Joe DeLeo, PhD
Joe served as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Portuguesa de Remo from 2018 to the conclusion of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. During his tenure as Head S&C won a total of 10 international medals at World Cups and European Championships and the Portuguese LM2x qualified for the Tokyo Olympics and finished 13th. Joe earned a Master of Science in Sports Performance with First Class Honors from the University of Limerick in 2021. Joe has provided physiology and strength & conditioning support for USRowing senior and para athletes since 2023. This support includes annual high-altitude training camps at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, selection camps, and training camps in Lake Placid, NY and Boston, MA. He earned his PhD in Exercise Physiology at the University of Kansas under Dr. Andrew C. Fry and Dr. Kathryn Ackerman. His dissertation was focused on “Long-term Athlete Monitoring in NCAA Division I Female Rowers”. His research interests include athlete monitoring, strength & conditioning, exercise metabolism, and female athlete & para physiology.
Joe served as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Portuguesa de Remo from 2018 to the conclusion of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. During his tenure as Head S&C won a total of 10 international medals at World Cups and European Championships and the Portuguese LM2x qualified for the Tokyo Olympics and finished 13th. Joe earned a Master of Science in Sports Performance with First Class Honors from the University of Limerick in 2021. Joe has provided physiology and strength & conditioning support for USRowing senior and para athletes since 2023. This support includes annual high-altitude training camps at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, selection camps, and training camps in Lake Placid, NY and Boston, MA. He earned his PhD in Exercise Physiology at the University of Kansas under Dr. Andrew C. Fry and Dr. Kathryn Ackerman. His dissertation was focused on “Long-term Athlete Monitoring in NCAA Division I Female Rowers”. His research interests include athlete monitoring, strength & conditioning, exercise metabolism, and female athlete & para physiology.
Alex Wolf, MSc
Alex has spent over two decades working in high performance and elite sport working with some of the world’s best athletes. Alex has supported athletes prepare for 6 Olympic Games from 3 nations. Alex has spent a large proportion of this time as a Strength & Conditioning coach for UK Sports Institute (formerly the EIS). During his tenure there, he was Head of Strength and Conditioning, leading a team of 60+ coaches working across 35+ sports. Alex then spent the last part of his tenure as Head of Learning, leading the organizations learning strategy and the work forces personal development. Alex has spent over a decade working with international rowers in preparation for multiple Olympic Games. This includes supporting the British and Chinese Rowing Federations to their most successful Olympic Games in 2012 and 2020 respectively. Alex currently owns and operates Liberating Brilliance and Strength and Conditioning Academy, which are consultancy and education companies respectively, providing expertise around sport, athlete, and organisational performance.
Alex has spent over two decades working in high performance and elite sport working with some of the world’s best athletes. Alex has supported athletes prepare for 6 Olympic Games from 3 nations. Alex has spent a large proportion of this time as a Strength & Conditioning coach for UK Sports Institute (formerly the EIS). During his tenure there, he was Head of Strength and Conditioning, leading a team of 60+ coaches working across 35+ sports. Alex then spent the last part of his tenure as Head of Learning, leading the organizations learning strategy and the work forces personal development. Alex has spent over a decade working with international rowers in preparation for multiple Olympic Games. This includes supporting the British and Chinese Rowing Federations to their most successful Olympic Games in 2012 and 2020 respectively. Alex currently owns and operates Liberating Brilliance and Strength and Conditioning Academy, which are consultancy and education companies respectively, providing expertise around sport, athlete, and organisational performance.
Amanda Waldron, MS, RDN, CSSD, LDN
Presentation: Fueling the Student Athlete
Amanda is a board-certified sports dietitian specializing in performance nutrition, relative energy deficiency in sport, and eating disorders. A former Division I cross country and track athlete at the College of the Holy Cross, she combines clinical expertise with firsthand athletic experience to support athletes across a wide range of sports and levels. She currently serves as the sports dietitian for Harvard University, following previous roles at Harvard University Health Services, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Boston Children’s Hospital. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross and her master’s in nutrition from Boston University.
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Presentation: Fueling the Student Athlete
Amanda is a board-certified sports dietitian specializing in performance nutrition, relative energy deficiency in sport, and eating disorders. A former Division I cross country and track athlete at the College of the Holy Cross, she combines clinical expertise with firsthand athletic experience to support athletes across a wide range of sports and levels. She currently serves as the sports dietitian for Harvard University, following previous roles at Harvard University Health Services, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Boston Children’s Hospital. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross and her master’s in nutrition from Boston University.
