Our Speakers
Jillian Green Loughran
Keynote speaker
Sr. Director of Regional Operations & Strategy, The Center for Healing and Justice Through Sport (CHJS)
Jillian’s work at the Center for Healing and Justice Through Sport allows her to engage with sport at every level. From community centers to juvenile detention centers to major college athletic conferences and professional leagues, Jillian and her team put a premium on teaching mentors and program providers to deliver healing-centered, brain-aware, experiences while protecting, nurturing and embracing athletes for every bit of who they are. Jillian is part of the faculty of the Neurosequential Model in Sport- a collaborative project with Bruce D. Perry, M.D. Ph.D. that integrates biologically respectful best practices into sport and brings over 10+ years of experience designing, implementing, and capacity-building in the sports-based youth development and OST spaces. Prior to her work with CHJS, Jillian oversaw the implementation of programming at DREAM (formerly known as Harlem RBI) and most recently at Philly Girls in Motion where she served as the Executive Director. Jillian holds an M.A. in International Relations and an M.P.A. with a focus in Nonprofit Management from Seton Hall’s Whitehead School of Diplomacy. She has also completed leadership training at the Columbia University Business School.
Doolittle came to CGA in 2021 after serving as head coach at Ohio Wesleyan for three years from 2018-2020 where they established a new Division III varsity rowing program. Prior to Ohio Wesleyan, they were an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Bates from 2015-2017 as the Bobcats won a pair of NCAA Division III national championships in 2015 and 2017. Coach Doolittle has also served as an assistant coach with the U23 team at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Vermont, taking numerous athletes the U23 World Championships.
Doolittle began their coaching career as an assistant coach at Wesleyan during the 2013 and 2014 seasons as the team qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time in 12 years in 2014. They were a two-year member of the varsity eight at the University of Connecticut, the team captain during the 2011-2012 season, and were named an All-BIG EAST second team selection in 2012.
Director of Rowing & Head Women’s Coach, United States Coast Guard Academy
Andriel Doolittle
Franks is a 2016 graduate of Temple University, where she was a four-year member of the women’s rowing program and four-year Varsity 8+ coxswain. Franks’ first year as a Temple coxswain was under Grzybowski’s first year at the helm of the program. The pair spent four years as a collaborative coach-and-coxswain duo leading the team to historic finishes. In her senior year, Franks was an integral part of Temple’s finish at the 2016 American Athletic Conference, placing third – the highest in program history
Associate Head Coach, Temple Women's Rowing
Kelsey Franks
Eric Gehrke was recently named the new assistant coach at Oklahoma University. He joins OU with an impressive resume as a coach and athlete on the collegiate and international circuits. He currently serves as the USA U19 men’s head coach, leading the U19 men’s 8+ to gold at the 2021 World Championships and to bronze in 2022, and has worked within the junior national system since 2010.
In addition to his international experience, Gehrke served as OKC Riversport’s director of rowing this past spring and the head juniors coach for OKC Riversport from 2021-23, helping secure five top-10 finishes at youth nationals and a 2024 national championship in the U17 4+.
On the collegiate circuit, Gehrke was head men’s rowing coach at George Washington from 2020-21, leading the program to its best finish at the IRA National Championships and the highest finishes for the first and second varsity 8+. He also served as an assistant coach at Southern California (USC).
As an athlete, Gehrke rowed for Boston College where he studied English and studio art.
Assistant Coach, Oklahoma University Women's Rowing
Eric Gehrke
Sarah Gehrke is the Women’s Head Coach for OKC Riversport Juniors Rowing. Sarah feels incredibly fortunate to be able to call her passion her career and enjoys learning alongside her athletes daily as they rise to new challenges. Sarah started her coaching career after an eight-year rowing career at St. Louis Rowing Club and Indiana University, Bloomington.
She has coached juniors, collegiate, and masters programs across the country, including the National Cathedral School, Saratoga Rowing Association, University of Southern California, North Park University, Washington University in St. Louis, SLRC, Artemis Rowing, and Indiana University. Her international coaching experience includes time working with the Nicaraguan National Team in Nicaragua prior to the 2017 Central American Games.
Sarah’s most recent coaching has led crews to medals and grand final participation at Youth Nationals, SRAAs, Stotesbury Cup, and qualified a U19 Men’s 2x to compete in the 2019 Junior World Championships in Tokyo, Japan. She was also the Lead Coach for USRowing’s Women’s ODP High Performance camp in the summer of 2021.
Junior Program Manager/Lead U17 Coach, OKC Rowing
Sarah Gehrke
Brannon Johnson, a Philadelphia native and current resident, is the head coach and owner of BLJ Community Rowing, one of the most diverse community rowing programs in the Philadelphia metro area. She has built an extensive resume in rowing, teaching and coaching over the past 15+ years. At the age of 15 she learned to row at the Fairmount Park Community Rowing Program.
Continuing to reign locally on the Schuylkill River, she began to develop as a single sculler under the tutelage of Kay MacDonald. She began her racing career and started to distinguish herself from other athletes which lead to training at Boston University’s elite summer program two consecutive years. She competed in and placed in the Stotesbury Regatta as well as Philadelphia City Championships.
