ATLANTA — Atlanta United president and chief executive officer Garth Lagerwey is undergoing cancer treatment and taking an indefinite leave of absence.
United officials announced the news Thursday and noted that "the prognosis of a complete recovery is encouraging." There is no timetable for Lagerwey's return.
"Garth's resilience and optimism are part of what makes him such an exceptional leader, and I know he'll carry those strengths in the days ahead," United owner and chairman Arthur M. Blank said in a statement. "I have complete confidence in our leadership team and players as we navigate this transition together."
United chief soccer officer Chris Henderson, chief business officer Skate Noftsinger and senior vice president of strategy Dimitrios Efstathiou will continue to lead the day-to-day operations of their respective departments while providing regular reports to Lagerwey and AMB Sports and Entertainment chief executive officer Rich McKay.
Lagerwey has served as the United's president and CEO since November 2022. He came to Atlanta after spending eight years in Seattle, where he worked as the Sounders' general manager and president of soccer.
"I have made the difficult decision to step back from Atlanta United to tackle my cancer treatment head-on," Lagerwey said in a statement. "I would like to express my profound gratitude to Arthur Blank for not only his support, but by doing everything in his power to make this process as painless as possible for me and my family. I could not possibly work for a better organization than AMBSE (Arthur M. Blank Sports and Entertainment).
"Atlanta United has a high-performing leadership team in place on the business and soccer sides of the club. Chris, Skate and Dimitrios are experienced and talented leaders, and I have full confidence in their abilities to lead our club in my absence. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to seeing our fans again soon at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. I shall return."
