Our Staff
Here at Farber Swim School, we pride ourselves on having a fun and energetic staff who love the water and love to teach!
All of our instructors are trained to teach ages 3–18 years.
Some of our instructors go through extra training to specialize in:
- Adults
- Babies (4–35 months)
- Fearful swimmers
- Little swimmers (2.5–3 years)
- Additional needs
- Team-level
To get to know our staff, click a name to read a staff’s bio & see what extra training and qualifications they have!
Owners

Adam Farber
Owner


The family



Kristin Farber
Business Owner
Managers



Amanda
Billing Manager



Jen
HR Manager
Administrative Staff



Amanda
Office Assistant




Annie
Baby Program Coordinator



Brenna
Office Assistant




Courtney
Office Assistant & Instructor



Diane
Office Assistant / Instructor


Jennifer
Office Assistant




Liz


Nicole
Office Assistant


Vyvan
Office Assistant
Instructors




Annie
Baby Program Coordinator



Benny




Courtney


Dana



Diane


Doug



Isabella



Jessie


Helen



Jackson



Kaily


Ryleigh




Liz
Pee Wees Head Coach



Luke



Marco



Megan



Meghan


Rowan



Sophie



Teresa



Thaly
Pee Wees Coach



Zoe


Holly


Marisa
(substitute)



Michelle
(substitute)


Nathan
(substitute)



Tanya
(substitute)



Adam Farber
Business Owner / Swim Instructor / Coach
Adam has been around pools all of his life. He grew up in Phoenix, Arizona where he started swimming competitively at the age of 5. He swam through high school and then afterward began teaching lessons for Hubbard Family Swim School. After moving to Nevada, Adam continued teaching professionally at multiple facilities, which led to coaching positions at Sparks High School and the University of Nevada. Adam then moved to Oregon and after working at a local swim school for a couple years, founded Farber Swim School in 2007. Adam oversees all aspects of the swim school, including coaching the FSS Penguins and Pee Wees swim teams. In addition he is Head Coach of Sunset High School’s men’s and women’s swim teams.
Adam is a US Swim School Association Level 2 Instructor as well as an American Swim Coaches Association Level 3.
Oregon State High School Swimming Titles:
2017 – Girls 1st in state & Boys 2nd in state
2016 – Girls 3rd in state & Boys 3rd in state
2015 – Girls 2nd in state & Boys 3rd in state
2014 – Girls 4th in state & Boys 1st in state
2013 – Girls 2nd in state & Boys 1st in state
2012 – Boy’s 1st in state
2011 – Boy’s 1st in state
2010 – Girl’s 3rd in state
Awards:
2014 – Oregon Athletic Association’s 6A Boys Swim Coach of the Year
2014 – Metro League Coach of the Year
2013 – Oregon Athletic Association’s 6A Boys Swim Coach of the Year
2013 – Metro League Coach of the Year
2012 – Metro League Coach of the Year
2011 – Oregon Athletic Association’s 6A Boys Swim Coach of the Year
2011 – Metro League Coach of the Year



Kristin Farber
Business Owner
Kristin’s background is in teaching and coordinating sports and recreational programs for youth and adults. She has worked for Oregon State University’s recreation department and KidSpirit Youth Programs, Willamette Valley Girls on the Run, Mittleman Jewish Community Center, and Tualatin Hills Park Recreation. At FSS, Kristin’s focus is on managing the business side of things: coordinating programs, keeping the office running, and making sure FSS is providing the best customer service to its participants!