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Professor Louise Burke OAM, PhD, APD
Presentation: REDs in Rowing
Presentation: REDs in Rowing
Louise is a sports dietitian with 45 years of experience in the education and counselling of elite athletes. She worked at the Australian Institute of Sport for thirty years, first as Head of Sports Nutrition and then as Chief of Nutrition Strategy. She has attended 6 Summer Olympic Games with the Australian Olympic Team (1996-2012 and 2021). Her publications include over 450 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters, and the authorship or editorship of several textbooks on sports nutrition. Louise was a founding member of the Executive of Sports Dietitians Australia and is a Director of the IOC Diploma in Sports Nutrition. She was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2009 for her contribution to sports nutrition, and a Doctor of Science (Honoris causa) from McMaster University, Canada in 2024. Louise was appointed as Chair in Sports Nutrition in the Mary MacKillop Institute of Health Research at Australian Catholic University in Melbourne in 2014 and took up this position in a full-time capacity in 2020.
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Follow Louise on Twitter/X
Bronwen Lundy, PhD
Presentation: Season-long Nutrition
Bronwen has a Bachelor of Science (hons) from the University of New South Wales and Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Sydney. She is a graduate of the IOC Sports Nutrition Diploma and has worked as a sports dietitian for over 20 years with the last 14 years spent as the lead dietitian at Rowing Australia. Her PhD investigated nutrition risk factors for rib stress injury in elite rowers and she has an ongoing interest in both energy availability and bone health in athletic populations. Her employment history includes the Australian Institute of Sport, the English Institute of Sport, the Waratahs Super rugby team and South Sydney Rabbitohs Rugby League team. Her driver in nutrition is to use research to answer key applied questions and develop practical strategies for athletes to follow.
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Presentation: Season-long Nutrition
Bronwen has a Bachelor of Science (hons) from the University of New South Wales and Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Sydney. She is a graduate of the IOC Sports Nutrition Diploma and has worked as a sports dietitian for over 20 years with the last 14 years spent as the lead dietitian at Rowing Australia. Her PhD investigated nutrition risk factors for rib stress injury in elite rowers and she has an ongoing interest in both energy availability and bone health in athletic populations. Her employment history includes the Australian Institute of Sport, the English Institute of Sport, the Waratahs Super rugby team and South Sydney Rabbitohs Rugby League team. Her driver in nutrition is to use research to answer key applied questions and develop practical strategies for athletes to follow.
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Tiffany Rusch, MSc
Presentation: Race Day Nutrition & Preparation
Tiffany is a performance dietitian at the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia. Her passion for sport nutrition was discovered while completing her first undergraduate degree in Health Science and competing on the varsity lightweight rowing team. At this time she was taking some nutrition electives “just for fun” but, after repeatedly seeing the alarming nutrition habits of teammates and competitors, a fire was sparked that turned a personal interest into a career. She then completed several more degrees/certificates including a Bsc in Nutrition and Dietetics from University of Western Ontario, Masters in Applied Nutrition from University of Guelph, and the IOC Diploma in Sport Nutrition. Tiffany now works with several of Canada’s national teams including rowing, several cycling disciplines, and women’s rugby and volleyball. In her spare time Tiffany still rows occasionally, but has found new interests in cycling, trail running, backpacking, surfing, and enjoying all the outdoor activities that the Pacific Northwest has to offer.
Connect with Tiffany on LinkedIn
Presentation: Race Day Nutrition & Preparation
Tiffany is a performance dietitian at the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia. Her passion for sport nutrition was discovered while completing her first undergraduate degree in Health Science and competing on the varsity lightweight rowing team. At this time she was taking some nutrition electives “just for fun” but, after repeatedly seeing the alarming nutrition habits of teammates and competitors, a fire was sparked that turned a personal interest into a career. She then completed several more degrees/certificates including a Bsc in Nutrition and Dietetics from University of Western Ontario, Masters in Applied Nutrition from University of Guelph, and the IOC Diploma in Sport Nutrition. Tiffany now works with several of Canada’s national teams including rowing, several cycling disciplines, and women’s rugby and volleyball. In her spare time Tiffany still rows occasionally, but has found new interests in cycling, trail running, backpacking, surfing, and enjoying all the outdoor activities that the Pacific Northwest has to offer.
