USRowing Announces 16 New Level 3 High-Performance Coach Graduates

USRowing is excited to announce the 16 coaches who have completed the most recent Level 3 High-Performance Coach Certification Course.

Over several months, these coaches completed 11 elite coaching modules designed to advance their skills in fields such as biomechanics, advanced rigging, long-term athlete development, and rowing philosophy, to name a few. All told, the graduates completed over 100 hours of training to earn their certification.

Please join us in congratulating the latest additions to the Level 3 coaching ranks.

Cathy Coffman

Coach Cathy Coffman has been immersed in the sport of rowing for 45 years with nearly 40 years of coaching experience across junior, master, and collegiate programs. She began her rowing journey at Washington-Lee High School and continued as a rower at the University of Virginia, Potomac Boat Club, Occoquan Boat Club, and Rivanna Rowing Club.

As a competitive rower, Coffman has earned medals at Stotesbury, Dad Vails, Club Nationals, Masters Nationals, and the Head of the Charles, where she won the Grand Master 2x in 2017. Notably, she was the runner-up in the Senior Veteran Lightweight event at the 2014 CRASH-Bs.

Coach Coffman has also made her mark as a program builder, founding two rowing programs: a large, eights-focused program at Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax, VA in 1990 and, more recently, a sculling-focused program at Albemarle High School (AHS) in Charlottesville, VA. Coach Coffman has taught mathematics at the secondary level for her entire career, is currently teaching AP calculus, and is the math department head at AHS.

Her crews have captured numerous titles at Stotesbury, Scholastic Nationals, and NEIRAs. Many of her junior athletes have gone on to compete at top collegiate rowing programs, including UVA, the University of Pennsylvania, Ohio State, Duke, Cornell, MIT, and Tufts. She has also coached athletes who represented the U.S. at the Junior World Championships. Several of her former athletes have gone into the coaching ranks at the junior and collegiate levels.

Her leadership extends beyond coaching individual crews. Coffman served on numerous junior coaching and seeding committees, acted as a JRNT Development Coach, and was the Head Mid-Atlantic Junior Women’s ODP Coach for USRowing in 2021. 

In recognition of her contributions to rowing, Coach Coffman was inducted into the Washington-Lee High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2025.

Joe Connelly

Joe Connelly discovered rowing as a high school freshman after a very brief, failed attempt at a football career.  He found a home at the Cincinnati Juniors Rowing Club (CJRC) throughout high school and began coaching there as a freshman in college. During his time with CJRC, Joe coached both Novice Boys and Girls to numerous regional championships and served on the staff for Development Camps which won consecutive Royal Canadian Henleys. 

Joe joined the Dayton Boat Club (DBC) in 2016 as the Head Novice Coach before transitioning to Girls Varsity Coach in 2018 and then DBC Head Coach in 2019. He has coached many girls’ crews to both regional championships and the grand finals at Youth Nationals. Recently, Joe has also served as a staff and assistant coach for several Youth Regional Challenges and a Selection Development Camp. 

Joe is a veteran who served in the United States Marine Corps from 2003 until 2012 and deployed twice to Iraq. He has traveled the world and held various instructor and team leadership roles while in the service. He currently lives in Dayton with his son and enjoys wrestling with small outboard motors, taking over gym classes to teach rowing, devising creative shell repairs, obsessing over weather and river conditions, and all the other little things rowing coaches do to keep their clubs afloat. 

Stefanie Falkner

Stefanie Falkner has been a driving force in the success of the Treasure Coast Rowing Club since she began her coaching career in 2011 as an assistant coach. A few years later, she stepped into the role of head coach and has since transformed the program into one of the premier youth rowing teams in the region.

Under her leadership, the club has grown from a modest team of 20 high school athletes to a thriving program of 100 youth rowers, ranging in age from 8 to 18 years old. Stefanie's commitment to fostering a culture of excellence, teamwork, and discipline has led to remarkable achievements. Since 2011, Treasure Coast Rowing Club has amassed an impressive nine Florida State Championships, along with numerous regional titles and medals. Most recently, the team earned a second-place medal at the prestigious Youth National Championships, accompanied by several other top placements.

Stefanie and her wife are proud mothers of twin three-year-old boys, Hudson and Nash, who keep their lives as dynamic and fulfilling as the rowing community they lead. Despite her demanding schedule, Stefanie remains an active competitor, rowing with her teammates annually at the iconic Head of the Charles and Head of the Hooch regattas.

In addition to her youth coaching responsibilities, Stefanie leads adult rowing programs, coaches morning sessions, and drives membership efforts to recruit new adult rowers. Her passion for the sport, whether coaching, competing, or building the club’s community, continues to inspire rowers of all ages to achieve their best both on and off the water.

