Board of Directors
The Litchfield Hills Rowing Club Board of Directors consists of at least seven but not more than fifteen Directors. No Director receives any compensation for their services of the LHRC. The Executive Committee of the Board is comprised of the President & Chairman, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Steve Seward,
Vice President
Steve came to rowing later in life via LHRC’s Learn to Row Program, and the sport has grown on him ever since. After kayaking Litchfield County’s lakes and rivers for many years, Steve decided to seek a new challenge. “I was also getting tired of watching all those sculls passing me by. So I decided if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!”
“At LHRC, I found good people, a great workout, and the challenge of learning a brand new skill. I’m also hoping to be proof you can do this sport forever.” The highlight of Steve’s competitive experience was rowing in the Director’s Challenge Men’s 4x at the 2022 Head of the Charles.
Off the water, Steve coaches non-profit organizations in fundraising. Following a long career in nonprofit management and consulting, Steve also now serves on the board of the Connecticut Community Foundation.
Soni Clubb,
Secretary
A chance encounter with a roadside sign for National Learn to Row Day opened up the world of rowing to Soni and her husband whom she dragged along for the journey. “I had always wanted to be that lone single sculler skimming silently along still water at sunrise. The only problem was that I had not the slightest inkling of how to make that happen.” She started rowing in the summer of 2020 and is enjoying it more than she ever could have imagined.
“I particularly love that LHRC is a warm and welcoming place for everyone from kids to us seniors, people who are stepping into boats for the first time to people who have been rowing competitively for decades, fierce competitors to people just doing it for the pleasure of messing around in a boat; we all celebrate and appreciate each other.”
Soni enjoys being outside, on the lake (and occasionally in the lake), basking in the beauty of the sunset or the sunrise, and sharing the space with bald eagles and fellow rowers is paradise. “I have become an enthusiastic advocate for taking up rowing at any time in life and enjoying the journey.” Soni joined the board in the fall of 2021 and has mostly been working on secretarial duties, National Learn to Row Day organization, and collaborations with the Town of Litchfield where our club is so fortunate to find a home.
John McTamney,
Treasurer
John McTamney joined the LHRC board as Treasurer in January, 2022. He has previously been active in the club for 5+ years as a supportive parent and formerly organized the LHRC "Rent-a-Rower" fundraiser. Although he does not have experience in the sport of rowing, he is passionate about boating in general, having spent 20+ years as an officer in the US Coast Guard, 8 of which were spent at sea. He believes strongly in the value of LHRC and is excited about the opportunity to volunteer for this worthy cause.
Kendra McTamney,
Member & Head of Parent’s Association
Kendra joined the board in 2021 after being an active parent with the club for the past 5+ years. She is slowly dipping her toe into rowing, joining our Community Challenge in 2019, an adult learn-to-row in 2020, and racing a 2x at the 2022 Head of the Fish. She loves it but finds launch rides with Coach on warm days more relaxing.
Outside of the club, Kendra is a military spouse of 22+ years, mother to 3 (and a Frenchie) who spends her free time with her family and friends. On the board, she focuses her efforts on recruitment, fundraising, and running the Parent Association.
Abby Doolittle,
Member
Abby started rowing in 2017, and ever since she’s enjoyed the challenge of finding one, maybe a few, perfect strokes (a "forever" task). Trail running has been her love for many years but a temporary injury led her to rowing, and now that will be on her to-do adventure list long into the future. She spent several decades in IT and recently retired from IBM. She’s grateful for the flexibility it's afforded her and hit the jackpot in finding LHRC: “The atmosphere is friendly and supportive, the competitive program constantly pushes me, and early morning rows on beautiful Bantam Lake is a gift that keeps on giving.”
She joined the LHRC Board to give back to an organization she feels strongly about as she’s done in the past as Board President of a local Land Trust, Volunteer Coordinator for an LGBTQ+ youth group, and other activities important to her through the years. She feels fortunate to be part of the LHRC community.
Amy Dyer,
Member
Amy’s passion for rowing began at the age of 48. She recalls that it all started with a late spring learn-to-row session; her enthusiasm for rowing morphed into pure adventure from then on. Although she was exposed to rowing through her father’s international competitive rowing adventures with the New Haven Rowing Club, it wasn’t until her son, Conor, began to row that she felt inspired to try it herself. One driving factor that fuels rowing for Amy is the unique team spirit and sense of community that corresponds with the sport of rowing. She competes with the LHRC master’s team and participates in off-season/ winter training with the club.
Aside from rowing, Amy enjoys cross-country skiing, hiking, and biking.
Gail Newton, Member
Gail rowed 2.5 years at UC Santa Barbara in the mid-70s, a place and a decade when few women even knew of this sport. “Those years rowing were foundational for me. Even more importantly, the relationships I developed during that time are some of the closest I have today.”
She is a botanist who spent most of her career in ecosystem restoration in the private sector and state government (in California). Upon retirement in 2015, she and her husband decided to split their time between his ancestral home in Cornwall Bridge, and their home in California. “So, I found myself in Connecticut sitting around too much, and in searching out a rowing program found LHRC.”
“I had not rowed in over 40 years, and only rowed sweep back in the 70s, so the decision to row again was a bit intimidating. I joined LHRC in 2016 with the hope that I could learn to scull, which the coaches at LHRC patiently have taught me (and are still trying to!). Rowing again reminded me about the impact it had on me as a college student and I want to make sure that others have that opportunity.” Gail joined the Board late in 2023 and helps the Financial Aid Committee to ensure that others have the opportunity to row.
“In addition to the physical activity of rowing, the biggest bonus of coming back to rowing is that this sport brings people together who have similar goals and lifestyles, and in LHRC, I think I have found my East Coast peeps.”
Matt Grivner,
Member
Matt joined the Board of Directors in late 2022. While not a rower himself, he has received plenty of basement erg criticism, “thinly veiled as coaching”, from his son Andrew who has been rowing at the club for the last 5 years. After spending a fair bit of time with members of the Parent Association during both regular practices and regattas, he is excited for the opportunity to lend a parent perspective to the important role the board provides at LHRC.
“As is the case in any noteworthy organization, many conversations and decisions take place ‘below the surface’ to ensure continued success. With the growth of the club in the last couple of years, especially within the ranks of our youth members, open communication with and feedback from the parents will be vital to help provide the board information that will be used to guide and improve an already fantastic outlet for the area youth.”
Having served as a Committee Member for Woodbury Boy Scout Troop 54 and a volunteer member of the John J. McCarty Observatory in New Milford, I hope to bring some of the experience from working with these two organizations to this new role I have been entrusted with.
“In my free time I…… haha. I’m the father of a rower, what’s free time?”