New Chair for Head of the Charles As Regatta Adds to Board, Staff

The Head of the Charles regatta, the world’s largest three-day rowing event, announced in late April that Zander Packard has been named chair of the board of directors.

At the same time, the regatta announced the addition of Jon Bernstein and Dave Mingey to the board. Along with Packard, all three are former collegiate oarsmen who have achieved success in business.

Packard rowed at St. Paul’s School and Stanford University and later became deeply involved in the successful effort to save Stanford rowing after the university announced in July 2020 that it would eliminate 11 varsity sports programs—including men’s rowing and women’s lightweight rowing—at the conclusion of the 2020–21 academic year. Most recently, he served as chief integration officer at One Medical, the publicly traded healthcare-services company.

Packard succeeds Tim Fulham, who served on the board of directors for 17 years, including the last three as chair. During his tenure, Fulham worked closely with vice chair Bracknell Baker, who will remain in that role. As the Charles builds on its legacy as Boston’s second-largest sporting event, the organization continues to wrestle with the rising costs of staging the regatta. The Head of the Charles has lost money each year since 2023 despite revenues growing to $5 million last year. The regatta has drawn on the endowment established during the 33-year leadership of Fred Schoch, who retired in 2024. Tori Stevens was hired to succeed Schoch.

Packard acknowledged the financial challenges while expressing optimism about the regatta’s future.  “We still have some ground to make up, but Tori’s leadership has been phenomenal and she has had a big impact in the (almost) two years she has been with us,” Packard said. “Revenue is up significantly, but event costs have also increased dramatically over the past several years, particularly since the pandemic. Public safety costs alone have increased 65% in just three years, creating real pressure on the event despite meaningful revenue growth. I’m excited about the direction of the event as a global draw for rowers of all ages, abilities, and experience levels, and I believe that we are on a path to improve the spectator experience both for the veteran regatta watcher and the casual or new to rowing fan.”

In May, the regatta welcomed Bridget Kelly, MBA, to the full-time staff as operations manager. Originally from the Boston area, Kelly discovered rowing as a walk-on at Syracuse University. She later coached with the women’s rowing program at Jacksonville University. Along with her rowing background, Kelly brings experience in event operations, with a focus on logistics and coordination.

The 2026 regatta will be held October 16–18.