John Edwards

Despite beginning his rowing journey later in life at the masters level, Coach Edwards' passion and dedication have propelled him to share his love of the sport. His own experience, from novice to seasoned competitor, provides him with a unique understanding of the challenges and triumphs his athletes face.

He possesses an intimate understanding of the physical and mental demands of rowing, allowing him to connect with his athletes on a deeper level and provide truly individualized coaching. He understands the importance of personalized guidance and support, tailoring his approach to meet each athlete's unique needs. 

Even today, Coach Edwards actively competes, training with the Veterans' Group at Community Rowing Inc. (CRI) in Boston and Cape Cod Rowing. He particularly enjoys getting out on the water in his single scull, affectionately named"BEAN," finding peace and challenge in the solo pursuit. He regularly participates in area regattas like the CRI Fall Classic and Textile Regatta, consistently demonstrating his commitment to improvement. This firsthand experience gives him a strategic edge when it comes to race preparation and execution. 

JonMichael Francis

JonMichael Francis serves as the Women’s Head Coach for the high school program at Orlando Area Rowing Society (OARS). Since joining OARS, he has focused on performance development and personal growth through an athlete-centered coaching approach. Before OARS, Francis held various coaching roles at Capital City Rowing (CCR) in Tallahassee, advancing from novice coach to head coach and program director, where he oversaw the development of both high school and middle school athletes.

Over his 10+ years of coaching, Francis has helped women’s youth crews earn medals at the Florida Scholastic Rowing Association Championships, Southeast Regional Championships, and Head of the Hooch Regatta, in addition to makinggrand final appearances at the Youth National Championships. He has also helped numerous athletes pursue collegiate rowing opportunities and is proud to see others return to the sport as coaches themselves.

Beyond the boathouse, he enjoys spending time outdoors + traveling, practicing pilates, enjoying local coffee, and occasionally selling stretchy pants.

Tony Harris

Tony coaches at Bedford Crew. He started rowing at the London Rowing Club and then captained the London School of Economics men`s lightweight crew. He began coaching at Phillips Academy and was formerly on the faculty at the CRI Institute of Rowing Leadership. He has rowed all over the world from Lake Geneva to Cape Town and was once commissioned to build an unlimited-budget, state-of-the-art rowing center in Saudi Arabia. But his most surreal rowing experience was in the spring of 2023 on Kyiv's Dnipro River with a go-bag lashed to the deck and a barrage of incoming ballistic missiles overhead. 

Erin Hayes

Erin Hayes is the Women’s Head Coach at St. Andrew Rowing Club in Roswell, Georgia. An alumni of SA, Erin was also a D1 coxswain at The University of Alabama. Having been with SA as a coach since 2015, Erin has worked with all levels of rowing experience. With a background in education, Erin prioritizes a team-led culture and a learning-structured program to help her athletes find growth and success both on and off the water. This has led to team successes including a National Championship win in the Women’s Varsity 4+, Women’s Southeast Regional Championship wins, and a sweep of Women’s U19/U17 sweep events at The Head of the Hooch. 

When off the water, Erin enjoys yoga, hiking with her golden retriever, and spending time with friends and family in Atlanta. Erin is also a teacher. 

Matthew Houser 

Matthew Houser began coaching in 2016 in Cleveland, OH, starting as an intern assistant at his alma mater St. Edward High School, and later coaching with Western Reserve Rowing Association’s adult league and youth outreach programs in 2017. Since then, he has worked with youth and adult athletes across the country, working in Washington D.C. with Unity Boat Club’s veteran and adaptive programs, Olympic Peninsula Rowing Association’s youth program in Port Angeles, WA, and Berkeley Preparatory School’s youth co-ed program in Tampa, FL, before returning to Cleveland in 2021 with the Cleveland Foundry Juniors. Since then, Matthew started new youth programming opportunities, helped grow CFJ'sprogram to qualify for the last three Youth National Championships, had graduates represent Division 1 women's and men’s varsity collegiate programs and the USA at the World Rowing Championships, and led the women’s team to a program-best 6th place in team sculling at the 2024 Midwest Regional Championships. 

Matthew currently works in rowing asset management, safety, and shell and launch repairs at the Cleveland Foundry Community Rowing and Sailing Center, he is an assistant coach at his alma mater Cleveland State University’s Club Rowing Team, and was instrumental in building the training program for the Western Reserve Rowing Association’s new 18-29 High-Performance program. Matthew still competes and has won at the San Diego Crew Classic, Head of the Charles, and the World Rowing Indoor Championships. Outside of coaching, Matthew works in rowing as a USRowing Assistant Referee and a US Para Technical Classifier. He also serves as an athlete ambassador for Athletes Without Limits, the national governing body for athletes with intellectual impairments. 

