Women in Rowing Webinar Series: Women of the Row

In celebration of Women's History Month, USRowing will continue its Women in Rowing webinar series tonight (Wednesday, March 30) at 7:00 p.m. ET, by highlighting Women of the Row. Click here to register.

Founded in 2018, Women of the Row has worked towards the goal of adding diverse voices, faces, and stories to the rowing history books and boathouse walls, giving women a platform and place to network, connect, and share "herstory." Jumping in head-first and seeking action, Women of the Row continues to navigate the challenges that women rowers have faced since the beginning of the sport, working to record their own stores and utilize the group's failures and successes as a template for other athletic groups to create similar change, advocating for women across the nation.

Join moderator Brett Gorman as she interviews the founders of Women of the Row about how they got started, where the organization is heading, and how others can advocate for women athletes in their community, creating stories of the future for generations of diverse rowers to come.

Meet the Women of the Row

Mission Statement: Women of the Row seeks to break down barriers between women and the historically male-dominated sports industry by connecting female-identifying rowers and paddlers along Philadelphia's historic and iconic Boathouse Row and providing a platform for female athletes by sharing women's untold experiences of the Row and creating stories of the future.

Ellen Carver, a founder of Women of the Row, came to rowing late in life. Her immediate love for the sport compelled her to become involved in the rowing community in Philadelphia and Boathouse Row. She is president of the board of the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta and a member of University Barge Club (UBC). After a successful career in public relations and marketing in the hospitality industry, Carver, a life-long artist, has returned to the studio. Her award-winning multi-media work is in several collections including Columbia New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Maura Kennedy is a founder of Women of the Row, the vice president of communications at Strategic Elements, and serves on the Forbes Communications Council and University Barge Club Communications Committee. Kennedy is a member at University Barge Club on Boathouse Row and has rowed at Boston University, USRowing Junior National Team development/ selection camps, and coached girl's crew at Bishop Eustace Prep in 2008.

Jennifer Wesson is a founder of Women of the Row, executive director of the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta, and serves as vice president of University Barge Club. A walk-on at Rutgers University and part of the first NCAA Women's Rowing Championships, Wesson continued growing her love for the sport as a founding coach of several New Jersey high school programs and an assistant coach at Temple University. Presently, her time on the water ebbs as she dedicates more time to the spin room and Little League fields.