College Squash Association Announces the Elections of Will Carlin as Board Chair and Katherine O’Donnell Lynch as Newest Board Member

College Squash Association Announces the Elections of Will Carlin as Board Chair and Katherine O’Donnell Lynch as Newest Board Member

[Philadelphia, July 24, 2024] – The College Squash Association, the governing body of intercollegiate squash, is pleased to announce the election of a new Board Chair and a new board member. Will Carlin has been appointed as the new Board Chair and Katherine O’Donnell Lynch has been elected to the board. Each will be pivotal in driving the organization’s strategic initiatives and fostering continued growth. 

In their new roles, Carlin will lead the organization’s 11-person Board of Directors, and Lynch joins as a Class 3 Manager. Both bring extensive experience and passion for college squash, and their strategic vision and ability to drive operational excellence will be instrumental in guiding the CSA toward continued success and expansion. 

Carlin takes over from Margaret Gerety, who served as the Board Chair this past year. The CSA expresses its deepest gratitude for her leadership and contributions during her tenure. Margaret has been an invaluable asset to the CSA since she joined the Board in 2019. A few highlights during her tenure include successfully negotiating a new organizational structure with US Squash, recruiting growth-oriented individuals to both the Board and committees, cultivating a culture of giving, and leading the search for a new commissioner. 

Carlin expressed both thanks and excitement about his new role. “I am honored to be third CSA Chair following the incredible leadership of John Nimick and Margaret Gerety. The eleven current board members are all amazingly committed to our wonderful game and the importance of intercollegiate squash. I am thankful to be part of the College Squash Association team and look forward to contributing to the organization’s growth and success,” he stated. “I am confident that together, we will achieve remarkable milestones and create new opportunities in the industry.” 

Carlin and Lynch are joined by the re-elections of John Nimick, whose ongoing dedication and expertise continue to be invaluable, and coaches Mark Allen and Mike MacDonald, who have excelled in ensuring that the insights and perspectives of active coaches are well-represented in the CSA’s decisions. 

The association is confident that the leadership and experience of the newly elected and re-elected board members will further strengthen its efforts to elevate the sport of squash in the collegiate arena. 

Will Carlin 

Will Carlin, perhaps best known as the back-page columnist for Squash Magazine and the host of several professional squash tournaments, including the Tournament of Champions in New York, has had a long squash career. Carlin went to Yale, where he played number one and was Captain his senior year. During his collegiate squash career, Will earned first-team All-America and All-Ivy honors. He was the 1989 National Softball Champion and the US #1 player in 1990 and 1995. During this time, Carlin became one of the first US men to play the PSA tour full-time, which he did for three years, achieving one of the highest-ever PSA rankings by a US man (#51).

Carlin was elected as squash’s first athlete representative to the US Olympic Committee, where he served on the Board and the Executive Committee. He is the only non-Olympian ever to serve as one of two athlete representatives on its Executive Committee, and one of only two squash players worldwide ever to serve on its country’s Olympic EC. Carlin served for 14 years on the US Squash Executive Committee, where he won the Stewart Brauns Award for service to US Squash.  

Carlin is co-founder and CEO of Speakable, a consulting firm that helps organizations with high-stakes presentations. Prior to that, Carlin was managing partner of three different marketing agencies, including OgilvyInteractive North America and the New York office of marchFIRST, a $200-million, 500-person operation.   

Katherine O’Donnell Lynch 

Katherine O’Donnell Lynch started her career as an officer in the US Navy, driving $1B Destroyers. She then pivoted to building and scaling startups in the health, wellness and fintech space, beginning at Oscar Health where she led operations and brought the company public. She then co-founded Ness, the first of its kind credit card that rewarded consumers for taking healthy actions. Katherine has since been working as a consultant and advisor to many early and growth stage companies looking to build and scale their operations (examples include racquet sports, military focused credit cards, and an AI personal assistant). 

Katherine was co-captain of the 2010 national and Ivy League champion team at Harvard. Katherine lives in Short Hills, NJ with her husband Joe (also an avid squash player!) and 2 girls, Lucy and Margot. She plays at the Chatham Club and at the Harvard Club of NYC. 

For more information about the College Squash Association and its Board of Managers, please view the CSA Governance page. 

About the College Squash Association:
The College Squash Association (CSA) is the governing body overseeing men’s and women’s intercollegiate varsity squash in the United States. In May 2017, CSA formally organized as a nonprofit organization led by a founding board of directors. In December 2022, CSA became an independently-managed subsidiary of US Squash, a new corporate structure that formally affiliates squash’s national governing body and its collegiate governing body, creating a united pathway to sustained success for squash on campus and robust growth for squash overall. 

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