The Woman Who Took On the Biggest Scandal in American Sports

In Exit Interview, Marie Claire has a candid conversation with someone who’s left their job. We learn all about their experience—both the good and the bad—plus why they decided to move on and what life looks like on the other side.

Here, we talk to Li Li Leung, who spent nearly seven years as president and CEO of USA Gymnastics. She stepped into the role in 2019, when the organization was still reckoning with the fallout of the Larry Nassar abuse scandal. At the time, trust across the sport had been shattered, and the organization was mired in lawsuits and bankruptcy proceedings. Over her tenure, Leung worked to steady the institution and shift the culture toward one that centers athlete safety and well-being.

In this conversation, she reflects on the pressure of turning around an organization in crisis, the milestones that convinced her the sport was truly changing, and why, after everything, she decided to step down this year.

You announced earlier this year that you’ll be stepping down at the end of 2025. What led to that decision for you personally?

It felt like the right time. Everything I set out to do when I first took the role has now been done, and the organization is in a really great place to be able to hand over to a successor. I'm so grateful for this opportunity to have served in this role, and the people whom I've met throughout this journey, and the evolution of transforming this organization.

We have been through the trenches together over the past six and a half years since I joined the organization, and when you're tested as an organization, you're tested as individuals—and your bonds become that much stronger. And so it was a really, really emotional decision. There's no question I shed tears over it.

When you stepped into this role, the organization was in crisis. What was your first priority on day one?

The top priority was rebuilding the trust of the community. Part of that was really focusing on athlete safety, because that was one of the reasons why the organization got into the situation that it was in.

There were a lot of things that were really difficult and challenging with that, because [it required] an overall cultural transformation of the sport. The only way to rebuild trust is to be present and try to be everything to everyone, even though that's an impossibility to do. I wished I'd had more hours in the day to be present—to the athletes, the coaches, the club owners, and the parents. That was really difficult, so I spread myself really thin.

What kept you moving forward during that period of intense change?

It was the undeniable belief that we were doing the right thing. That's what grounded me. That we were positively impacting the lives of hundreds of thousands of members, and potentially transforming the sport in a positive way for generations to come.

One of the things I had said in my first interview with the board is that this is not a one person job—that it will take a village to do what we need to do. And part of that is the leadership team that I was fortunate enough to build. They were willing to roll up their sleeves, be committed to what we needed to achieve, and run into the burning house that was this organization.

At which point did you feel like the organization was finally turning a corner?

I would say the first corner was turned when we exited bankruptcy, because exiting bankruptcy unlocked our ability to be able to do a lot of other things. Rather than talking about ourselves and talking about the good things that we were doing, we wanted to show that through action. And when we exited bankruptcy, we finally were able to point to something very concrete.

One other major milestone was reengaging with survivors. When they were starting to show up at our events, and talk about us in positive ways, and recognize the work we were doing. And hearing these really moving stories definitely shaped how we operated.

How did the people around you react when you told them you’d been offered the role?

I know there were a lot of doubters out there, but I was rooted in this belief that the organization or the sport could have been turned around. There were a lot of question marks when I told people that I was taking on this role—they were saying “congratulations and condolences.” And there were a lot of people around me who truly cared about me who were questioning whether I should take the role. To protect me as a person and an individual, they actually tried to talk me out of it. [But] I trusted my gut.

The offer came through late on a Friday night. My husband and I were watching a movie—and I got a text. It said, "Congratulations.” And I showed the text to my husband. He says, "Looks like we're moving to Indy!" And he was a big part of my support system.

You’ve described the organization as a “burning house” when you first arrived. How would you describe the “house” you’re leaving behind?

I would say that we have remodeled the house. But there's still more work that can be done on the house.

One of the philosophies that we apply here at the organization is that we can always do better. We challenge ourselves in [the same] way that our athletes challenge themselves. Our athletes don't get one skill and say, ‘okay, great, I'm done. I'm not going to try and be better as a gymnast.’ They always try to improve and be better. And that's the same philosophy that we apply here.

In your view, what’s shifting in how the sport supports athletes?

Before, the mission used to be about winning medals, and that's no longer our mission at USA Gymnastics. Now, our mission is to utilize the sport of gymnastics to develop well-rounded, holistic individuals who will be successful in life beyond the sport. And that's our measure of success. And so you see the Simones and the Sunis and the Jordans be really successful—not just as gymnasts, but as overall holistic people.

What's next for you, Li Li?

I plan to rest, reset and take a moment to reflect as well. I try to live by expanding my comfort zone. It would be more comfortable for me to stay, but it's not in my DNA to coast. So stepping down allows me to figure out what the next challenge will be. This role has essentially been “my life” for the past (almost) 7 years and the people I have worked alongside have become like family. So while I know they will remain friends for years to come, I am also saddened that they will no longer be an integral part of my daily life; that will likely be the biggest change for which I’ll need to adjust.

Who are your role models?

I was asked who my sporting hero was at one point, and a lot of people named famous athletes. But I named my father. He passed away about five months ago.

He taught me true grit and resilience. He played tennis up until the age of 94, and was always motivated, disciplined, had an incredible work ethic, and was a good person. And so I always thought to myself that I would just love to be like him—and always challenge myself and have that resilience throughout life.