When away from rowing, Matthew enjoys traveling, hiking, playing other sports, reading, cooking, and spending time with family. From his experience taking level 3, he hopes to inspire others interested in coaching and competing to learn how to be better leaders for the rowing community.

Corinne Kazmierczak 

Corinne Kazmierczak has been involved in rowing for 18 years. During that time, she was fortunate enough to row for Jim Dietz at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and learn how to not flip a pair over a summer in Wisconsin under Karen Rigsby. She has coached middle school, juniors, collegiate, and adult rowing programs. In her first position, as a middle school sculling coach, she created a Family Practice for the last day in which the scullers’ families could come down to the club and learn the sport from their kids. As a junior coach, she helped athletes rediscover their love of the sport and gave seniors opportunities to figure out what drills were the most effective for their boats. 

In the last year, she went from volunteering with D’Youville University’s women’s rowing team with no experience in collegiate coaching to being the lead recruiter for the program. She utilized Overnght streaming to watch footage of every 2024 Regionals available and identify talent. When NCAA regulations allowed communication with younger athletes, she organized and ran informational Zoom meetings for potential class of 2027 athletes around the country. This involved 11 pm EST Zoom meetings to accommodate West Coast athletes while still coaching morning practices the next day. Additionally, Corinne coaches Adult Learn to Erg and tank sessions at West Side Rowing Club. She uses an unorthodox coaching style that comes from an athletic background that includes combat sports, to get athletes excited about the sport and push themselves to their limits while singing along to the erging playlist. 

Outside of rowing, Corinne is working towards multiple degrees in Exercise Physiology and Psychology with the intention of studying how athletes with major trauma can be the most successful in their sports. This involves looking at exercise physiology, nutrition, and differences in mentalities with the idea that some of the best elite athletes overcame major traumas before the successes in their careers. Corinne is, also, the proud mom of her very tall seven-year-old. James. She and her partner are expecting a baby girl in February. She is grateful for the support of her small but incredible family. Corinne intends to utilize the knowledge gained in Level 3 course to help her continue developing her coaching style and confidence in teaching the sport.

Katie O’Driscoll

Katie O’Driscoll has taught juniors, masters, collegiate, and pre-elite athletes since embarking on her coaching career in 2010. An inaugural fellow of Community Rowing’s Institute for Rowing Leadership, she has sought to improve her knowledge in all facets of the sport ever since. Among her stops as a coach have been CRI, the Winsor School, Capital Rowing Club, DC Strokes, Seattle Rowing Club, USRowing sculling development camps, and the University of Washington.

In 2017, she was hired to start the men’s and women’s varsity programs at Catholic University of America in Washington DC. The fledgling program now boasts a roster of over 60 athletes with both squads achieving multiple podium finishes at Head of the Schuylkill, Knecht Cup, and the MARC Conference Championships, alongside a silver medal for her freshmen women at the Dad Vail Championships in 2023.

O’Driscoll was introduced to the sport as a freshman at Ithaca College in 2005, and credits her coach, Becky Robinson, with fostering her love of not only the sport but with sharing her passion for the sport with others. 

Post college, O’Driscoll picked up running, parking garage crit racing, and triathlon, and now has several marathons and an Ironman under her belt. She lives in Washington DC with her husband Erik, 3-year-old daughter Weatherley, and a long dog Jasper. 

Kayla Romo 

Kayla Romo has coached at the collegiate level since 2017 when she started her career as a graduate assistant at her alma mater, Kansas State University.  While at K-State she worked with the incoming athletes and helped develop them into rowers.  In 2021 Kayla moved to Michigan State University where she currently works as an assistant coach, primarily working with novice athletes helping them develop skills as rowers.  As a recruiter, she has become the primary contact for international recruits.

Kayla began rowing as a walk-on at Kansas State University, where she became passionate about the sport and forever grateful for the direction it has taken her life.  Rowing developed her not only as an athlete but most importantly as a person and now she works to share the amazing sport with others. 

Tanner Shirk 

Tanner Shirk began coaching in 2018 in Wichita, KS, splitting time between Wichita Rowing Association and Wichita State University. Since then, he has had stops in Austin, TX, working for Texas Rowing Center and the University of Texas, and Rye, NY, working for RowAmerica Rye. He has helped guide multiple crews to podium finishes at Youth Nationals since 2022. Currently, he is working with Maritime Rowing Club in Norwalk, CT. He has predominantly worked with youth and collegiate athletes in his seven years of coaching and enjoys inspiring athletes to achieve more than what they believe they’re capable of.

