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, and then President in 2024.  Through her roles on the Board, Jenn has led the annual survey initiative, served on the finance committee, organized and facilitated board meetings, contributed to special projects, and worked closely with the Executive Director to approve new policies, contracts, and other “dry side” operations.

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.  

Bridget Fickenscher has been involved with Tide Swimming since her oldest daughter, Ellie, joined in 2017 as an age group swimmer.  Since then, her children have participated in every program Tide offers from Swim School through the senior program.  Today, three of her four children swim competitively for Tide. 

Eager to share what she had learned working with other local service organizations, Bridget joined the Tide board in 2019 as an Age Group Representative.  A dedicated advocate for the youth in our community, she served as President and founding member of a successful 501(c)(3) that focuses on the needs of children in Hampton Roads, Vice President of the Virginia Beach City Union of Kings Daughters, PTA President at both the elementary and middle school level, Treasurer of the Little Neck Swim Team and various other volunteer and leadership positions. 

Bridget was elected to serve as Secretary of the Tide Board of Directors in 2020 and Vice President in 2024.  Her background in Business Accounting and extensive experience in Fundraising and Event Planning has supported her work with the Tide Board’s Finance Committee and her role as Banquet Chair.  She also manages the annual Tide Scholarship program for graduating seniors. 

A native of Virginia Beach, Bridget loves raising her four children in her hometown with her husband, Ben.  The family spends most of their free time enjoying the outdoors, hiking, boating, fishing, or just hitting the beach. 

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 for TIDE Swimming. My daughter Alexis joined Tide as a novice swimmer in 2016. She now swims in the Senior Gold 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 20 years ago, courtesy of the Navy.  We have a son, Luke, who plays football and runs track, and a younger daughter, Bryn, who cheers competitively for Fame All-Stars. I am a high school math teacher at Greenbrier Christian Academy. In my free time, I enjoy running and have completed two marathons and eight half marathons.   

Chris is a 2004 graduate of Old Dominion University with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration/Accounting. He has been in the field since 2004, but has been provided CFO services and preparing taxes for over 25 years. His managerial background helped mold his client-focused, proactive approach to client business taxes in his tax practice, C. Wood & Co, LLC. 

He is originally from Portsmouth, Rhode Island and move to Virginia Beach 1997 to pursue a career in the accounting industry. He is married to his lovely wife, Sharon who is a professor at ODU, and has 3 children, Anthony, Wilson, & Zachary, a daughter-on-law Chelsea and 3 beautiful grandchildren, Audrey, Anthony James Wood Jr., and Charlotte. Chris is very active and enjoys the beach, cooking, officiating swim meets, lifting weights, martial arts, and running. 

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 (26), Sophie (24) and Kayla (22).  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.