Kaily



Amanda
Billing Manager
Amanda was born and raised in Huntington Beach, CA. She grew up on the beach surfing year round. Amanda has a broad competitive sports background and was on several high school teams including soccer, dive, and track & field. After college she moved to Beaverton in 2008 to escape the hustle of Southern California and give her fair skin a break! Her experience spans over 10 years and includes business management, tax preparation, financial reporting, policy implementation, auditing, and forensic accounting.
In her free time, she and her husband enjoy camping, hiking, golfing, archery, wine tasting, exploring new places, and spending time with family & friends.
FSS employee since: July 2017



Jen
HR Manager
Jen was born and raised in Portland where she lives now with her husband and six kids. She did her undergraduate work at Portland State and got her MBA at Marylhurst University. After earning her SPHR and SHRM-SCP, Jen worked for a lot of really great places including First Unitarian Church of Portland, Camp Fire Columbia, Neighborhood House and, currently, Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon. Jen came to work for FSS in April of 2018 and loves it because she really believes in the mission of helping people develop an appreciation of and affinity for water. She also really believes in the staff at Farber and is impressed by how dedicated each is to the mission of the organization and how hard they work for and care about the kids and families.



Amanda
Office Assistant
Amanda was raised in Salem, OR and and moved to Portland in 2026. She is currently going to PSU for her Music Education degree in hopes to teach middle-/high school orchestra and choir. She has previously worked with the office staff at the Department of Human Services, Direct Travel Company, and the Radisson Hotel. Amanda is excited to be working in a fun family environment where she gets to build relationships with the families but also gets to see the children accomplish amazing things in the pool!




Annie
Baby Program Coordinator / Marketing & Communications / Swim Instructor
Annie grew up in Beaverton and attended college in Idaho. She then moved to England where she earned her master’s degree at the University of Kent, Canterbury. She has always loved swimming, and it wasn’t long after starting office work at Farber that she just had to get in the water with those cute kids! Her favorite parts of the job are: watching her amazing students learn; organizing fun events; and creating the monthly coloring contests. Annie’s favorite swimming stroke is the breaststroke. She is a nerdy English major who enjoys writing poetry, singing show tunes, and petting her dog.
Specialties: Babies, Littles, Fears, Adults, Additional needs
FSS employee since: February 2014



Brenna
Office Assistant
Brenna grew up in Naches, Washington and moved to the Portland area at 14.




Courtney
Office Assistant & Instructor
Courtney learned to swim the old-fashioned way—in rivers and lakes as she was growing up in Gresham! She started working with kids as a teen when she coached hockey for younger children. She loves establishing that trust and bond with her students, and the joy of watching them achieve their goals and grow in confidence. In the office, Courtney loves getting to know the kids, listening to their stories and questions and making them laugh. Likewise, Courtney always wants to bring laughter into her lessons. Swimming is an important skill for everyone to learn, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun, too!
In her downtime, Courtney’s favorite thing to do is spend quality family time with her partner and her 5-year-old son. Together they enjoy hiking and camping, especially in Courtney’s favorite travel destination, Sisters OR.
Specialties: Babies, Littles, Ages 3–18


Diane
Office Assistant / Instructor
Diane grew up swimming, sailing, and ice skating, in Mountain Lakes, NJ which has five lakes, but not a single mountain. While lakes are lovely, she much prefers swimming in pools where there are no water snakes or snapping turtles.
After high school, Diane came to Oregon to climb real mountains and to study English at Reed College and later worked as a computer programmer for Fred Meyer, a secretary at a genetics institute in Germany, and as a high school and college English instructor in Ohio.
These days Diane lives Southwest Portland with her husband, three teenagers, one dog, and three cats, and can often be found at her daughters’ softball games, her son’s theater productions, or on the trails in Forest Park. Diane is thrilled to be a part of the Farber Swim Family because she loves to help people learn and feels privileged to be able to teach swimming. Just learning how to move your body in water is magical, but learning to swim is also about learning to trust: your teacher, the water, and most of all, yourself. If you can learn to swim, you can learn just about anything!
Specialties: Age 3-18
FSS employee since: May 2017


Jennifer
Office Assistant
Bio coming soon!
FSS employee since: July 2017




Liz
Instructor, Office Assistant, Pee Wee Team Head Coach
Liz competed on her high school swim and dive team, and qualified for state several times. From there it was natural for her to start teaching swim lessons at her local pool. Liz has worked with children since 2011, mainly as a swim instructor. After high school pool Liz worked with the Muckleshoot tribe in WA where she got to do everything from lessons to pool maintenance and much more. Recently Liz moved here to Portland to study English lit and Psychology.
Liz has worked other kinds of jobs but the water keeps calling her back. Sharing her knowledge of swimming with those lovable balls of energy called kids makes her feel great! She says “there’s nothing quite like that moment when a child realizes that they can do it and then DOES IT!”
Specialties: Babies, Littles, Ages 3–18, Team-level


