Board of Directors
ULRICH LEMCKE
PRESIDENT
Ulrich Lemcke comes to us with more than three decades of experience running the Head of the Hooch® regatta in Atlanta, GA; Gainesville, GA; and Chattanooga, TN. Ulrich served as Assistant Regatta Director for 20 years, and as the Hooch evolved in Chattanooga, Ulrich led the Logistics Team that managed regatta registration, race scheduling, volunteers and oversaw the annual regatta budget. Ulrich served as President of the Atlanta Rowing Club from 2003-2006 and managed construction of the ARC boathouse prior to serving as club President
Ulrich started his rowing career at Cal Berkeley in 1973, rowed three years in the Varsity eight, and was a member of the winning Varsity eight at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships in 1976. One of his most memorable rowing experiences was competing in a straight four at the Royal Henley Regatta in England, but suffering defeat in the semifinal race to the British National Lightweight team. Meeting his wife of 40 years, Elise, being the positive memory! In the early 1980’s Ulrich and a Cal crew member made an attempt at the US National Team, but aspiring to do so and actually achieving that goal was not to be.
Ulrich holds a Master’s degree in Structural Engineering and Structural Mechanics, and brings with him experience managing large-scale transportation projects including Atlanta's MARTA Expansion, new tunnels under the Hudson River for NJ Transit and Amtrak, Washington DC’s Metro renovations, and New York's La Guardia Airport Terminal B/Circulator Roads replacement.
RON HARR
VICE-PRESIDENT
Ron Harr is a native Tennessean. He was born in Memphis and raised in Bristol. He is a graduate of McCallie School and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (B.S. – Communications, 1976). He had a long career with AT&T in Nashville, Chattanooga and Knoxville. He was the District Director for East Tennessee in 1995, when he came to Chattanooga to join BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. For 16 years he led the statewide communications and government relations activities of the BlueCross. In 2002 he was named CEO of BlueCare, the company’s largest subsidiary serving Tennessee’s Medicaid population. He retired from BlueCross in 2011 and was named President and CEO of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce in 2012. For 3 years, he led the Chamber to record membership growth and job creation before retiring late in 2014. He is enjoying retirement by using his Coast Guard Captain’s license to pilot the River Gorge Explorer and is also teaching new boat owners to drive their boats. He and his wife Linda have 4 grown children and are learning the joys of grandchildren.
CHRISTINE ZURAWSKI
SECRETARY
Chris Zurawski is the Chief Executive Officer of the Atlanta Infectious Disease Group and serves as the Medical Director of Antibiotic Stewardship and Infection Prevention at Piedmont Healthcare. Chris brings to the team a depth of professional experience running a business and serving the community.
Chris volunteered for 5 years on the board for the Atlanta Rowing Club. She wore many hats and oversaw club communications, facilities & equipment, and coached programs.
Chris' passion for rowing began at the University of Michigan. She revitalized her love of the sport in the early 2010's when she joined the Competitive Women's team at ARC. Today, she competes at the regional, national, and international levels with notable medals from FISA World Masters, USRowing Masters Nationals, and the Head of the Hooch® regatta.
JASON BEAGLE
DIRECTOR
Jason Beagle began rowing in 2007 and went on to win three first place medals in pararowing event at the Head of the Charles Regatta including two course records. His first taste of international competition was the 2009 World Out Games in Copenhagen, Denmark winning a bronze medal in the men’s 8+ event. A 2012 member of Team USA, Jason was the alternate for the PR3 4+ event for the London Paralympic Games.
Jason began Pararowing coaching while a resident athlete at the Oklahoma City National High-Performance Center in 2013. After relocating to Atlanta, he has been the Pararowing Coordinator at Atlanta Rowing Club since 2015. In 2022, he assumed the role of learn to row program coordinator.
KERRY BROWN
DIRECTOR
WILLIAM ESTERHUIZEN
DIRECTOR
CHRIS THOMAS
DIRECTOR
Kerry Brown, Customer Transformation Advisor at Celonis, is a thought leader who helps companies achieve organizational excellence. She is an international speaker and expert adviser on the future of work, change management, learning and workforce adoption, interacting with diverse global occupational cultures and industries, including many Fortune 500 companies.
Kerry previously served on the Atlanta Rowing Club Board introducing club-wide coaching programs, broadening development opportunities and enriching club spirit and community.
Originally from Vancouver, she studied Sports Marketing at the University of British Columbia where she was a four-year member of the Women’s Varsity Crew and Manager of the Men’s Varsity Crew. Kerry actively trains and competes in rowing both locally and internationally. Kerry has competed in the Head of the Hooch for over two decades with as many gold medals, encouraging growth and prominence of the regatta through the participation of others in the rowing community.
William Esterhuizen, a native of South Africa, has been involved in rowing since 1972 when he started rowing at the age of 14. A former SA National team rower, he emigrated to the USA in 1985 and enjoyed a long, successful career with Dun & Bradstreet, and with Equifax and was fortunate to retire early. William has volunteered with the Hooch every year since moving to Atlanta with his family in 1994. You’ll probably see him around the launch and recovery docks working with his team of volunteers. William attended the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Chris Thomas brings a wealth of knowledge about charities to the team. He is very familiar with the Head of the Hooch® regatta through his leadership of the Chattanooga Market that enables local vendors and artisans to share a taste of Chattanooga with our athletes, volunteers, and spectators. He brings a decade of 501(c)(3) non-profit administration, accounting and compliance experience to the team.
Chris is the Executive Director of Public Markets, Inc. -- a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization -- which organizes and operates public markets and community events, including the City of Collegedale July 4th Freedom Celebration; seasonal programming for the Tennessee Aquarium Plaza; and, other partnerships with local efforts. Chris is also the Executive Director of the Finley Stadium Complex where his leadership and creative thinking revived the facility to sustainable profitability.