The Princeton National Rowing Association (PNRA) has announced Kristopher Grudt of Pennington as its new executive director. The organization operates the Finn Casperson Boathouse on Mercer Lake - a United States Olympic Training Site.
As executive director, Grudt will be responsible for planning, directing and coordinating day-to-day operational activities. He will be responsible for the hiring, development and management of staff, maintaining fiscal accountability, and implementing PNRA's mission, goals and timelines.
The Princeton National Rowing Association (PNRA) is a not-for-profit organization created in 2000 to create a world class venue where rowers from all ages and talent levels can benefit from the sport of rowing. As New Jersey's only Olympic Training Site, the PNRA facilities and Mercer Lake offer the best to our nation's premier athletes, to regional high school students, to participants from Trenton in Community based programs, and to other Mercer County residents.
"I have been involved in rowing on Mercer Lake since the early 1990's and have had the opportunity to see the visions of Finn Casperson, Brian Hughes and Kevin Bannon change the park into a world class rowing venue, supporting not only elite rowing but also rowing in the community through the juniors programs," said Grudt. "I am pleased to be given the opportunity to continue to build on this vision," he added.
Grudt has served as vice-president of the Board of Directors of the United States Rowing Association, as well as chair of the ethics committee, co-chair of the governance committee and member of the legal committee. He is an international umpire for the Federation Internationale des Societes d'Aviron (FISA) and was president of the jury at the 2006 World Masters Regatta.
A rowing official, Grudt is the recipient of the Outstanding Contributor to Northwest Rowing Award and the Julian Wolf Award, which pays tribute to the one rowing official in the USA who stands apart in his or her contribution to rowing.
Grudt has a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science from Oregon State University and received his M.B.A. from the University of Portland. He received his juris doctor from Rutgers University School of Law in Newark in 2005. He currently works as a contract attorney focusing on intellectual property, corporate and securities law as well as serving as a pro-bono attorney for Essex-Newark Legal Services.