Jenn Strach became involved with TIDE in 2017 when her daughters transitioned from dance to swimming. A native of Virginia Beach, Jenn's early years were shaped by summers spent swimming competitively, igniting her passion for the sport.
 

Her journey with TIDE evolved in 2019 when she joined the Board as an Age Group Representative, leveraging her background in public accounting and client service to support her children's athletic endeavors. In 2022, Jenn was elected Vice President of the Board.  Through her roles on the Board, Jenn leads the annual survey initiative: driving data collection, analysis, and reporting to enhance member experience and organizational effectiveness.

Outside of her board responsibilities, Jenn cherishes life in Virginia Beach alongside her husband, Adam, and their three children: Maya, Piper, and Sawyer, accompanied by their sweetest dog, Bella. An advocate for fitness, Jenn shares her passion as a group fitness instructor and personal trainer. Committed to community engagement, she serves on the executive board of the Cape Henry Parents Association and dedicates significant time volunteering at her children's school.  

Kelly Swartz joined the TIDE Board of Directors in 2020.  After living in Alexandria, Virginia for 20 years, she and her family moved to Chesapeake in 2017. Her sons Tyler and Cooper made the transition to swim for TIDE as soon as they moved to the area.  In addition to her volunteer responsibilities, Kelly is an attorney with the Department of the Navy, Office of the General Counsel. 

Kelly is thankful in so many ways for the TIDE culture that welcomed her family from day one and that has instilled its core values into her kids both in and out of the water.   

Darby and her husband, Curtis, live in Virginia Beach with their two daughters who swim for TIDE (Elyse, Senior Gold PA and Alyssa, Age Group Silver PA).  They joined Tide in 2019, and Darby has served as Treasurer since 2022.  Darby grew up swimming in the Tidewater area for ODAC (TIDE was not formed yet), where she broke two national age group records, won Junior Nationals in two events, and qualified for the U.S. National Junior Team, Olympic Festival, and Olympic Trials.  She swam collegiately at the University of Texas at Austin, where she won individual titles in both the Southwest Conference and the Big 12.  She also qualified for a second Olympic Trials and was a Division I NCAA All-American.  Darby is excited to be able to give back to the sport of swimming through her board position with TIDE. 
 

Professionally, Darby has spent the last 20 years working in Capital Markets and Investor Relations at a number of publicly traded companies with increasing responsibility.  She has worked on multiple capital efforts that have raised over $4 billion in funding for companies where she was employed and helped with a number of mergers and acquisitions.  Currently, she serves as Senior Vice President, Chief of Staff and Investor Relations, at Pathward Financial Inc, a nationally chartered bank whose purpose is financial inclusion.  Darby also has experience in Financial Planning and Analysis and Cash Management.  Darby has a BA in Biology from the University of Texas at Austin, an MBA from the College of William and Mary, and is a CPA. 

Jenny, with her husband Trey and daughter Alexis, has been deeply involved with Tide since 2014, cherishing the values instilled in Alexis, the meaningful experiences gained, and the friendships formed within the Tide family.  Jenny has enjoyed being part of the Tide community, serving on the Tide Board of Directors since 2017 in various leadership roles including Director, Vice President, and  President. During her tenure on the Tide Board, Jenny helped to create the PLC, enhance and expand facilities including forging partnerships with organizations like Larkspur Swim & Racquet Club, establish a 401(k) for Tide staff, and refine Tide’s organizational structure to support its growth into the future.

Beyond her commitments to Tide, Jenny dedicates her time to several community organizations. She volunteers with the Alanton Baycliff Recreation Center and Bolts swim team, and has held various roles with Norfolk Academy and the NA Swim and Dive Team. Jenny continues to manage the sponsorship and fundraising efforts for ABRC, where she previously served as Secretary on the Board of Directors.

Professionally, Jenny brings several years of experience as a commercial real estate attorney with Willcox & Savage and the City of Virginia Beach, balancing this with her passion for community service. She holds a B.A. in Government from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from Georgetown University.