Tanner found the sport of rowing in college at Wichita State in 2015. In his three years there, he found a sense of community and was able to thrive in a challenging environment. What he enjoys most about the sport is the sense of pride and cohesion amongst the team, as well as the ample opportunities the sport provides to test yourself. With the education acquired, he hopes to continue to inspire youth athletes to reach greater heights, and will never stop learning more about the sport.

Dane Underwood

Dane Underwood is the Women’s Head Coach at James Madison HS Crew in Vienna, VA. He’s coached rowing in the northern VA area for the last 20 years, working with all levels from 7-8th grade novices, scholastic varsity, college freshmen, and masters crews. His crews have won many medals at the VASRA state championships and found success rowing in college. He’s had many athletes recruited to row at top-tier D1 programs but is most proud of the dozen or more rowers who have gone on to become coaches themselves.

Dane started his rowing career at West Potomac HS but didn’t get into the sport until rowing in college at George Mason University, under legendary coach Bob Spousta. Bob inspired Dane to really get into the sport and also helped him get his first coaching job as an assistant at Oakton HS. Dane went on to coach at GMU for 3 years as Bob’s assistant after graduating college.

Dane works a full-time job as an engineer for the MITRE Corporation during the day, but still works hard to stay very involved in rowing!

Matt Weaver

Matt Weaver is the men's rowing head coach for Drexel University. During his first year as head coach in 2023-2024, Weaver led the Dragons to their third consecutive Dad Vail Varsity 8+ Championship, as well as the Men’s Team Championship. At the IRA National Championship in 2024, he also helped the Dragons secure their best-ever team finish as the 15th-place team. Before joining the Dragons, Weaver was an assistant coach at the University of Washington, and the University of Pennsylvania. At Washington, he was a part of the coaching staff that guided the Huskies to a sweep of the 2021 IRA National Championship, and a third-place team finish in 2022. With the Penn Quakers in 2019, he was a part of the coaching staff that led the team to a Varsity 8+ win at Eastern Sprints, and a Bronze Medal at the IRA National Championship.

Internationally, Weaver was the Senior Lightweight national team coach for the USA in 2024, leading the Lightweight 4x to a Silver medal and an American record at the World Championships. In 2021, he was a U23 national team coach for Canada, assisting the men's U23 4- to a World Championship and the U23 1x to a 14th-place finish. Weaver also has coaching experience at La Salle, Winchester College, and at Crescent Boat Club.

He graduated from Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia in 2016, earned his bachelor's from Penn in 2016, and a master's in education from La Salle in 2019. Weaver is also a member of the Crescent Boat Club on Boathouse Row in Philadelphia. 

Mwanga William 

Mwanga William began his coaching career in 2010 in Uganda, where he quickly rose to the position of Head Coach for both the Uganda Para Rowing Team and the National Rowing Team (U18). Throughout his career, he has coached athletes of all levels in Uganda, Kenya, and the United States, guiding them to success in international competitions, including the Eastern Central African Championships and the Gavirate International Para Rowing Camp and Regatta, and coached the Ugandan athlete for the Tokyo and Paris Olympics.

As an accomplished athlete, Mwanga has competed across Africa and the United States since 2011 in singles, doubles, and quads. His notable race appearances include the East and Central African Championships, the Head of the Schuylkill, the Independence Day Regatta in Philadelphia, and the Head of the Charles.

Currently, Mwanga serves as a coach at The Putney School and the Brattleboro Rowing Club in Vermont.

Ben Williams

Ben Williams began coaching ten years ago and has worked with predominantly youth athletes both men and women, along with collegiate novices.  Starting in 2015, he became the varsity assistant coach at Capital Crew in Sacramento, CA before finishing college. In Fall 2020, he became the Varsity Women's Coach at River City Rowing Club (RCRC) in West Sacramento, CA. He became the Head Men's Coach of Dallas United Crew (DUC) in Dallas, Texas in 2023, and aims to continue honing his skills in developing junior athletes in this new home. In each role, his goals and aspirations have been aligned with maximizing every athlete's potential and allowing them to represent their best selves on the regional and national stages.

Williams began rowing in 2009 in 9th grade for Capital Crew, racing for the program all four years and graduating to spend two years at Orange Coast College with much success. After a gap year to coach at his alma mater, he transferred to Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, MI to complete his undergraduate career. Following graduation in 2018, he moved to Boston to join and race for the Riverside Boat Club High-Performance Team, where he spent his time training and absorbing as much as he could about the elite level of the sport.  Williams remains a lifelong super-fan of water sports, a novice ferroequinologist, and a student of Olympic athletics.