Nicole
Office Assistant


Vyvan
Office Assistant
Vyvan was born and raised in Beaverton, where she currently resides. She is a proud mom to two rambunctious boys and has taken the last two years off to be home with them. Previously she worked in banking, cosmetics, and at a aquatic center. When she’s not chasing her boys around she likes to spend time with family and friends and being outdoors. She’s enjoys finding new restaurants to try, traveling, and shopping.
FSS employee since: May 2017



Benny
Benny grew up swimming sunup to sundown in the refreshing waters of Oregon’s lakes and rivers, as well as the sparkling pools of Flint, Texas. His love for swimming has only grown in his adult years!
Benny loves working with children of all ages and skill levels. He always works to share his enthusiasm for the water, encouraging kids’ development with lots of energetic fun and high-fives! Being near water is a beautiful part of life, and everyone can and should learn to be number 1: be safe and confident, and number 2: learn to love swimming!
When not in the pool Benny can usually be found spending quality time with his loved ones, especially his fiancé and family. He has eight siblings and many nephews and nieces, and being active in their lives is very important to him. He also enjoys learning martial arts, getting out into nature, and cooking delicious food!
Specialties: Ages 3–18


Dana
Dana grew up in Northern California and started competitive swimming at age 7, when her parents realized her desire to always “be first” needed to be channeled in a more positive direction. Swimming took her through school, national and international meets, and gave her her first chance to teach children to swim. From the age of 11 she found joy in watching a child’s smiles (and tears) as they recognize their ability to swim.
Following college, Dana’s career in the biotech/biomedical field led her away from the pool (although the smell of chlorine always made her look for one). The next 20+ years were spent working and traveling while still finding time to volunteer with children (and animals). Now, living in Portland, she is excited to have found Farber Swim School. Dana feels honored and blessed to be given an opportunity to, once again, participate in teaching the thing she feels so passionate about: swimming. She is also training again to, hopefully, compete in future open water swims and triathlons.
Specialties: Ages 3–18, Babies, Littles, Adults


Doug
Doug, 58, is a life-long swimmer who began competing at age 6 (along with his four swimmer siblings) in various pools of New Jersey and Missouri, where he was raised. Doug attended the University of Missouri as an Athlete Scholar, which took him to the 1980 Pan American games in Mexico City! A shoulder injury ended his competitive career and opened the door for his move to Oregon State University, where he graduated in 1981 with a BS in Psychology. Douglas rejoined the competitive field, joining the U.S. Masters Swimming association to swim for the Multnomah Athletic Club, where he swims daily.
Retired from his career as an occupational safety officer for the Oregonian Publishing Co., Doug became certified through USMS as an Adult Learn-to-Swim instructor. Doug lives in Raleigh Hills with his wife, Bridget. Doug also enjoys kayaking, golf, skiing, and traveling, which often takes him to Long Beach, CA to visit his daughter, son-in-law, and two grandsons.
Specialties: Ages 3–18, Adults, Team-level
FSS employee since: April 2016



Isabella
Isabella started swimming young for fun with her large extended family, and gained competence at an early age so she could keep up with her bigger cousins! In middle school Isabella started working with kids in childcare and discovered a passion for spending time and helping them grow.
Isabella is excited to be teaching at Farber and help create the next generation of swimmers. When she isn’t teaching at Farber or attending classes, Isabella can often be found at a nearby dog park with her dogs, getting involved in a choir or theater, or learning a new sport or art hobby.
Specialties: Ages 4–18



Jessie
Jessica was Born in San Francisco and lived all over the West Coast during her childhood. She grew up swimming and exploring the Pacific Ocean. Once moving to Oregon she began competitive swimming for the next six years with the Hillsboro HEAT swim team & the Hillsboro High School team. She spends her free time camping, kayaking & hiking with her Puppy (Penny). She is attending PCC for her Associates of general studies and hopes to go on to study Oceanography & Communications. Jessica has fostered her passion for the ocean into teaching others & looks forward to helping everyone have a safe and fun under the sea experience.
Specialties: Age 3-18, Babies, Littles


Helen
Photo & Bio coming soon!



