Rondi Davies
President
Rondi Davies is a competitive open water swimmer finding success in local events in New York City including third in the 2008 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, and has notched wins in marathon swims in Long Island Sound and Lake Memphremagog, Vermont. Rondi holds the women’s record for the fastest Manhattan Island circumnavigation of 5:44 as well as the fastest clockwise circumnavigation.
From 2011 to the present, Rondi co-organized and directed the 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim, and 2 Bridges, a 2.5/5K swim in Poughkeepsie, NY. Davies is an Earth scientist and science educator in New York City and uses her knowledge in these fields to plan and navigate swimming events in the complex tidal currents of the Hudson River and New York Harbor, as well as advocate for the health of these bodies of water.
Alex Arévalo
Vice President
Alex Arévalo is an active and experienced kayaker who supports solo and mass participation open water swimming events throughout the New York City area and beyond. He is kayak coordinator for the annual 8 Bridges Hudson River swim, organizing kayaker support for the event and keeping swimmers safe in the water. He is a senior member and officer of the Inwood Canoe Club in Upper Manhattan. After focusing on Gender Studies at Columbia University, Alex has worked in the finance, construction, and service industries.
Warren Perry
Director
Having grown up on the coast of North Carolina, Warren Perry has always had an affinity for water. He began swimming competitively at the age of 7 and swam varsity for the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Upon moving to the Northeast, he added open water swimming to his repertoire and began the sport of triathlon. Warren is a multi-Ironman finisher, former Board President for Team New York Aquatics, and licensed sailboat captain. Most recently, Warren directed all aquatics programs at Convent of the Sacred Heart in NYC, where he led the team to 9 consecutive conference titles and 3 consecutive state championships. When not in the water, this Pisces can be found teaching cycling classes at Equinox, planning his next SwimTrek adventure, or walking his West Highland Terrier, Wallace.
Paula Croxson
Director
Paula Croxson is an open-water swimmer, science communicator, neuroscientist, storyteller and musician based in New York City. She has completed several marathon swims including 20 Bridges in 2022, the Rottnest Channel Swim in 2020 and the Swim Around Charleston in 2019. She is an experienced boat observer, and has observed for NYOW since it was founded, and prior to that for NYC Swim. She served as the Co-Executive Director of the Coney Island Brighton Beach Open Water Swimmers (CIBBOWS) from 2021-2023 and is an active member of the Advisory Board. She has co-organized and race directed numerous swims including Grimaldo’s Mile, the Triple Dip and the Breezy Point 5K, and has also volunteered, provided kayak support and crewed for many swims. She started her swimming life as a competitive synchronized (artistic) swimmer, competing at regional and national level in the U.K. and subsequently as a water polo player, coach and referee, competing in the U.K. National League and British Universities and Colleges Sports. As a professional science communicator and storyteller, Paula uses her skills to advocate for swimming and access to the water to be more inclusive, equitable and accessible.
David Barra
Advisory board
David Barra has been competing in open water swimming events since 1998 and has focused on long distance for the past several years. He has completed multiple marathon swimming events all over the world including the Maui Channel (11 miles), the Tampa Bay Marathon Swim (22 miles), the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (MIMS) (28 miles), the Catalina Channel (21 miles), the Boston Light Swim (8 miles), the English Channel (21 miles), the Ederle Swim, NY (17 miles), La Traversee du Lac St Jean, Quebec (21 miles), Vidosternsimmet, Sweden (21Km), Plymouth to Provincetown, MA (22 miles), in Search of Memphre, Vermont (25 miles), traverses of the Finger Lakes, New York including a 35 mile traverse of Lake Cayuga.
In 2011, with co-director Rondi Davies, Barra introduced the first annual 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim, a 120-mile/ 7-stage swim event (the longest in the world!). He is also a coach/guide for Total Immersion’s open water swim camps in the Bahamas, Hawaii, and St John since 2006, and has recently joined Swim Vacation as a guide. In 2013 Barra founded Swimmer Safety Services to provide guiding with a highly visible motorized escort for solo swimmers and to provide logistical support for swim events. Barra is the owner of a stone cutting and installation business in the Hudson Valley, NY.