Author: Carl Popolo

Joseph LaFreniere (President)

Other sports/activities: Former president of Bay State Speed Skating Association and speed skating coach; former sailing instructor, competed in 16 consecutive Figawi sailboat races; kayak experience.
Presently United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla Staff Officer for Public Education-teaching boating safety classes, coordinate course offerings, instructors, materials, and classrooms at several venues.
Former licensed US Rowing Referee. Previous rowing experience: Long Beach Rowing Association (California) -member. Univ. of Lowell- crew team member, team captain. Pawtucket Rowing Association member.
Present Rowing Affiliation: MRRA: club founder , have served in several offices- boat captain etc., presently trustee, Festival Regatta- original founder of race. Textile River Regatta: original founder of event and director of past races
2016 MRRA work: Active on Safety and Equipment Committees, performed several boat repairs.
Previous years have coached at learn to scull. Racing/Rowing Experience: 2016 Rowdown with Independence to Lowell 2016 Rowed “open water” mainland to Martha’s Vineyard. Previous events include: National Open Water Rowing Competitions, Jamestown and at Narragansett, RI TRR, Festival. NH Championships, Head of the Charles, Riverside Sprints, Head of Conn, Methuen Chase, Canadian Henley, Green Mountain Head.

Dennis McCarthy (Boat Captain)

Dennis McCarthy is a fantastic representative not only of the boathouse, not only of all the best Lowell has to offer, but of an upstanding responsible, thoughtful and intelligent human being. Dennis has been boat captain this year and has been on the board for the past four years. Dennis knows the ins and outs of the Bellegarde Boathouse and the Merrimack river stretch from the falls to the Tyngsboro bridge like the back of his hand, or better yet, like the back of his oars. Beyond rowing, he’s been a boat captain on a sail boat named Fiona for over a decade, so has experience in nautical leadership, making him a candidate not to be stopped over for Boat Captain position for the MRRA

Terry Freeman (Secretary)

Contributions to the MRRA over the years include:
Program Director of the LTSWEEP program – 4 years (2014-2018)
Member of the Social committee - 5 years
Vice President – 1 year (2015)
Trustee – 3 years (2016-2018)
TRR Medals Chair - 5 years
TRR publicity - 2 years

Andy Hutchinson (VP)

I joined the club last year after completing the Learn to Scull class and continued through the end of the season. This year I assisted Linas as a co-director of the Learn to Scull class and enjoyed introducing the rowing to a new crop of rowers. I competed in both the Festival and Textile River Regattas, the latter in and MRRA Men’s Quad.
When not rowing I work for a living as a Marketeer for Teradyne a Boston based company that manufactures electronic test equipment. I had a great time rowing and getting to know the members of the club over the past year and look forward to being able to continue to give back as I continue to learn and mature in the sport.

Chur Masors (Treasurer)

Rower since 2001… Primarily sculling, also some sweep rowing. Mostly recreational but some competition…
Retired UMass Lowell Lab Tech…
Previous offices: Secretary 1 year, Treasurer 4 years. Previous activities: Learn to Scull Program Director 6 years… Acting Chair Equipment Committee 1 year…
Currently: Social committee. MRRA Treasurer seeking 2nd term

MRRA
2018 Annual Meeting

American Legion Post 313,
90 Groton Rd (Router 40),
North Chelmsford, MA
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
6:30 Arrivals & Cocktails
7:00pm Meeting Start
Call to order
Review/approval of the November meeting minutes
2018 Review
Membership
Programs
Regattas
Equipment
Boat Usage Stats
2019 Base Membership Proposal
Volunteer Recognition and Call for Committee Volunteers
Elections
New Business
Adjournment and Annual Party

Liz Albert (Trustee)

Michelle Collier (Trustee)

BALLOT

I have been a continuous member of the MRRA for 25 years. I support both the competitive and recreational aspects of our club. As a recreational rower myself, I also feel strongly about promoting the community portion of our non-profit organization.
I have already served the MRRA as Secretary (back when our membership communication included using postage stamps!), and as Trustee for 1 or 2 terms. In addition I was chairperson of the Bylaws committee that met for almost 2 years to refine and update our Bylaws, which were adopted in 2011. We have such a beautiful resource in our section of the river. I would like to see more MRRA involvement in the conservation and clean up activities that occur along the Merrimack River. I also support the research into finding suitable location where we might establish a MRRA Boathouse.

