USRowing Foundation Names Two New Trustees

The USRowing Foundation is pleased to announce its newly elected Trustees, Catriona Fallon OLY and John Straus. The USRowing Foundation is the official fundraising arm of the United States Rowing Association (USRowing) and U.S. National Team. 

Fallon and Straus join more than 30 other Trustees on the Foundation. These executives and seasoned professionals advocate and fundraise in support of the priorities of USRowing and use their personal and professional contacts to grow the USRowing fundraising pipeline, providing opportunities for individuals, foundations, and corporations to support current and new USRowing initiatives and priorities through individual philanthropy and corporate sponsorships.

Last month, USRowing announced Gerry Cardinale—the founder, Managing Partner, and Chief Investment Officer of RedBird Capital Partners—as the foundation's most recent addition.

Catriona Fallon OLY

Catriona Fallon OLY is an experienced public company Chief Financial Officer, Executive Advisor, and Investor. She is currently the Interim-CFO for SambaNova Systems, the technology backbone that recently launched the world’s fastest AI platform. Catriona has served on several public company boards and has been a Palomar Holdings Board of Directors member since May 2019, shortly after the specialty insurance company’s IPO (NASDAQ:  PLMR).  She also serves on the Board of Directors for Arlo Technologies, Inc., a smart home technology company based in Carlsbad, CA (NASDAQ: ARLO), and General Fusion, a private Canadian company pursuing the fastest and most practical path to commercial fusion energy. Fallon previously served on the Board of Directors of Cray Inc. (NASDAQ: CRAY) until its acquisition by Hewlett Packard Enterprise.  

She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles. Fallon is a five-time member of the U.S. National Team and a two-time member of the U.S. Olympic rowing team (1992 in Barcelona and 1996 in Atlanta). 

“As a member of six national teams (1991-1996), I understand the need for a comprehensive system of physical, mental, and monetary support for our athletes to help them survive and thrive through the years of training and sacrifice required to reach the Olympic pinnacle,” said Catriona Fallon. “I'm pleased to be able to bring my love of this sport as well as my professional experience and energy to the USRowing Foundation to support our athletes as they represent the U.S. on home soil in 2028 and beyond.”

John Straus

John Straus is a Partner at TJC, a US-based private equity firm focused on investments in middle-market companies across a range of industries. Prior to TJC, John worked in the Mergers and Acquisitions Advisory group at Gleacher Partners. He serves and has served on the board of directors of several of TJC’s portfolio companies.  John holds a B.S. degree in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he rowed on the Penn heavyweight crew and was team captain in 2004-2005. John currently serves as a board member of the Friends of Penn Rowing.

"Rowing has been a meaningful part of my life, and I am pleased to give back to the sport through my involvement with the USRowing Foundation,” said John Straus. “I look forward to working with the other Trustees to help support USRowing and our national team athletes.”

Learn more about the foundation here. 

About USRowing  

USRowing is the national governing body for rowing in the United States, dedicated to promoting and developing rowing at all levels, from juniors to elite competition. With a membership base of 1,400 member organizations and 77,000+ individuals, USRowing provides theoretical and practical education programs that strengthen and grow rowing while helping members achieve their goals. The national governing body works closely with international rowing bodies to represent the United States at the highest levels of competition, including the World Rowing Championships Olympic and Paralympic Games.   

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 help grow the USRowing fundraising pipeline –providing opportunities for individuals, foundations, and corporations to support USRowing initiatives and priorities through individual philanthropy and corporate partnerships. To learn more, contact Foundation@USRowing.org  

For media inquiries, contact Media@USRowing.org.