Brannon received a full athletic scholarship to attend the University of Texas, where she rowed at the Division 1 varsity level all 4 years. In 2003, Brannon competed as a single sculler in the internationally known Henley Royal Regatta, one of the most prestigious regattas held on the Thames River in England. Brannon currently still rows and competes and is a fixture in the Philadelphia rowing community.
Founder & Head Coach, BLJ Community Rowing
Brannon Johnson
Nich Lee Parker, PhD, has been with Columbia lightweight rowing during an unprecedented run of medal winning appearances at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) National Championships. He has guided the Lions to two of the last three national titles and medaled at the IRA's in five of his six seasons at the helm. The performances won Lee Parker US Rowing Collegiate Lightweight Coach of the Year, US Rowing Fan's Choice Coach of the Year, as well as the University Coach of the Year award from The Joy of Sculling.
Lee Parker studied music, German literature, and education policy for his undergraduate education at The Ohio State University. He completed an MS in Sports Pedagogy and Administration from Purdue University in 2007. He recently completed the doctoral program in Biomechanics, focusing on neuroscience and motor control at Columbia University.
Head Men’s Lightweight Coach, Columbia University
Nich Lee Parker
Cory began his rowing career at St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH where he was a three sport varsity athlete in football and wrestling in addition to rowing. He continued on as a four year varsity oarsmen at Bates College, and was the men’s team captain in both his junior and senior years. He was named to the 2010 ECAC National Invitational Rowing Championships All-Conference Team in his senior year. He spent time working at Northeast Rowing Center through college, as well as the St. Paul’s Advanced Studies Program teaching art and coaching rowing after graduating. He spent 3 years teaching and coaching at Hebron Academy in Maine, where he taught studio art, lived in a dorm, and was the defensive coordinator for the football team, led the strength and conditioning program in the winter, and coached baseball in the spring. His proximity to Bates College allowed him to be a volunteer coach under Peter Steenstra several days a week as well.
Cory has been fortunate to spend the last 12 years working with the Men's Junior National Team system at the Olympic Development Program, Development, High Performance, Youth Regional Challenge and Selection Team levels in Pittsburgh, Maine, Oregon, Florida, California, and Tennessee, coaching young men from programs all over the country.
He has coached at Nashville Rowing in Tennessee since 2014, where he has also served as the Executive Director since 2017. Since 2014 Nashville has had athletes earn 37 invites to JNT camps, medal at CanAmMex, Junior World Championships, World Indoor Championships, HOCR, hold World Records, and graduate with scholarships earning medals at NCAAs, Eastern Sprints, and IRAs. Nashville Rowing has qualified boats for the USRowing Youth National Championship every year since 2014, with athletes competing in the 2x, 2-, 4+, Ltwt 4+, and 8+.
Youth Development Team Coach & Educational Consultant
Cory Sanderson
Joe DeLeo
Cofounder and Lead Author, Science of Rowing
PhD Student of Exercise Physiology at University of Kansas
Joe is a lifelong rower who has been involved with the sport since age 12. Joe was a varsity oarsman at The George Washington University, and was named team MVP his senior year. He then spent the next three years as the graduate assistant coach for Syracuse Men’s Rowing under Head Coach Dave Reischman. Joe launched his business, LEO Training in 2014. Since then, Joe has consulted with junior, collegiate, masters, and national team rowing programs, as well as interviewed hundreds of rowers, rowing coaches, and strength coaches through the LEO Training podcast.
Joe moved to the Kansas City area in 2017 and worked three years as the strength and conditioning specialist for Lawrence Memorial Hospital. Joe served as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Portuguesa de Remo from 2018 to the conclusion of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. During his tenure as Head S&C won a total of 10 international medals at World Cups and European Championships. The Portuguese LM2x qualified for the Tokyo Olympics and finished 13th. He has assisted with USRowing’s annual high-altitude training camps and provided strength and conditioning support to USRowing’s para rowers since November 2023 which recently resulted in a silver medal in the PR3 4+ at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Joe has also been a presenter at the USRowing Conference and Joy of Sculling Conference. Joe earned a Master of Science in Sports Performance with First Class Honors from the University of Limerick in 2021. He is currently a PhD student in Exercise Physiology at the University of Kansas under Dr. Andrew C. Fry and Dr. Kathryn Ackerman.
Mark Williams
Head Coach, University of Toronto
Mark Williams joined the Blues in February, 2018. Since arriving at U of T, Williams has guided the Varsity Blues rowing program to Top 5 finishes at both the Canadian University Rowing Championships (CURC) and the OUA championships, along with 17 individual OUA medals. In that time, six Varsity Blues have gone on to compete at the Senior World Championships, U23 World Championships, Pan American Games, and FISU Games; five representing Team Canada and one representing Team USA.
Prior to arriving in Toronto, Williams served as head coach and director of rowing for the Ohio State University Crew Club (OSUCC). There, Williams was in charge of the program development, recruitment and fundraising, while also leading the team to top results. Under his guidance, the program garnered three Top 10 individual finishes at the ACRA national championships, along with two Top 6 team finishes and multiple medals at the MACRA regional championships.
Williams has also coached internationally and domestically outside of the academic year. In summer 2018, he coached the women’s double and lightweight women’s double for Canada at the World University Rowing Championships in Shanghai, China. In summer 2016, Williams coached the lightweight men’s program at Vesper Boat Club of Philadelphia to multiple club national championship titles and a Royal Canadian Henley title.