging each other, laughing through our pain, and we got through it - together. It bonded us as a team.

For more information on tickets and volunteering for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, please head to USASwimming.org/trials.

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