Jackson
Title: Instructor
Specialties: Ages 3–18 (pending: Babies, Littles, Adults, & Team-level)


Ryleigh
Photo & Bio coming soon!



Luke
Instructor
Luke had his first swim lesson at 6 months and has been swimming ever since! He has always felt at home in the water and was on a competitive swim team from age 6 to 13. Luke is passionate about teaching, and got his Master’s degree in Instructional Design from Western Illinois University. Currently he works in the field of mechanical design at an amazing company in Wilsonville.
Born in Clinton, Iowa, Luke spent most of his life in the Hawkeye state until relocating to Beaverton, Oregon in the summer of 2018. He lives here with his lovely wife and their two adorable cats and is feeling more at home every day. He is happy and excited to be back in the water on a regular basis!
Specialties: Ages 4–18



Marco
Instructor
Marco was born in Beaverton, but hails from California’s Central Valley. After high school, he came back to his Oregon roots. Marco was on his high school’s swim team for two years and also participated on his high school’s Water Polo team for three years.
Now Marco teaches others what he loves to do in a fun and positive way. When Marco isn’t in the pool or listening to music, he’s out on the dance floor! He teaches ballroom dancing and his biggest inspiration for how he moves on the floor is WATER!
Specialties: Babies, Littles, Ages 3–18, Adults



Megan
Instructor
Megan grew up in the Hillsboro/Beaverton area and had swimming lessons when she was in elementary school. She was part of her high school’s competitive speech and debate team and even graduated a semester early from high school. Megan was a camp counselor at YMCA Camp Orkila this past summer working with kids aged 8-14.
Megan loves helpings kids to challenge themselves and to see how proud they are of themselves when they do something that was scary before. Seeing kids grow and change and use their new knowledge is one of the more rewarding things about working with kids in Megan’s opinion.
Megan is planning a future career in psychological profiling with opportunities to travel the world. She loves reading and music and she tries different creative activities whenever she gets a chance, her favorites so far being writing and makeup. Megan loves traveling and seeing new places and new cultures and hopes to learn tons of new languages.
Specialties: Ages 4–18 (Babies & Littles pending)



Meghan
Instructor
Meghan grew up in Montague, CA, where she took swimming lessons as a young child and fell in love with the water. As a young adult Meghan worked as a teaching assistant for a special class for transfer students at CSU Sacramento. After moving to Oregon, she again got the chance to work with kids at THPRD. Meghan admires kids’ determination and courage, and finds their unique points of view fascinating to discover. Their excitement and joy is contagious, and Meghan loves to make them laugh and to celebrate their successes with them!
Meghan is currently pursuing a degree in Social Science and English at PSU, after which she plans to get a Master’s in education toward a career teaching middle school. Her favorite swimming stroke is the Breaststroke. In her free time, Meghan loves visiting the beach and mountains. Favorite hobbies include hiking, camping, karaoke, slam poetry, and cuddling her kitty, Midnight Monster.
Specialties: Ages 4–18
Additional languages: ASL (conversational)


Rowan
Instructor
Rowan grew up in Welches, Oregon near Mt. Hood and has been in Portland since March 2019. She began swimming as a toddler and continued in swim classes into her teens. Growing up, Rowan worked as a nanny for multiple children of family and friends, for babies and young children. Rowan loves working with kids, and thinks it’s one of the most rewarding jobs in the world. She believes the student/teacher relationship must be built on a foundation of trust, and once that is there it’s wonderful to see how much kids can achieve and grow, until they reach their full potential! Water confidence and safety is a crucial life skill, and one which opens up the wonderful world of fun swimming activities!
Rowan’s favorite swim stroke is the Breaststroke. In her spare time she enjoys gardening, snowboarding, or curling up with a book and her cat, Nikomi. Having grown up near Mt. Hood, Rowan has a special place in her heart for mountains, and her favorite travel activity is to go explore new mountain ranges. Rowan is currently studying nutrition and intends to become a yoga instructor, following her passion for teaching and guiding people to master new physical skills.
Specialties: Ages 4–18
Additional languages: ASL (basic)