As a native of Virginia Beach, Jenny finds joy in beach and water activities and settings. She has developed an interest in nutrition and fitness and enjoys yoga, spending time outside with her sweet golden retriever Kit and enthusiastically cheering on her daughter and fellow teammates. Jenny looks forward to continuing her service on the Tide Board of Directors, collaborating with talented individuals, and expanding water safety education and a love for swimming throughout the community.

Chad is a native of Virginia Beach and he joined the Tide Swimming board in 2022.  He and his wife Jamie have three children:  Sophia, Parker, and Asher; they have been members of Tide since 2011. His daughter Sophia  currently swims for UVA and joined Tide at the age of seven.   His son Parker is currently in the Princess Anne National group and began swimming with the team when he was five.   His youngest, Asher, is in the Age Group Bronze group and also joined the team when he was five years old.

Chad  studied business at  East Carolina University and has served in the Insurance industry  for 25 years.  He is currently serving as the Director of Employee Benefits for Friedman Associates. In addition to serving on the Tide Swimming board, he also serves as Board President for Little Neck Swim & Racquet club.

My name is Lyn Mannato and I am a Director and PLC Chair for TIDE Swimming. My daughter Alexis joined Tide as a novice swimmer in 2016. She now swims in the Senior Silver group at Princess Anne. My husband and I have been so proud of the growth and progression she has made over the years.

I grew up in Buffalo, New York and moved to Virginia Beach with my husband 18 years ago, courtesy of the Navy.  We have a son, Luke, who wrestles for Kellam Mat Rats and a younger daughter, Bryn, who cheers competitively for Fame All-Stars. I am a high school teacher at Greenbrier Christian Academy. In my free time, I enjoy running and have completed two marathons and five half marathons.   

Originally from Massachusetts, AJ is happy to call Virginia Beach home after countless moves over a 25 year career in the Navy.  He and his wife Megan have three children: Andrew, Caroline, and Kate, with Andrew swimming on TIDE since 2018.  AJ’s involvement with the team has steadily grown, becoming a certified USA Swimming Official in 2021 and then being elected to the Tide Board in 2024.  He brings with him an extensive background in strategic planning, fundraising, and 501(c)(3) organizations.

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he ran all four years on the cross country and track & field teams and remains driven by the life lessons gained while competing in Division 1 athletics.  AJ enjoys enabling young athletes to achieve their full potential and building positive cultures to position teams for success.

Outside of work, AJ loves to run, swim, travel, and chase after the family’s chocolate labrador Molly.

Hello! I grew up in Virginia Beach, swam for ODAC (in those days there was only one local swimming club!), and  graduated from Princess Anne High School.   I won my first National championship in 1987 in the 200IM, and then went on to swim at the University of Texas at Austin where I served as co-captain of the team.  While at Texas we won two National Championships and I was a 17 time All-American.  I also swam on the US National team from 1988-1992 and represented the US in several international competitions: the Pan Pacific Championships (two times), the World Championships, the Goodwill Games and an international trip to then East Berlin.
 

After graduating with a degree in Economics with Honors, I worked with Bain and Company as a Management consultant for seven years in Dallas, Texas and Johannesburg, South Africa.  My husband, Kevin, and I moved to Virginia Beach in 2001 and we have raised three children here– Will (24), Sophie (22) and Kayla (20).  They have all participated in various youth sports, including swimming.  Kayla currently swims at Stanford University.
 

Volunteering my time and experience to help elevate the sport of swimming and Tide Swimming is a labor of love for me. I believe we have a large enough population to compete with any club in the country and I am committed to helping children have an experience in the sport that is second to no other team.  Tide Swimming has a rich history of parents who have gone above and beyond to elevate our team and I love being a part of our Tide family!
 

I also serve on the USA Swimming Board of Directors, the National Governing Body for swimming in the US.  I was elected in 2022 and am serving a four year term.

