In addition to being a collegiate rowing coach, Kelley Lessard is a nationally-certified strength and conditioning coach with a degree in physical education. Coach Lessard took her first strokes on the water in 1995 and has herself been coached by some of the most accomplished athletes in women’s rowing, including several former Olympians, World Champions and US & Canadian National Team rowers. She has been coaching the sport for nearly 13 years and has consistently guided her teams to successful seasons while herself competing in New England area head races (including 7 Head of the Charles regattas), local and national-level sprint races and the CRASH-B Indoor Rowing Championships. From 2005 through 2007, she and her rowing partner medaled in all but one of the 2x races they entered, including top place finishes at the Textile Regatta in Lowell and the Celebration Sprints in Lawrence in 2007.