Please select your home edition
Edition
Maritimo S Series

Cory Sertl elected President of US Sailing's Board of Directors

by US Sailing 24 Oct 2018 22:29 AEDT
Cory Sertl at the 2018 Sailing Leadership Forum in St. Pete Beach, Florida © Metthew Cohen

The US Sailing Nominating Committee named new members of the National Governing Body's Board of Directors who were officially elected on Thursday, October 11, 2018 at US Sailing's Annual Meeting in San Francisco, hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club. Cory Sertl (Rochester, N.Y.) was elected as the next President of US Sailing. Rich Jepsen (Alameda, Calif.) was elected Vice President. Read the Q&A with Cory Sertl at the end of this announcement.

The US Sailing President serves one three-year term. Previous US Sailing President Bruce Burton (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.) led the organization in this role since November of 2015.

The newly elected members of US Sailing's Board of Directors are Treasurer John Schoendorf (Miami, Fla.), Select Director John Sangmeister (Long Beach, Calif.), and Directors Charlie Arms (Annapolis, Md.) and Jeffrey Johnson (San Diego, Calif.). Ron White (South Bend, Ind.) has also been retained for another term.

Sertl, Jepsen, Schoendorf, Sangmeister, Arms, and White will serve one three-year term. Johnson will serve one two-year term.

Sertl has had an extensive and successful sailing career both on and off the water. Her sailing experience ranges from dinghies and match racing, to one-design keelboat racing at the highest levels of national and international competition. Sertl was a U.S. Olympian at the 1988 Olympic Games as a 470 sailor, and she also launched Olympic campaigns in 1992 and 2004. She is a two-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year award winner in 1995 and 2001. Sertl is also a certified US Sailing Instructor Trainer and coach.

Sertl has been active on behalf of US Sailing as a delegate to World Sailing since 1995. She currently serves as a representative on the Council for North America and Chairs the Youth Events Sub Committee.

Sailing is a family activity for the Sertls. Cory and her husband, Mark have two grown children, who sailed at the college level – Katja (Boston College, 2016) and Nick (Harvard, 2018).

A Q&A with Cory Sertl

US Sailing: Looking back at your sailing career what were your most influential moments and experiences?

Cory Sertl: One of the most influential experiences was my involvement in training for the Olympics. It is a unique opportunity to work your hardest towards a goal and striving for excellence. Placing second in the Olympic Trials and then becoming a training partner and Olympic Team member in 1988 was a unique experience to be part of a group of women that helped Allison Jolly and Lynne Jewell win the first gold medal for women's sailing in Olympic history.

We celebrated 30 years of women in Olympic Sailing at the Leadership Forum this year and it is impressive how so many women who have had the experience of training for the Olympics have stepped up in their own way to give back to the sport. I have had so many experiences in the sport that have been made richer by those who have supported the sport: event organizers, race officials, volunteers at the club level and teammates.

US Sailing: As you embark on this role, what will be your primary objectives and focus?

Cory Sertl: As a board member over the past few years we have created a "roadmap" in the form of a new strategic plan that focuses on building lifelong sailors and a diversity of pathways for sailing. This is a great plan that we worked hard on, getting input from numerous stakeholders across the country about what the role of US Sailing should be in providing leadership and resources to the sport. NSPS (National Sailing Programs Symposium) and the Sailing Leadership Forum are tremendous events to be part of that are really effective at energizing instructors, coaches, Program Directors and those that are involved in leadership of sailing organizations from all over the country. Our focus is on improving our educational tools and sharing them with the programs that will use them.

US Sailing: What are you looking forward to most?

Cory Sertl: Working with a tremendous team of staff and volunteer committee members who are turning great ideas into action. I will also be staying involved as a competitor in whatever racing opportunities come my way.

Related Articles

US Sailing and Zhik announce strategic partnership
Zhik will provide cutting-edge gear designed to enhance athlete performance on the water US Sailing, the national governing body for the sport of sailing in the United States, is proud to announce a new multi-year partnership with Zhik, global leader in high-performance water wear. Posted on 13 May
US Sailing Team set for the Paris 2024 Olympics
13 American athletes in nine classes will take to the Bay of Marseille Over the course of 12 days, 13 American athletes in nine classes will take to the Bay of Marseille for competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics, following a shortened runway of three years due to the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games. Posted on 27 Jul 2024
Some thoughts on U.S. Olympic sailing
If you're a fan of US Sailing you're best advised to stop reading this editorial Caveat Emptor: If you're a fan of US Sailing, and specifically how the organization runs the U.S. Olympic sailing program, you're best advised to stop reading this editorial. Posted on 13 Mar 2023
Open letter from Paul Cayard
The Executive Director of U.S. Olympic Sailing writes from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing venue I am departing Japan today after absorbing the Olympic environment, observing our team in action and getting pointers from old friends who have been running teams in this game for decades. Posted on 5 Aug 2021
Fun is the key
We can create growth in sailing by helping people have more fun playing with sailboats The lessons of the past are still relevant today! This article excerpt was originally published in the July/August 1996 edition of the American Sailor. Posted on 29 Jul 2020
US Finn sailors set for 2019 Finn Gold Cup at RBYC
Three of the total 63 competitors will be representing the United States. On Monday, December 16, the last event of the 2019 Olympic class World Championships will begin with the 2019 Finn Gold Cup at the Royal Brighton Yacht Club, in Melbourne, Australia. Posted on 15 Dec 2019
Hempel Worlds: New Doublehanded Offshore event
Mixed two-person offshore keelboat event will be on the program at the Paris 2024 Olympics For the first time in Olympic history, a Mixed Two-Person Offshore Keelboat event will be on the program at the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Competition. Posted on 7 Dec 2019
US Sailing team leadership statement
A statement from US Sailing regarding the U.S. Olympic Sailing Program US Sailing and Malcolm Page, Chief of Olympic Sailing, announced that they have agreed to part ways. Page will be leaving US Sailing and returning to his home in Australia. Posted on 20 Sep 2019
2019 Hempel World Cup Series Miami preview
30th anniversary of elite-level Olympic class sailing on Biscayne Bay Racing will soon begin at the 2019 Hempel World Cup Series Miami (HWCSM). This year marks the 30th anniversary of elite-level Olympic class sailing on Biscayne Bay. Posted on 25 Jan 2019
US Sailing team takes on Olympic Qualifier
At World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark The official start of the 2018 Hempel Sailing World Championships is Thursday, (August 2) in beautiful Aarhus, Denmark. Over the course of 11 days of racing, 10 Olympic classes and kites will coexist on the waters outside of Denmark's second largest city. Posted on 1 Aug 2018
V-DRY-XCyclops Marine 2023 November - FOOTERNavico AUS Zeus3S FOOTER