Jennie's tenure with TIDE began in 2002 when her two sons joined the team after a Navy move from Puerto Rico. Her history with the team as parent and board member from 2002-2009 (President 2006-2009), Team Manager (2011-2014), Executive Director (2014-2024), and now Director of Finance and Operations gives her a unique perspective on the organization. She has seen TIDE grow from 200 swimmers in 2002 to its current 650 members.
 

Jennie's primary focus is on team and swim school operations , including logistical support for the swim school and TIDE coaching staff. She also supports strategic decision making for both businesses by analyzing financial and market data and trends to guide programming decisions and to support strategic decision making by the Board of Directors.

Jennie earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Miami University (Ohio) and an M.B.A. from the University of Illinois and worked in market research for a fortune 500 company in both the US and Japan. She also taught Chemistry at the University of Illinois and the University of Maryland (Asian Division) as well as graduate level marketing for Golden Gate University's executive MBA program (Monterey, CA).

Jennie is mother to two sons, Will and Matt, who were both former TIDE and collegiate swimmers. She is grandmother to Matt's two sons and also has three granddogs!

Hello, I'm Mackenzie Codington and I joined the TIDE family in 2020 as the organization's accountant. Professionally, I am a CPA with over 23 years of experience. I graduated from UC Santa Barbara and began my career working for Arthur Anderson in San Francisco. After getting married, I worked for two local firms in Meridian, MS and Lemoore, CA while my husband completed his flight training with the Navy. After the birth of our first son, I began a private tax practice which has grown over the last 17 years and continues to keep me busy during tax season. After being on my own for so long, it has been so wonderful to be part of a team again where I can work with others and contribute to the overall success of an amazing organization like TIDE Swimming.

I live in Virginia Beach with my husband Michael, our two sons, Parker and Trevor, and our daughter Emmylou. Despite being West Coast transplants, we feel very lucky to call Virginia Beach home and love being part of such a supportive and active community.

Coach Richard joined Tide in August 2016 as Associate Head Coach and was promoted to Head Coach in August 2019.

Born in Iowa, he grew up in southern California and swam for the Mission Viejo Nadadores. Richard went on to the University of California at Berkeley and swam for the men’s team from 2004 – 2008. After graduation, Richard joined the staff at Mission Viejo and coached in various capacities from novice to all levels and ages between 8 and 18. Richard primarily served as the 13/14 Division Director, National Team Assistant Coach, and Dryland Programming Director. In 2009, Richard spent a month in Japan running and facilitating a sports camp for Japanese children ages 4-16.

Richard was honored with the Virginia Swimming Senior Coach of the Year Award in both 2019 and 2020. “I coach because I am passionate about helping young people discover their own path and goals in life. I feel blessed to be able to help them find enjoyment in the process, not just the end result. “  

Associate Head Coach Mike Salpeter joined TIDE in August 2018. Mike oversees all of our Chesapeake programming and is Lead Site Coach for the Great Bridge/Hickory YMCA. Mike earned a BS in Psychology and an MS in Elementary Education, both from Mary Washington College.
 
He is a Level 4 ASCA Certified coach and has completed the education component of Level 5. Mike has over 20 years of coaching experience with 12 years as a Head Coach and five in his current position with TIDE. Mike has served on the Virginia Swimming Board as a coach representative for the past five years.
 
Mike was Head Coach of the Virginia Swimming Long Course Zones All Star Team in 2021 and led the team to the Eastern Zone Championship.

Coach Cat joined Tide Swimming in 2013 so she has over a decade of experience with the team. She was born and raised in Virginia Beach and is a graduate of Old Dominion University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science & Physical Education.
 
Cat has been involved in the local swimming community as both a swimmer and a  coach for over 20 years and hopes to continue sharing her passion for the sport for many years to come. Cat has held several roles throughout her tenure with TIDE including Swim School Director, Head Developmental Coach and is now in her fourth year serving as the Head Age Group Coach. She is also actively involved in Virginia Swimming Governance by serving on various committees from year to year.
 
Coach Cat is dedicated to establishing TIDE as a top tier USA Swimming Age Group program and works tirelessly with coaches, athletes, and parents to uphold our team values and create an empowering culture that provides meaningful experiences through TEAM.