Kurt Somerville
Trustee
Kurt is a partner at Hemenway & Barnes, where he specializes in probate, trust and estate planning law. A former Olympic oarsman, Kurt is a founder and trustee of Community Rowing. In 2004 he came on board as Chair of CRI’s Campaign Steering Committee. He also is a trustee of Noble & Greenough School, from which he graduated in 1975, and an overseer of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1979 (cum laude) and from Boston College Law School in 1983 (cum laude), where he was Executive Editor of the Boston College International & Comparative Law Review.
Ted Benford
Trustee
Ted Benford has served Community Rowing, Inc. for 13 years, including two terms as president of the Board of Directors. In his current role as trustee, Mr. Benford brings diverse experiences in business, higher education, and non-profit organizations. These have included commercial underwriting for the Chubb Group; consulting at Harlan Brown in acquisition, new market and competitor analysis; serving as Associate Director of Career Services at Tufts University; and working as Special Projects Manager for the COO of Restoration Hardware. He was also founder of Rowing Ventures, a company which utilizes rowing as a tool to teach communication and teamwork to senior-level managers and executives.
Involved with rowing since 1983, Mr. Benford has coached at the high school, collegiate, club and U. S. national team levels. These coaching venues include Boston College, Tufts University, Northeastern University, and presently at MIT. As part of his ongoing commitment to bring rowing into the non-Ivy League community, he has coached camps in diverse locales, including the Three Rivers Rowing Association in Pittsburgh, which he also served on its Board; Capitol Rowing Club, in Washington DC where he served as director of the visually impaired rowing program in addition to adult coaching; Craftsbury Sculling Center, Craftsbury, Vermont; G-Row in Boston; Black Bear Sculling Camp, Hanover, NH; and Riverside Boat Club in Boston.
John Brock
Trustee
Beth Mooney
Trustee
Beth Mooney, a Community Rowing Trustee, is a Human Resources professional and is currently US Head of Compensation for the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research. She has supported and served Community Rowing, Inc. since 1985, including a term as president of the Board of Directors, and was one of the organization’s first members. She is a founding member of the NIBR Cambridge Women’s Resources Group, co-chairing the Community Alliances committee, and volunteers as a Big Sister with the Big Sister Association of Boston. She is a graduate of the University of Southern California and earned a Masters from Lesley University. A rower since 1977, she continues to race competitively.
Harry Parker
Trustee
Harry Parker, who has dedicated more than forty years to coaching athletes on the Charles River and internationally, has an unrivaled history of success both with his crews at Harvard and with the US National and Olympic Teams.
A Massachusetts native, Harry started rowing at rowing at the University of Pennsylvania under the renowned coach, Joe Burk, and also sculled under his tutelage. After winning a Gold medal at the 1959 Pan Am Games, and placing 5th as the US single sculler in the 1960 Rome Olympics, Harry began coaching at Harvard. He became the head rowing coach in 1963. His college crews (as of 2009) have won twenty one Eastern Sprints Championship titles, numerous National Championship and IRA titles, as well as boasting a 37-7 record over Yale in the Harvard-Yale Regatta.
In his extracurricular rowing life, Harry coached many successful US World Championship, PanAm Games, and Olympic Crews including the the 1967 Gold medal Pan Am 8+, the 1968 Olympic US Men’s 8+, the 1972 Silver medal Olympic US Men’s 8+ (A.K.A., Alte Achte), and the 1975 Silver medal US National Team Women’s eight, the first to be formed by the camp system, and first to medal. He also s e l e c t e d and coached the first US Olympic Women’s Bronze medal 8+ in 1976. Harry s e l e c t e d and coached 1980 US Olympic Men’s sweep team, which raced in European regattas. Subsequently, Harry coached some very successful scullers in international racing, including Tiff Wood, one of our founders; Joe Bouscaren, a boathouse donor; Ginny Gilder, another founder; and Andy Sudduth. He continues to enjoy coaching at Harvard, although many of his competitor-colleagues wish he would retire. And, some years, he still can be seen racing the single in the Head of the Charles.
Harry was an early Community Rowing supporter, helping the organization get on the water in its first two years, by making possible CRI’s access to Weld Boathouse and its equipment. When the program moved to the Daly Skating Rink, it obviously needed equipment. Harry sold older Harvard boats and oars at a discounted price to Community Rowing. When asked to be a Trustee, he readily agreed, serving as an active member of that body. Harry was a great help in his support of the concept of the new boathouse, and in raising funds for it, although, characteristically, he was opposed to having it named for him.
Harry is married to Kathy Keeler, who, after a stellar record as a US National World Championship & Olympic Rowing Team athlete herself, and a successful coaching career at Smith College, became the first coach for the Community Rowing Junior Women in the 1980s & 90s. The junior women began their tradition of success with her coaching. Parker and Keeler together have been steady and generous supporters of Community Rowing, for which we are grateful.
Dick Cashin, who had rowed for Harry, on both Harvard and US Team crews, and who is also a long-time supporter and generous donor, gave the naming gift and chose to name the boathouse for Harry. Community Rowing is very thankful that after much discussion and persuasion, Harry finally overcame his resistance to having the boathouse named for him. The name on our boathouse makes our connection permanent and is a mutual honor.
Ann Robbart
Trustee
Ann Robbart 54, of Cambridge, a Community Rowing Trustee and a founder, is a scholar in public policy, currently finishing her dissertation in US domestic policy, and teaching. She has taught college courses, consulted, researched, and written professionally on US domestic policy, both current policy issues and its historical development. Previously, as a partner in a consulting firm she co-founded, she worked with non-profit social change groups (state-wide to regional) and political candidates (local to US Senate, around the country) to plan an execute their fundraising and public relations strategies. The firm’s work with groups focused on developing a funding base of individual donors and reducing reliance upon foundation and government grants. Earlier, she had worked as the Development Director for two regional groups. She has also served as a volunteer director on several local, state, and one national organization.
She helped to found the former US National Team Training Center in Boston, BRC, formerly known as EDC, in 1978, and was a founder of Community Rowing in 1984-5. She is a graduate of Smith College, earned a M.Sc. from University of Massachusetts, and expects to earn the PhD in 2010.
Joel Sachs
Trustee