Connect with Tiffany on LinkedIn
Paul Thompson, MBE
Presentation : Programme Design - Key Themes to Consider When Leading a Rowing Programme
Paul is currently the Performance Director for Rowing Australia. Paul has coached and led crews to be World and Olympic Champions in three countries, Australia, Great Britain and China, amassing 22 Gold Medals at World Championships or the Olympic Games. Paul personally coached medal winning crews at seven consecutive Olympic games. He coached Australia’s first female Olympic rowing gold medal and as chief coach his squad contributed to GB topping the Olympic medal rowing table in Beijing, London and Rio. In Tokyo Paul was the Chinese Rowing Teams Head coach leading them to their most successful Olympic Rowing Regatta, he was Rowing Team Leader for Australia in Paris. Paul is also a presenter, author, coach developer and an Independent Director. He received the Australian Sports Medal in 2000 and was appointed a Member of the British Empire (MBE) in 2013 and received the International Rowing Federations Coach of the Year award in 2007.
Presentation : Programme Design - Key Themes to Consider When Leading a Rowing Programme
Paul is currently the Performance Director for Rowing Australia. Paul has coached and led crews to be World and Olympic Champions in three countries, Australia, Great Britain and China, amassing 22 Gold Medals at World Championships or the Olympic Games. Paul personally coached medal winning crews at seven consecutive Olympic games. He coached Australia’s first female Olympic rowing gold medal and as chief coach his squad contributed to GB topping the Olympic medal rowing table in Beijing, London and Rio. In Tokyo Paul was the Chinese Rowing Teams Head coach leading them to their most successful Olympic Rowing Regatta, he was Rowing Team Leader for Australia in Paris. Paul is also a presenter, author, coach developer and an Independent Director. He received the Australian Sports Medal in 2000 and was appointed a Member of the British Empire (MBE) in 2013 and received the International Rowing Federations Coach of the Year award in 2007.
Doug MacDonald
Presentation: Coach Development - Themes from the Trenches
Doug is an experienced Coach Developer Practitioner (CDP) who has worked extensively across the UK High Performance system, supporting coaches and organisations from grassroots all the way through to current Olympic head coaches. Drawing on an academic background in Psychology, Doug is passionate about people development and how we can accelerate the progression of performance coaches and athletes. Doug is currently Coach Developer for the Olympic Pathway at British Rowing and outside of this role works as a consultant CDP across a number of Olympic and Commonwealth sports in the UK HP system. Doug is an accredited Coaching and Mentoring Practitioner with the EMCC, is a Scottish Institute of Sport endorsed HP CDP, an associate CDP with UK Sport and was awarded sportscotland coach developer of the year in 2019. He is currently completing a Professional Doctorate at Leeds Beckett University exploring his CDP workflow, supervised by Dr Bob Muir and Dr Liam McCarthy.
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Presentation: Coach Development - Themes from the Trenches
Doug is an experienced Coach Developer Practitioner (CDP) who has worked extensively across the UK High Performance system, supporting coaches and organisations from grassroots all the way through to current Olympic head coaches. Drawing on an academic background in Psychology, Doug is passionate about people development and how we can accelerate the progression of performance coaches and athletes. Doug is currently Coach Developer for the Olympic Pathway at British Rowing and outside of this role works as a consultant CDP across a number of Olympic and Commonwealth sports in the UK HP system. Doug is an accredited Coaching and Mentoring Practitioner with the EMCC, is a Scottish Institute of Sport endorsed HP CDP, an associate CDP with UK Sport and was awarded sportscotland coach developer of the year in 2019. He is currently completing a Professional Doctorate at Leeds Beckett University exploring his CDP workflow, supervised by Dr Bob Muir and Dr Liam McCarthy.
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Sarah Cecil
Presentation: Building and Connecting People To a Common Vision and Standards
Sarah is a Chartered Sport Psychologist and has worked in Elite Sport for over 25 years. She has worked at multiple Summer and Winter Olympic Games, in sports ranging from athletics, shooting, snowsports to tennis. She has extensive experience of helping athletes reach their ultimate goals. Highlights include being the psychologist for British Athletics at London 2012, the HQ psychologist at Beijing 2022 and more recently Paris 2024. She was the Team UK psychologist at the first 4 Invictus Games and also worked at the Team GB Intensive Rehabilitation Unit. Her expertise lies in helping high level performers to deliver under pressure, build high performance working relationships, rehabilitate from injury, decompress after major events, and manage the challenges of elite sport. Sarah currently combines her work as the Head of Psychology at the RFU alongside running her own private consultancy.
