USA Volleyball’s longtime chief financial officer and in-house legal counsel have been forced out in moves that have left the sport’s national governing body staff stunned and pressing the organization’s leadership for answers, the Southern California News Group has learned.
The departures of Stacie Kearns, USAVB’s CFO, and Rachael Stafford, the NGB’s legal counsel, this week follow a series of firings or resignations by top USAVB staff members and settlements between the organization and current or former employees, according to USAVB financial records and two people familiar with the settlements.
Kearns and Stafford were given the option by USA Volleyball officials this week of resigning or being fired, according to a person familiar with the situation. USAVB CEO and president John Speraw, the former U.S. men’s Olympic team and UCLA head coach, accepted their immediate resignations, according to a person familiar with the situation.
“I don’t think I can (comment) at this time on that,” Cassidy Lichtman, USAVB chair and a former U.S. national team player, said Saturday when asked about the departures of Kearns and Stafford.
At least five USAVB executives have been fired or resigned from the organization in recent months, including chief operating officer Steve Bishop, who ran the NGB on a day-to-day basis.
Bishop was hired by Speraw in December 2024. By this past January, Bishop was gone.Kearns had been with USAVB since 2006 and received an annual compensation of $231,428 for the 2024 financial year, the most recent year records are available, according to USAVB’s filing with the Internal Revenue Service. While Kearns worked out of USAVB’s Colorado Springs headquarters, Stafford had recently moved to Orange County, where the organization also has an office. Stafford received $190,450 in annual compensation in 2024, according to USAVB filings.
“I want to let you know that Rachael and Stacie are no longer with USA Volleyball. We wish them well in their next steps,” Speraw wrote in a confidential email to USAVB staff obtained by SCNG. “Their positions will be posted immediately and we’ve put interim plans in place so there’s no disruption to the work you rely on day to day. In the meantime, please redirect any matters to Fel (Shi, USAVB’s controller), Josh (Valdez, staff attorney) and Taylor (Dendas, Safe Sport specialists), so we can keep things running smoothly while the searches are underway.
“We will have a brief All Staff meeting Friday, if you have questions in meantime, please reach out to me. Thank you for your continued dedication to our athletes, customers, regions and to each other during the transition.”
Kearns and Stafford did not respond to requests for comment.
Speraw did not respond to a detailed list of questions regarding Kearns and Stafford’s departures, other employee dismissals and financial settlements by the organization.
A financial audit commissioned by USAVB and completed in April 2025 stated that USAVB was “defending against a claim asserted by a third party. Based on the progression of this claim and the advice of legal counsel, management considers it probable that a loss will be incurred. A liability of $3,000,000 has been recorded as the best estimate of the probable loss resulting from the resolution of this claim.”
USAVB financial records reviewed by SCNG also show the organization paid former department head $58,780 in severance
“I can’t elaborate on that,” Lichtman said when asked about a series of settlements made by USAVB and the reasons for employee’s dismissals. “I can’t speak to any specific employee or former employee.”
Speraw was hired as USAVB CEO and president in September 2024, replacing Jamie Davis, whose contract was not renewed by the USAVB board of directors. Davis is currently USA Water Polo’s CEO.
USAVB paid Speraw $390,952 in 2024, when he spent the first nine months as U.S. national team head coach. His current salary is believed to be closer to the $701,821 Davis received from USAVB in 2024.
Lichtman said she had “no concerns” about Speraw’s leadership.
“We live in a world that is changing really rapidly,” she said. “John came on a year and a half ago with a lot of high expectations from the board to evolve (the organization) to meet the challenges we in the world now.
“He’s trying to get the right team together.”