Farley, Gillis, Morse, and Sulger bring passion and experience to the USRowing Foundation

USRowing is excited to announce the addition of Molly Farley, Dixon Gillis, Bob Morse, and Derek Sulger as Trustees of the USRowing Foundation (USRF). These four new Trustees bring a range of professional experience and a deep commitment to the sport of rowing, further strengthening the Foundation and leading the way for change in how we support and fund our most important initiatives, growing the long-term financial stability of the organization, and supporting the U.S. High Performance Program. 

Molly Farley (New York, N.Y.) 
A former Division I athlete and youth coach, Farley brings a passion for teamwork, discipline, and community to her role as Trustee. A Georgetown University graduate, she built her career in retail, playing a key role in the development and growth of J.Crew’s menswear business. Her professional background includes leadership in brand strategy, merchandising, and consumer engagement. 

Farley’s connection to rowing is personal, as two of her daughters row, one at Georgetown University and the other at Deerfield Academy and the U.S. U19 Junior National Team. During the pandemic, Farley and her husband launched a virtual indoor rowing program that now includes more than 100 participants from around the world. She currently devotes much of her time to nonprofit work, including fundraising efforts as a maternal health advocate for Every Mother Counts. 

“Rowing has given so much to our family and introduced us to the most generous people we know. It has also shown me the power of grit and commitment to a team. I’m excited to support and grow this sport across the U.S.,” Farley said. 

Dixon Gillis (Philadelphia, Pa.) 
Gillis is Chief Executive Officer of A-G Specialty Insurance, a specialty insurance brokerage business which provides insurance to universities and other sports programs to cover their athletes. A-G Specialty provides insurance products to USRowing. A two-time U.S. National Team rower and University of Pennsylvania graduate, Gillis oversees one of the largest specialty insurance operations in the country, working with over 750 K-12 school districts, over 750 colleges, and 3,000+ clients in the sports and special risk markets. 

Under Gillis’ leadership, A-G has grown to become a key provider of coverage to U.S. rowing programs and other national governing bodies. Gillis was recently named a finalist in the 2025 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Greater Philadelphia Award. He and his brother Jake, also a Penn rowing alum and U.S. National Team member, continue to lead the family-run business. 

Bob Morse (Austin, Texas) 
Morse is co-founder and Managing Partner of Strattam Capital, a private equity firm focused on enterprise software and technology. He has served on the boards of numerous public and private companies. Prior to Strattam, Morse was a Partner at Oak Hill Capital Partners and held earlier roles at GCC Investments and Morgan Stanley. 

A summa cum laude graduate of Princeton University, Morse earned his MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar. He is active in the Austin, TX community, serving on the board of Texas Performing Arts and the advisory board for the HMTF Center for Private Equity Finance at the University of Texas at Austin. A masters rower, Morse starts many mornings on Lady Bird Lake with the Texas Rowing Center. Rowing is a family tradition for the Morses—Bob’s wife, Susie, is also a Princeton rowing alum and their daughter Samantha is a coxswain for Navy Women’s Rowing. 

Derek Sulger (Hong Kong/New York) 
Sulger is a Harvard rowing alum and former U.S. Junior National team member, having represented the United States in the U19 men’s eight in 1988, 1989, and 1990. He began his career at Goldman Sachs and then went on to become a pioneering entrepreneur in China’s technology sector, founding several successful ventures, including Linktone, one of the first Chinese mobile internet companies to list on NASDAQ, as well as Intrinsic and SmartPay JIeyin.

Sulger’s family has a long history of rowing leadership in the U.S., including his grandfather Jack Sulger, who was President of the NAAO, USRowing’s predecessor, and who served as a Director of the US Olympic Committee for 20 years and Chairman of the New York Athletic Club (NYAC) rowing for many more. Sulger’s father, Francis, served for many years as a member of the boards of USRowing and the Men’s Olympic Rowing Committee and was an early backer of promoting the inclusion of women at all levels in the sport, including at the NYAC, where he also served Chairman of Rowing for many years.

Today, Derek Sulger is Chairman of Shanghai Tang and its lifestyle, hospitality, and contemporary art ventures. He also leads a portfolio of businesses through Lunar Capital and serves as co-Chairman and Trustee Shareholder of UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, China’s largest contemporary art institution, a member of Harvard’s Asia Advisory Committee, and an Overseer of the Friends of Harvard-Radcliffe Rowing.

There are currently 41 USRowing Foundation Trustees who represent a wide breadth of professional expertise and rowing connections. A full list of USRF Trustees can be found here. 

About USRowing Foundation   
The USRowing Foundation is the official fundraising arm of the United States Rowing Association (USRowing) and the U.S. National Team. Trustees of the USRowing Foundation use their personal and professional contacts to grow the USRowing fundraising pipeline– providing opportunities for individuals, foundations, and corporations to support USRowing initiatives and priorities through individual philanthropy and corporate partnerships. For additional information about the USRowing Foundation: tracy.brown@usrowing.org