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Presentation: Building and Connecting People To a Common Vision and Standards
Sarah is a Chartered Sport Psychologist and has worked in Elite Sport for over 25 years. She has worked at multiple Summer and Winter Olympic Games, in sports ranging from athletics, shooting, snowsports to tennis. She has extensive experience of helping athletes reach their ultimate goals. Highlights include being the psychologist for British Athletics at London 2012, the HQ psychologist at Beijing 2022 and more recently Paris 2024. She was the Team UK psychologist at the first 4 Invictus Games and also worked at the Team GB Intensive Rehabilitation Unit. Her expertise lies in helping high level performers to deliver under pressure, build high performance working relationships, rehabilitate from injury, decompress after major events, and manage the challenges of elite sport. Sarah currently combines her work as the Head of Psychology at the RFU alongside running her own private consultancy.
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Coral Kasden,PhD
Presentation: Coxing & the Athlete
Coral is an elite coxswain with a PhD in Gene Therapy from the University of Pennsylvania. She trained her way from a walk-on at the University of California, Santa Barbara to three U.S. national teams and a World Champion Title. She represents New York AC, Penn AC, and Next Level Rowing.
Presentation: Coxing & the Athlete
Coral is an elite coxswain with a PhD in Gene Therapy from the University of Pennsylvania. She trained her way from a walk-on at the University of California, Santa Barbara to three U.S. national teams and a World Champion Title. She represents New York AC, Penn AC, and Next Level Rowing.
Coral was the first woman coxswain to compete in a U.S. Senior Team men’s 8 on the international stage at the 2019 PanAm Games. She was also in the U.S. mixed quad that had the first women to win Gold for the U.S. in Beach Sprints.
While training as a coxswain, Coral has also been a high performance athlete. She holds an American Concept2 Record for the Erg Marathon and actively trains in powerlifting and rowing. She’s raced the LW2- at US Trials and W2x at the Coastal World Championships. She recently joined Beach Sprints, where she gets to directly contribute to the speed by sprinting off the start.
Outside of training, Coral is an athlete mentor for Be Brave High Performance, providing mentorship and mental performance training to student-athletes. She also works as a scientist on a therapy for childhood Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
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Outside of training, Coral is an athlete mentor for Be Brave High Performance, providing mentorship and mental performance training to student-athletes. She also works as a scientist on a therapy for childhood Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
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Dr. Marc Oria
Presentation: Coastal Tactics & Strategy
Marc is an internationally recognized rowing coach, performance expert, and neuroscientist with over 25 years of experience spanning elite sport, high-performance coaching, and academic research. He currently serves as Head Coach of USA Beach Sprint Coastal Rowing, where he has led Team USA to more than 20 medals at World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals and Coastal World Championships.
Presentation: Coastal Tactics & Strategy
Marc is an internationally recognized rowing coach, performance expert, and neuroscientist with over 25 years of experience spanning elite sport, high-performance coaching, and academic research. He currently serves as Head Coach of USA Beach Sprint Coastal Rowing, where he has led Team USA to more than 20 medals at World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals and Coastal World Championships.
A former Spanish National Team rower, Dr. Oria has dedicated his career to developing athletes from grassroots to Olympic level. His coaching journey includes leadership roles in Europe and the United States, producing national team athletes, Olympians, and world championship medalists. Notably, he coached Anna Boada, an Olympian and World Championship medalist, and has guided multiple U19 and U23 athletes to international success.
Beyond coaching, Dr. Oria is a World Rowing Lead Instructor and educator, contributing globally to the advancement of coaching science and methodology. He has been an invited speaker at World Rowing Coaches Conferences and international high-performance forums, where he shares insights on athlete development, coastal rowing innovation, and performance systems.
Dr. Oria’s work is uniquely shaped by his academic background. He holds a PhD in Neuroscience and serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Cincinnati, where his research focuses on neurobiology, performance, and translational science. This scientific foundation informs his holistic coaching philosophy—integrating physiology, psychology, recovery, and data-driven training to optimize athlete performance.
Recognized for both excellence and impact, Dr. Oria was named USRowing Man of the Year and has been a finalist for World Rowing Coach of the Year. His approach blends tradition with innovation, emphasizing the development of complete athletes both on and off the water.
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Follow Marc on Instagram