Janel Jorgensen McArdle

Janel Jorgensen rose to national prominence while still in high school when she won two gold medals at the Pan American Games. That momentum catapulted her to qualify the next year for the US Olympic team that traveled to Seoul, South Korea in 1988. The then 17 year old Jorgensen won a silver medal in the women’s 400 medley relay and finished 5^th overall in the 100 Butterfly.  Jorgensen then went home to Ridgefield, CT to begin her senior year in high school. Her swimming and academic success took her to StanfordUniversity where she graduated in 1993 with a degree in Psychology. Jorgensen held four American records, was a 27 time All American, won 15 NCAA championship titles, and is currently a member of the Stanford Hall of Fame. Jorgensen parlayed her athletic and academic success into a fast rising 12 year career at Oracle where she worked in strategic development.

After participating in and working as a volunteer and a board member of Swim Across America for 18 years, Jorgensen decided to dedicate her life to ensuring the success of the program and growing SAA’s impact on communities, families, individuals and cancer research. In October 2005 she took over the Executive Director duties of SAA and, through the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and a dedicated board of directors, the organization is now raising over $5 million a year.

As President & CEO currently residing with her husband Peter in the Boston area, Janel has successfully raised the profile of Swim Across America, increased charitable contributions and grown corporate support to assist in the expansion of SAA programs. Her experience in competing at the highest level in a sport that is both individual and team oriented provided her with the skillset to lead a large group of volunteers and donors.  She feels blessed to be able to merge her passion with swimming with her job!