Chairman, Coach Liaison
Daniel Herbert
On the board since 1998
Dan joined the Oakland Strokes Board in 1998 after his daughter Amanda joined the team. When the Port of Oakland determined that the Strokes’ original boathouse was to be razed, Dan became a founding member of the Jack London Aquatic Center board and helped build a new home there for the Oakland Strokes. He was a member of the US Rowing Board from 2012 to 2017, and enjoyed his own time as a rower with Lake Merritt Rowing.
The team soon outgrew the Jack London location, leading Dan and the board to form a long-term partnership with the East Bay Regional Park District and winning a grant that enabled the 2010 construction of the Strokes’ current home, the Tidewater Boating Center.
Dan loves the organization and all that it has done and is doing for East Bay youth by providing a space and sport that teaches life lessons and creates lifelong friends.
Dan spent his working career in the shipping and logistics industry, from ships to software. Both of Dan and Annette’s children, Amanda and Dave, rowed and coached for the Strokes.
President
Stephanie Young
On the board since 2023
Stephanie built her career providing strategic advisory services to pharmaceutical and biotech companies on the East Coast. Four children later, her focus shifted to their schools and sports and to time spent outdoors with family.
Stephanie, her husband Russell, and their children have long shared a love of hiking, cooking, and skiing. They discovered rowing during the Covid shutdown, and their ties to Oakland Strokes now run three rowers deep: They have a daughter currently on the women’s team and two older children who are program alumni.
Community Programs
Kay Worthington
Kay was a member of three Olympic teams for Canada and won two Olympic gold medals in Barcelona in 1992, doubling up in the 4- and 8-person races. Even after retiring from the national team, Kay continued to row and compete as she began her career in finance in New York City. Kay has trained at more than 15 different clubs across Canada and the United States over the course of her rowing career, giving her a unique perspective and overview of the sport.
During her time on the Strokes Board, Kay has served as Coach’s Liaison and Community Partners representative and is currently also the Head Coach for Castlemont High School as part of the Oakland Athletic League pilot to get a high school rowing league off the ground again in Oakland.
Coach Liaison
Mark Zembsch
On the board since 2018
Mark wasn’t fast enough to run track in college, so he walked on to Cal Crew and coxed the Cal Varsity 8+ for 3 years, including a year as captain. Mark made 5 USA National Teams and the 1988 USA Olympic Team; he was the first men’s USA coxswain to win medals at multiple World Championships in the USA 8+. Mark’s long coaching career includes 5 years as Cal Head Coach, and he was Cal’s first Director of Rowing. He left Cal in 1996 and returned to law, retiring as Deputy City Attorney for the City of Berkeley.
Mark has served the sport in many capacities (Athlete Rep on the Olympic Rowing Committee; US Rowing Board; Friends of Cal Crew Board; founder of Little People Rowing). His time with the Strokes has been especially rewarding: Along with fellow board members Kay Worthington and David Banks, Mark has focused on providing rowing opportunities for local Oakland youth. In 2026 he returned to coaching, as the Head Coach for Fremont High School.
Mark and his wife Kim enjoy all sports, travel, and friends. They have raised two kids, who both enjoyed their time as coxswains.
Treasurer
Iyad Darcazallie
On the board since 2018
Iyad’s association with the Oakland Strokes began when his daughter started rowing for the Strokes in middle school. She continued rowing for Strokes through high school and went on to row in college. Inspired by his daughter and his love of water-related activities, he learned to row, and now rows recreationally.
Professionally, Iyad has held several operating roles over his career, including CFO and COO positions.
Alumni Relations
Susan Boranian
On the board since 2024
Susan is a former litigator at Morrison & Foerster and a realtor at Red Oak Realty. Her youngest son started his rowing journey at Oakland Strokes in 2016. He was on the US Junior National Team in 2018, he coached for the Strokes in the fall of 2020, and he rowed for four years at Brown University.
Motivated by all of the rowers around her, Susan learned to row at East Bay Rowing Club in 2022 and eventually made her way to the competitive team. The highlight so far has been racing on the same day as her son at the 2023 Head of the Charles.
At Large
Joel Flory
On the board since 2024
Joel rowed for the Oakland Strokes for one season in high school. It stuck. He came back in 2024 after his oldest daughter joined the team and both of his daughters now row for the club.
Away from the estuary, Joel co-founded VSCO in 2011 and led the company as CEO before becoming Executive Chairman. He also founded Discern Advisors, works as an executive coach and advisor, and is usually building something new.
VHFundraising
Vennessa Hasten
On the board since 2025
Vennessa fell in love with rowing at UC Berkeley, where the sport taught her the core values of hard work, dedication, and family. Those formative experiences on the water opened life-changing doors: It led directly to a successful career in human resources supporting teams so they can perform at their highest level and work through complex organizational challenges.
As a board member, Vennessa is excited to bring these skills to Oakland Strokes to fully support the club’s staff, coaches, and athletes. For Vennessa, this role is a deeply personal way to give back to a sport that gave her so much, a connection that was reignited when her own daughter started rowing with the Oakland Strokes Middle School Program. Today, she is focused on driving fundraising efforts to ensure the team has every tool needed to succeed.
Volunteer Coordinator, Parent Representative
Sarah Sandford-Smith
On the board since 2025
Sarah became involved with Oakland Strokes when her eldest daughter started rowing during her freshman year. Although having no prior knowledge of the sport, Sarah jumped in eagerly, motivated by the club’s dedication to the athletes and the entire Oakland Strokes community.
Sarah resides in the East Bay with her husband Rudy, three kids, one dog and two cats. When she is not working or wrangling children, animals, or volunteers, Sarah enjoys spending time outdoors.
Secretary
Sarah Fallon
On the board since 2025
Sarah is a long-time technology magazine editor and writer; she was at Wired magazine for more than a decade, and she’s now an editor at Salesforce. Her son started rowing in middle school, and expects to continue when he heads off to college next year. She admires the teamwork and dedication the athletes put into the sport, particularly the independence and mental strength it engenders.
She rowed, briefly and unsuccessfully, during a study abroad semester at University College, Oxford. She lives in Alameda with her husband, two sons, dog, and three cats.
