About Us
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History
Ohio State Crew was founded in 1978 and our first boats launched in September of 1979. A decade later, the Buckeye Rowing Alumni Association (BRAA) was created to connect team members and coaches with former rowers, coxswains, and coaches. It began the legacy of giving from alumni, coordinated the annual Winter Dinner Dance and began the foundation of alumni support of the team.
Over the years, the BRAA continued to expand its support of the team including assistance in coach searches and expansion of financial support. In 2020, BRAA was restructured into the Friends of Ohio State Crew (FOSC), expanded as an organization that not only celebrates and conducts outreach with alumni but also actively seeks out the support of friends of the team outside the alumni. FOSC aims to bring professional support, both financial and strategic, to the team and raise the profile of Ohio State Crew.
Our Vision
Competitive excellence on and off the water.
Our Mission
The Friends of Ohio State Crew fosters a community of alumni, parents, and supporters to elevate Ohio State Crew to national contention and enhance the experience of Ohio State Crew’s student athletes.
Friends of Ohio State Crew Annual Report
Want to know more about what our organization has been up to this past year? To see updates on fundraising, support of the team, FOSC events, and more, view our 2023 - 2024 ANNUAL REPORT.
Finances
The Friends of Ohio State Crew is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, EIN 31-1758216.
Board Members
The Friends of Ohio State Crew is governed by members of the board.
President
Jason Yung '14
As the President, Jason brings his passion for growing organizations to the Friends with professional experience in the capital markets and transaction space. He stands up finance functions at companies in their growth phase to meet their operational needs and goals. Jason has supported The Ohio State Crew Club as the Treasurer for the Friends as well as its precursor, the Buckeye Rowing Alumni Association, since 2015.
VP for Fundraising
Eric Leeder '98
As the VP for Fundraising, Eric gets to combine his love for the sport of rowing with his experiences as a Foreign Service Officer at the US Department of State in maintaining and building relationships. He is able to do this by helping OSU Crew alumni, parents, and supporters reconnect with each other and stay up-to-date on the team, as well as ensure that they are able to assist and build it through their donations.
VP for Operations
Rachel Bushman '18
Rachel rowed with Ohio State Crew from 2014-2018. Since graduating from Ohio State, she has remained in the Columbus area working for Grange Insurance as an Actuarial Analyst. Rachel still enjoys rowing with a local adult club and hopes to use her network of central Ohio rowing connections to support OSU Crew.
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VP for Communications
Claire Mondro '10
As VP for Communications, Claire works with FOSC and the team officers to share updates about team activities, foster an online community among alumni and friends of the team, build our network and visibility within the larger rowing community, and connect with donors and supporters to aid in the team's growth. Claire has been rowing with the Atomic Masters team in Oak Ridge for the past five years while completing her PhD at the University of Tennessee. While with Atomic, she also gained experience as an Assistant Coach with the Atomic Juniors team and regatta volunteer for the Oak Ridge-hosted regattas. Claire is currently a postdoc researcher at Caltech, working with the Mars Rover Science Teams.
Secretary
Meagan Van Brocklin '10
In the secretary position, Meagan will combine her legal and nonprofit experience to support FOSC in strengthening its processes. Meagan has been involved with the team since 2014. In that time, she has worked and volunteered her time to coach the novice women, novice men, and varsity women in different seasons.
Treasurer
Dave Koch (‘84)
Dave was a member of the OSU Crew club from 1980 - 84. He coached the Clemson rowing club 1990 - 91. He has recently retired from Michelin Tire after 34 years of service. He worked in various management roles for Michelin in both manufacturing and research and development. Dave’s last position was spent managing a portfolio of projects to improve passenger tire performance. Dave lives in South Carolina where he enjoys bicycling, hiking, kayaking, traveling and visiting with friends and family. Dave supports FOSC as the Treasurer by managing the organization's finances and coordinating with the other Board members on fundraising efforts.
Board Member at Large
Kevin Long '93
A Board Member at Large provides support to Friends of Ohio State Crew as needed, contributing to outreach and fundraising efforts and serving as a liaison to the alumni community. Kevin is former OSU Crew member, officer and coach. Today, he continues to row with the Detroit Boat Club Crew. He works as a Purchasing Manager at Ford Motor Company in their Electric vehicle division.
Chairs
Chair positions are appointed by the Board members to help accomplish the mission of Friends of Ohio State Crew. Chair positions are non-voting roles.
Facilities
Brad Hemmerly '05
Brad rowed with Ohio State Crew from 2001-2005. Once Brad finished his time rowing, he started a 13 year coaching career with the club. Brad coached the novice & eventually the varsity women for 3 years with the club before moving onto other coaching roles at Williams College, Syracuse University and Marietta College as well as coaching experiences with the Junior National Team, Vesper Boat Club and New Haven Rowing Club. Brad has returned to the Columbus area with his family and is hopeful that his time working in higher education and coaching experience will be an asset to FOSC and OSU Crew's efforts to find new homes to train, row and safely store equipment with the loss of the Olentangy River on campus and now the Drake Union. He will also be a resource for the Club officers and coaching staff when needed to help with equipment upkeep, turnover and safety.
Committee Members
Committee Members of The Friends of Ohio State crew are non-voting members who support The Ohio State Crew coach and officers.
Bryan Volpenhein '98
Bryan was most recently the Men's Heavyweight Rowing Head Coach at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a two time Olympic medalist having represented the United States in three Olympic Games, having stroked the United States heavyweight men's 2004 Athens boat to gold. He has gone on to coach the United States men's team for six years as well as the San Diego Rowing club men's varsity program. He supports the The Ohio State Crew in an advisory role, primarily focusing on coaching.
Nich Lee Parker '05
Nich is the Men's Lightweight Rowing Head Coach at Columbia University. He has coached the Lions to two International Rowing Association national titles and and medaled in five of his six seasons at the helm. He has received his doctorate of education degree in biomechanics from Columbia University. Nich has also previously coached at the New Haven Rowing Club and Yale University. He supports the The Ohio State Crew in an advisory role, primarily focusing on coaching.
Tricia Blocher '03
Tricia is a Deputy Director at the California Department of Public Health Emergency Preparedness. She was previously the Co-founder and coach of Row West Racing and Executive Director at the River City Rowing Club, both in Sacramento, California. She supports The Ohio State Crew in an advisory role primarily focusing on operations and safety.