ROW NEW YORK STAFF

Amanda Kraus
Executive Director & Founder
amanda@rownewyork.org

Amanda Kraus has extensive experience working with diverse groups of young people both through sports and academics in schools and educational non-profits. While working with G-row Boston, Amanda was inspired by the program and the girls to begin Row New York. Amanda received a BA in English from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where she was also captain of the women’s crew team. She went on to receive a master’s degree in education from Harvard University.

Kathleen Klock
Director of Development
kathleen@rownewyork.org

Kathleen Klock joined Row New York in February 2007. Before coming to Row New York, she was grant writer for several other non-profits working to expand opportunities for public school children in New York City. Before moving to New York City in 2003, she lived abroad in Nepal and Japan for five years, teaching English as a second language to high school and middle school students. Kathleen has a BA in English and cultural anthropology from the University of Illinois and an MFA in creative writing from Bowling Green State University.

Melissa Pancoast
Director of Academics
melissa@rownewyork.org

Melissa Pancoast rowed for four years with the Stetson University crew, where she was team captain for two years. She also worked as a rowing coach for the Norwalk River Rowing Association. Melissa is a veteran of Teach for America and a consultant for Youth Factor, an international nonprofit that provides program assistance for youth development organizations around the globe. Melissa holds a BS in Political Science from Stetson University.

Jennie Trayes
Director of Rowing
jennie@rownewyork.org

Jennie Trayes began her rowing career as a freshman at Bucknell University. Highlights of her career include rowing in the Henley Royal Regatta, being a team captain, and earning the honor of National Scholar Athlete. Jennie had the opportunity to study abroad and work with young and diverse children in Spain while mastering the foreign language. After graduating with a BA in Spanish and Economics, Jennie moved to New York to become a Project Manager, and joined Row New York in the fall of 2009.

Nathan Young
Director of Middle School Programs and Web Manager
nathan@rownewyork.org

Nathan Young started with Row New York in the fall of 2009 after spending three years as the Program Coordinator for Junior Rowing at Greenwich Crew in Greenwich, CT. Before that, he worked as the Head Coach at New York University while working at Deloitte as an international assignment tax analyst. Nate holds a BS in Business Administration with a second major in Slavic Linguistics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he rowed for four years.

Kelsey Bates
Americorps Coach Across America Program Assistant – High School Girls
kelsey@rownewyork.org

Kelsey Bates joined Row New York in March 2010. She received her BA in Art History from the University of California Berkeley in December 2010. Kelsey started rowing at Capital Crew in Sacramento, California in 2003 and was recruited to row for California (Cal) Women’s Crew. While at Cal, she won three PAC-10 team titles and one individual title in the Varsity 4+, and placed in the top 3 at NCAAs for three consecutive years. Kelsey also works to maintain the legacy of her coxswain Jill Costello, who passed away from lung cancer in 2010.

Adam Berger
Americorps Coach Across America Program Assistant – Community Rowing
adam@rownewyork.org

Adam Berger is in his first year with Row New York. He received a BA in Sports Management from Dowling College in May 2011. Adam started rowing in the Fall of 2007 and since then became an integral part of the Dowling College Men’s Rowing team. During his time at Dowling, Adam received the Most Improved Player Award in 2009 as well as stroked the Men’s Heavy Weight Four that medalled at the 2010 Dad Vail Regatta. Outside of Rowing, Adam has worked in both college athletics and professional sports.

Michael Eichler
Varsity Assistant Coach and Queens Boathouse Manager
mike@rownewyork.org

Michael Eichler rowed for four years at Binghamton University, where he was a team captain, vice-president and chairman of the John McKenna Memorial 5K. He has coached for the Hiawatha Island Boat Club and The Hewitt School Crew. He joins Row New York as a Program Assistant through Americorps and Coach Across America. Michael holds a BA in History and Asian & Asian American Studies from Binghamton University.

Saied Ghaffarian
Office Manager
saied@rownewyork.org

Saied Ghaffarian joined Row New York in the fall of 2010. He currently is studying Farsi at NYU and is expected to graduate from Hunter College in the Spring with a BA in Political Science. Saied is fluent in Spanish, which comes handy at both Row New York and while volunteering at P.S. 7’s Elementary Level E.S.L. program. Saied has interned at the InterExpo Industrial Design Firm in Bogota, Colombia, and as a legal assistant at the Law Firm of Sandra Muñoz in Queens, NY.

Ryan McCarthy
Novice Girls Program Director
ryan@rownewyork.org

Ryan McCarthy joins Row New York as a program assistant thanks to Coach Across America and Americorps. She recently graduated from Yale University with a BA in Religious Studies. Ryan started rowing as a sophomore at Phillips Exeter Academy and while rowing at Yale, she took home three team trophies from EAWRC Sprints. She spent her summers while in school interning at different non-profits in New York and volunteer coaching at Harlem River Community Rowing.

Jared Crum
Development Assistant
jared@rownewyork.org

Jared Crum comes to Row New York through Americorps VISTA and Up2Us. He earned a BA in political science from Amherst College in 2011. Jared spent a semester abroad in Beijing, rowed for the Amherst College Rowing Association, and has extensive volunteer experience tutoring English language learners. Jared spent the summer of 2009 in Washington DC interning for Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and has a strong commitment to community service and volunteerism.

Darise JeanBaptiste
Academic Assistant for College Prep
darise@rownewyork.org

Darise JeanBaptiste is the Academic Assistant for College Prep at Row New York. In 2011, Darise graduated from Brooklyn College with a Master of Arts degree in English literature. She earned her BS in Business Management from Stony Brook University in 2004. Prior to joining Row New York, Darise worked at BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life) for three years as a grant writer and training specialist. A Bronx native and adjunct lecturer in English composition, Darise brings a passion for education, writing, and empowering youth to Row New York’s academic program.

Elizabeth Savarese
Americorps Coach Across America Program Assistant – High School Girls
liz@rownewyork.org

Elizabeth Savarese began her rowing career with Row New York in the summer of 2007, just before entering her first year of high school. She rowed, as both a port and a starboard, for two years before becoming a coxswain. She is currently attending Hunter College on an honors scholarship, majoring in Psychology. However, she hopes to transfer to Boston University and continue her rowing career. She extends her stay with Row New York as an Assistant Novice Coach through Coach Across America.

Isake Smith
Americorps Coach Across America Program Assistant – Community Rowing
isake@rownewyork.org

Isake is a native New Yorker and is happy to have the opportunity to be around boats in NYC. She was a member of the Lawrence University Rowing Club, and recently graduated with a BA in psychology. During her time at Lawrence, Isake was able to study abroad in Granada, Spain, as well as travel to London and Morocco. Outside of academics, she has worked with youth in a variety of different ways, from facilitating Gay-Straight Alliances in schools across Northeastern Wisconsin to co-facilitating teen groups during long-term camping trips through the Adirondacks.

Clara Wille
Americorps Coach Across America Program Assistant – Middle School Girls
clara@rownewyork.org

Clara has a BA in International Studies and Sexuality Studies from York University, Toronto. She has volunteered with several organizations in high school and college as a peer safer-sex educator and has interned with the International Planned Parenthood Federation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In 2010, Clara gave a year of service with City Year New York, where she tutored, mentored and ran an after-school program in an elementary school in East New York. She is currently giving her second year of service as a Program Assistant through Coach Across America.