Bronwyn Chapman (Trustee)

I started rowing in the Learn to Scull program five years ago and became a member that same year. I live in Tyngsboro with my husband Michael, daughter Teagan and my two dogs. My daughter Aideen is a freshman in college out of state. My work background has been in accounting, HR and facilities management for most of my career. I do not have a degree in accounting but know my way around writing a check pretty well. I work fulltime for a small high tech company in Acton. Life is the same busy for me as it is for everyone, so over the past two years I have not always turned things around as quick as people would like, but things do get done.

I have been a member of MRRA since I completed the Learn to Row many years ago. I have enjoyed rowing with Masters club on the Merrimack, and competing in eights and fours at the MRRA Festival and Textile events, as well as a few other local events and the 2015 Head of the Charles. This past year I participated in the Learn to Scull program and progressed to Logbook Sculler, rowing in singles and Quads. For the MRRA events I have worked the docks, communications, finish line and been a launch driver.
I have experience in starting and growing clubs as a participant. I founded the Lady Monarchs over 19 year old Ice Hockey club. I grew the club from a handful of skaters of various abilities with a desire to play hockey, to two coached teams. I was a member of the team who were Divisional Runners-up at Nationals 2011.
I have been a product manager for many years, where I work with customers, engineering, operations and sales to develop strategy, create and launch products and obsolete old products. I would like to be a part of helping MRRA grow, to be able offer more opportunities for rowers to improve their skills and test them at races in a variety of boats.

PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

TREASURER

SECRETARY

BOAT CAPTAIN

TRUSTEE

LAFRENIERE, Joe
_________________
_________________
_____________

HUTCHINSON, Andrew
_________________
_________________

MASORS, Chur
_________________
_________________

FREEMAN, Terry
_________________
_________________

MCCARTHY, Dennis
_________________
_________________

ALBERT, Liz
CHAPMAN, Bronwyn
COLLIER, Michelle
_________________
_________________

About the Trustee Positions
Trustees serve for three years. This year’s ballot is for the Trustee position that will expire in 2021. The current trustees and their term expirations are:
Jody Decarolis — through 2020 Bob Sengstaken — through 2019 Terry Freeman — through 2018 (expiring)

YES
NO

BALLOT

BALLOT

BALLOT

PRESIDENT

LAFRENIERE, Joe
_________________
_________________

PRESIDENT

LAFRENIERE, Joe
_________________
_________________

PRESIDENT

LAFRENIERE, Joe
_________________
_________________

VICE PRESIDENT

HUTCHINSON, Andrew
_________________
_________________

VICE PRESIDENT

HUTCHINSON, Andrew
_________________
_________________

VICE PRESIDENT

HUTCHINSON, Andrew
_________________
_________________

TREASURER

MASORS, Chur
_________________
_________________

TREASURER

MASORS, Chur
_________________
_________________

TREASURER

MASORS, Chur
_________________
_________________

SECRETARY

FREEMAN, Terry
_________________
_________________

SECRETARY

FREEMAN, Terry
_________________
_________________

SECRETARY

FREEMAN, Terry
_________________
_________________

BOAT CAPTAIN

MCCARTHY, Dennis
_________________
_________________

BOAT CAPTAIN

MCCARTHY, Dennis
_________________
_________________

BOAT CAPTAIN

MCCARTHY, Dennis
_________________
_________________

TRUSTEE

ALBERT, Liz
CHAPMAN, Bronwyn
COLLIER, Michelle
_________________
_________________
_________________
_________________

TRUSTEE

ALBERT, Liz
CHAPMAN, Bronwyn
COLLIER, Michelle
_________________
_________________
_________________
_________________

TRUSTEE

ALBERT, Liz
CHAPMAN, Bronwyn
COLLIER, Michelle
_________________
_________________
_________________
_________________

YES
NO
NO

YES
NO
NO

YES
NO
NO