PRINCETON, N.J. - The USRowing Board of Directors elected its officers at the March 19 meeting in Princeton, NJ. Marcia Hooper succeeds Interim Board Chair Meghan O'Leary as the association's chair, while Female At-Large Director Kris Thorsness was re-elected as secretary and Southwest Region Representative Sheila Tolle was re-elected as the treasurer. "I am honored to assume the role of Chair of the USRowing Board of Directors," said Hooper. "I am excited to be working alongside such a dedicated board. Their commitment to the sport of rowing and to providing opportunities for excellence, at every level for every athlete, is commendable. I am also looking forward to working with and learning from the USRowing staff, all our volunteers and our many stakeholders. We will strive over this quadrennial to broaden and enrich our domestic rowing programs as well as provide the resources needed for our national teams to succeed."
Hooper, who joined the USRowing Board of Directors earlier this month, is a dedicated supporter of rowing and has been involved with the sport since the mid-1970's when she helped launch the Brown Women's crew program. She has remained involved with Brown University serving as president of the Friends of Brown Women's Crew, as a member of the President's Advisory Council on Athletics, and as an officer of the Brown University Sports Foundation. Marcia has served as co-chair of the National Rowing Foundation since 2012 and has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to supporting USRowing and the U.S. national teams. She also serves as a managing director and board member of the Head of the Charles Regatta. A resident of Dedham Mass., Marcia is currently President of HooperLewis, LLC, an entrepreneurial consulting and angel investing firm and serves as senior advisor to Bowside Capital, a private equity firm. Marcia currently rows at Cambridge Boat Club in Cambridge, Mass.
"We had an incredibly productive weekend with our board coming together at full strength, setting and addressing our goals for the year," said Interim Board Chair Meghan O'Leary. "A special thank you to all of the members of the rowing community who attended the meeting. It has been an honor to serve as interim chair. I couldn't be more excited about the future of USRowing with Marcia as our new chair and I look forward to continuing in my role as the Female Athlete Representative on the Board and focusing on my training for the 2017 World Championships."
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