Krei Promoted to Director of NRA Competitive Shooting
Arcata, Calif. native brings over 30 years of experience to position
The National Rifle Association is proud to announce the promotion of Mike Krei to director of its Competitive Shooting Division.
Krei is replacing Colonel M.S. Gilchrist, who retired recently after leading the division since the early 90s. Krei will oversee a team of 23 staff in managing over 10,300 NRA-sanctioned tournaments and almost 40 national shooting championships. Hundreds of thousands of gun owners take part in these competitions nationwide, from the novice to the world-class competitor.
The wealth of experience that Krei brings to the position is invaluable. He began shooting during high school in the small California town of Arcata, and from there went to work for two well-known companies in the shooting industry. During his time with Winchester-Western as a District Sales Manager, Krei learned how to sell firearms and ammunition during the week, and shot trap tournaments for the company on the weekend. After spending five years with Winchester, Krei moved to another sales position with the Crosman Airgun Company, where he spent six years.
From there, Krei joined NRA as a Field Representative, and for 16 years he served the people of Washington, Oregon, Alaska and North Idaho. Then in 2002, Krei came to NRA's national headquarters to take over as Deputy Director of the Competitive Shooting Division. Krei’s extensive knowledge of competitive shooting and the firearms industry, and his proven leadership ability made him perfect for the promotion, according to Kayne Robinson, Executive Director of NRA's General Operations.
"Gil Gilchrist set a high standard of performance to live up to," said Robinson, "but we think Mike Krei has all the qualities needed to lead this division forward. He has a clear understanding of the competitive shooter's needs, and we are confident that NRA's competitive shooting programs will continue to thrive under his direction."
As for Krei's plans for the future, he wants to focus on the local levels of competition.
"We need to strengthen the base of competitive shooting in high power, indoor and outdoor pistol and smallbore 3-P and prone," Krei said. "I'd like to see new people brought into NRA's competitive shooting, and it all starts at the grassroots of our organization."
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