Joe Siprut, John Bardis and Ryan Conn join Living the Dream Medal Fund as Stewards

USA Wrestling is proud to announce the addition of three new Stewards for its Living the Dream Medal Fund (LDMF)—Joe Siprut, John Bardis and Ryan Conn. All three are successful businessmen with a deep-rooted passion for the sport of wrestling.

Siprut, Bardis and Conn are Stewards No. 19, No. 20 and No. 21, which put the program over its 20-Steward goal for the first time in Living the Dream Medal Fund history.

The Living the Dream Medal Fund, established in 2009, has paid over $6 million in tax-exempt bonuses to 54 World and Olympic medalists. Through the generosity of the LDMF Stewards, USA Wrestling is able to provide critical financial support to its proven performers on the Senior level, a commitment unparalleled across all sports in the Olympic movement.

Living the Dream Medal Fund bonus amounts are as follows:

• Olympic Games: $250,000 for gold, $50,000 for silver, and $25,000 for bronze
• World Championships: $50,000 for gold, $25,000 for silver, and $15,000 for bronze

Joe Siprut brings to this role of LDMF Steward a unique combination of professional excellence and personal commitment to the sport of wrestling. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Kerberos Capital Management, an SEC-Registered Investment Advisor specializing in credit-focused capital solutions secured by legal and other complex assets. As both CEO and Chief Investment Officer, Siprut leads Kerberos with a deep focus on strategic growth, client communication, and operational integrity.

Before launching Kerberos, Siprut built a distinguished legal career, earning national recognition as a trial attorney. He was named to the Law Dragon 500 (recognizing the top 500 attorneys in the United States) and was repeatedly honored as a “Super Lawyer” and “Leading Lawyer.” He holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and was selected for the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, reflecting his track record of success in high-stakes litigation. Siprut is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Law, where he served as Managing Editor of the Northwestern Law Review and has published academic work in leading law journals. He is also a frequent speaker at investment and legal conferences and has appeared on national television outlets including Fox Sports and CNN.

Siprut’s professional achievements are matched by his lifelong connection to wrestling. A wrestler himself, he has remained actively involved in the sport as both a competitor and coach. He twice competed at the U.S. Open in the Veterans Division, placing second in Greco-Roman in 2016. Today, he serves on the coaching staff at Lane Tech High School in Chicago, where his son, Joe Jr., is a standout academic-athlete and rising junior. Siprut is also a longtime supporter of Beat the Streets Chicago and is passionate about animal welfare, actively supporting PAWS, an animal shelter in the city.

Siprut has been a long-time generous supporter of USA Wrestling for many years, contributing to the General Fund (our greatest need) and the Living the Dream Medal Fund. By becoming a Steward, he is deepening his commitment to helping U.S. wrestlers reach their highest potential on the world stage.

A longtime friend and champion of USA Wrestling, John Bardis brings to the LDMF an extraordinary blend of passion for the sport and a legacy of professional excellence. He has long credited wrestling for shaping his approach to business and life, emphasizing the discipline, resilience, and drive he developed on the mat as critical to his remarkable success.

A three-time CEO in the healthcare industry, Bardis has led organizations at the highest level. After earning a business degree from the University of Arizona, he began his career at American Hospital Supply and Baxter International, rising to Vice President of the Operating Room Division. In 1987, he became President of Kinetic Concepts and later led TheraTx, Inc. from 1992 to 1997, growing it from $15 million to over $500 million in revenue. TheraTx was named the second-fastest growing public company in America by Inc. Magazine, which also honored Bardis as its Entrepreneur of the Year.

In 1999, Bardis founded MedAssets, a pioneering company dedicated to improving the financial performance of hospitals and health systems. He served as Chairman, President, and CEO until its successful sale in 2016. He later brought his leadership to the public sector, serving as Assistant Secretary for Administration at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, overseeing departmental operations for more than 78,000 employees.

Beyond healthcare, Bardis has made significant contributions to the Olympic and wrestling communities. He served on the board of USA Wrestling from 1997 to 2011, and as Team Leader for the U.S. Greco-Roman program during the 2008 Olympic quadrennial, guiding the team to its first-ever World Team Title at the 2007 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Bardis also played a critical role in the effort to keep wrestling in the Olympics, serving as Treasurer of the Committee for the Preservation of Olympic Wrestling (CPOW), which raised over $1 million for the successful 2013 campaign.

As an athlete, Bardis began wrestling at age 10. He was an Illinois high school state runner-up and a Junior Nationals champion in Greco-Roman. He wrestled collegiately at Wisconsin before transferring to Arizona, where he won a Western Athletic Conference title. He finished third at the 1976 Olympic Trials in Greco-Roman.

Bardis' dedication to clean sport extends through his service on the board of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), and he has also supported athletes in other combat sports, including mixed martial arts.

In 2013, Bardis was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as an Outstanding American, an honor recognizing individuals who have used the values of wrestling to achieve great success beyond the mat.

His generosity was once again on display in 2020, when he hosted the U.S. National Team for a critical Olympic training camp in Alpharetta, Georgia. This gathering—the team’s first full training session before the Tokyo Games—Included all three styles, both women’s and men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman, and helped prepare athletes for the Pan American Championships and ultimately, the 2020 Olympic Games.

Ryan Conn is the Founder of CS Business Consulting and President and Partner at Shelton & Associates. A serial entrepreneur who is highly skilled in leadership disciplines, Conn’s background is not that of your typical entrepreneur. His career began in law enforcement, quickly rising through the ranks and leading several teams in the police department, Drug and Vice, and SWAT through serious investigation and tactical missions with a 100% success rate.

During his 12 years in law enforcement, Conn earned instructor and trainer positions in well over a dozen separate disciplines or teams as a leader. Having trained and led hundreds of professionals to achieve personal and team goals, Conn’s career shifted from law enforcement to entrepreneur. He joined Shelton & Associates in 2018 to lead the firm in a transformation from tax factory to a value-based advisory firm. In three years, he led the firm to design a new culture, double staff, quadruple revenue, all while decreasing the book of business by 23%.  

Conn also founded CS Business Consulting to help companies and organizations of all types nationwide create leaders with more significant and positive influence and establish business foundations that ignite growth and foster a healthy culture.

Conn is very active in the community and serves his church as a Deacon for Benevolence, Safety and Missions. Additionally, he serves through Rotary, and as a board member or team member and donor to several charities. Conn is passionate about inspiring young entrepreneurs, helping children in hard places, and helping everyone around him become better versions of themselves.

 
In his spare time, Conn’s hobbies include firearms and tactics, wrestling, martial arts, mountain biking, and hunting. He is devoted to his family and helping them become faithful, helpful, and capable citizens.