OPEN WATER ROWING CENTER STAFF

Chairman of the Board of Directors: Bill Berger

Mary Elizabeth Stone - Boathouse Supervisor

OWRC is delighted to have Mary Elizabeth (Liz), known internationally in the world of masters rowing, as head of maintenance. She cares meticulously for the boat she owns with two others, and that care is now lavished on the club boats. Because she has joined the staff, OWRC is able to offer a maintenance package to private shell owners.Liz, who sports a t-shirt declaring her an outrageous older woman, is also a fierce competitor and a source of inspiration to us all.

Morgan Fenner - Assistant Manager

Morgan began her rowing carrer as a high school rower for Capital Crew in Sacramento, CA. She then rowed for the University of California, Berkeley for one year. Since then she has been involved with coaching the Berkeley High Crew novice men's team and coaching sculling at OWRC. Morgan has been with OWRC on and off since 2002. She is now back after two years in North Carolina to be the new manager at OWRC.

A. T. Lynne - Office Assistant

A.T. Lynne learned to row at OWRC in 2006 and has been joyously rowing ever since. Living a stone’s throw from the club allows her the opportunity to cover the desk and help at the boathouse on a moment’s notice. She is strong, courteous, incorrigibly happy and devoted to helping every rower enjoy the sport as much or more than she does herself.

Ellen Braithwaite - Coach

Sculling captivated Ellen in 1994 when she was working in the office of a sculling center in Vermont. She discovered OWRC when she was looking for a place to row during visits to California, began working here in the fall of 1999 as weekend dock manager and ended up as the general manager.  A frequent competitor in both flat water and open water events, Ellen's latest accomplishments include a successful completion of the Catalina Crossing in a new Maas double with OWRC's Jon Farmer. After several tours of duty as manager she is trying to get back to doing some real rowing herself.

Stefan Benton - Coach

Stefan rowed for two years at St. Ignatious in San Francisco and then on Varsity Lightweight crew at UC Santa Barbara for 4 years. During that time the UC lightweight crew competed twice in lightweight national championships. He attended national lightweight development camp in 1989 and won a gold that year in the lightweight double in the Olympic Festival. Stefan started coaching at OWRC in 1986 and managed the operation from 1994 through 1996. He has competed in and frequently won many open water races since 1995, including four Catalina races and has won the men's double division of Catalina twice. He now coaches part-time at OWRC while working as a counselor and, as of last year, starting his own counseling practice.

Chris Dadd - Coach

Chris rowed in the men's lightweight boat at Humbolt from 1978 to 1983. After taking a break, he started again at Lake Merritt Rowing Club in Oakland. He began sculling nine years ago and a couple of years after that, entered his first open water race in a double. He now competes on open water in doubles or singles, and on flat water in anything he can get into.

He coaches part time at OWRC and recently completed his masters degree in Human Physiology at Cal State Hayward. In his spare time he has enjoyed turning rowers into lab rats in support of his thesis at Hayward. Chris is also the Head Program and Men's coach for the Berkeley High School Crew.

Rachel Jackson - Coach

Rachel learned to row many years ago as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley.  Back then the women’s crew was a small one, in number and in weight, but with a coach who believed that fine rowing technique mattered more than brawn.  Rachel competed in sweep boats (eights, fours, and the pair) and rowed at Nationals in 1977 and 1978.  After a long hiatus, she returned to rowing here at OWRC in 2000, learning to row a single scull on the often rough waters of San Francisco Bay.   She has especially enjoyed the challenge and the fun of planning and completing long rows here on the Bay (up to 22 nautical miles!) with a trusted rowing partner.  She rowed the Catalina Crossing in 2003 and 2006, and the around Catalina Row in 2004, all in her Mass 24.  Rachel loves the opportunity we have here at OWRC to combine the discipline of learning to be better and better rowers with the challenge of such an interesting territory, the powerful and ever-changing waters of San Francisco Bay.

Tom Kelly - Coach

Residing happily in Sausalito, Tom is a rowing fanatic and avid outdoorsman. In the 1970’s he was a world-ranked competitive swimmer and has been in or on the water ever since. Although he recently competed in his first flat water marathon on the Petaluma River (26 blistering miles!), Tom prefers the wilder open expanses of San Francisco Bay, with a special fondness for Angel Island and Point Bonita. During last year’s Open Ocean Regatta in April, he was pleasantly accosted by both a grey whale and a school of harbor porpoises, and can’t think of a nicer place in the world to be out on the water. He loves taking newer rowers out on guided tours around Richardson Bay.

Matt Lehrer - Coach

Arianna Pilram - Coach

Garrett Beaman - Dock Hand

Bruno Schatz - Dock Hand

Tim Sweeney - Dock Hand

Jackson Wolf - Dock Hand

Michael Konrad - Webmaster

Michael is a retired biochemist who is trying to learn a little marine biology, and rowing a shell is about as close to the water as you can get without swimming. He aspires to be an author and illustrator, but at present his work is exclusive to the OWRC site and www.scienceisart.com.