Sophie
Instructor
Sophie was born and raised in the UK and lived most recently in Germany for 9 years. She moved to Oregon a year ago, and is enjoying this new adventure! Sophie first swam as a toddler and has been a passionate swimmer ever since. She completed lifeguard training courses in the UK and in Germany, where she swam competitively for 4 years at a private club. Soon after moving to Oregon, she joined another swim team and is currently competing for Sunset High School.
Working with children is another of Sophie’s callings, and she has many years’ experience volunteering at a kindergarten, babysitting for multiple other families, and taking care of her 4-year-old sister. Kids are so wonderfully curious and eager to learn—just like Sophie herself, who enjoys traveling and experiencing different cultures. She loves helping children progress from stepping-stone to stepping-stone and then seeing their faces light up when they reach their goal. Sophie always wants to get kids laughing, and believes that fun and play are integral to a child’s learning process.
Other than the pool, Sophie’s favorite place to be is somewhere comfortable with a book.
Specialties: ages 3–18
Additional languages: German (fluent) & Spanish (basic)
FSS Employee since: May 2018



Teresa
Instructor / Office Assistant
Teresa was born and raised in California, and developed an affinity for water at an early age. She earned her B.A. in International Affairs with a minor in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, TESOL, from the University of Nevada, Reno and continued her education by attending the University of San Francisco for graduate school. Teresa enjoys being civically engaged, attending and participating in local neighborhood association committee meetings, Beaverton Diversity Advisory Board meeting, Beaverton Organizational Leadership and Development seminars. Further, this fall she will be a part of Beaverton Citizens Academy. Teresa finds helping people in her community enriching and looks forward to working with the next generation of swimmer(s) learn and build swim/pool safety skills.
Specialties: Ages 3–18, Babies, Littles



Thaly
Pee Wees Coach
Thaly (“Taw-LEE”) has been involved in swimming from the age of nine. He swam on various clubs throughout his youth, in addition to being part of the Tualatin High School swim team. In the 10 years since then, Thaly has continued learning about fitness and exercise science. He is influenced very much by George Hebert and Ido Portal, two physical educators who developed their own systems of education. The former developed a system known as Natural Method; the latter created a philosophy that emphasizes movements that work the body as a whole. As an instructor, Thaly is excited to help his students become water-safe and learn essential skills, while at the same time fostering an attitude of sheer enjoyment, playfulness, and freedom that comes from being in the water. He is especially excited to coach the FSS Swim Team, the Pee Wee Penguins! GO PEE WEES!
Specialties: Ages 3–18, Adults, Team-level
FSS Instructor since: May 2018



Zoe
Instructor
Zoe grew up in San Francisco, where she learned to swim and surf at a young age. Later she swam competitively for a total of 7 years: 2 on her high school team plus 5 on the private local team (Go Waterdevils!). She also spent a year in high school playing waterpolo. Her favorite swim stroke is butterfly.
Zoe has been a lifeguard for over 6 years and has been working with kids since she was one herself! She loves watching young swimmers discover the joy of swimming, especially if they are conquering a fear or making progress through challenging skills. She loves the freedom that private teaching give her to really focus on her students as individuals, learning to see life through their eyes and find creative solutions to whatever specific challenges they face.
In her free time, Zoe enjoys exploring the great outdoors. She absolutely loves all the beautiful hikes the west coast has to offer! She spent 2 years living in New Zealand, so that has become a favorite travel destination. Zoe also loves to read and to paint, and has recently added a little black kitten named Felix to her fuzzy family along with her bunny, Ace.
Specialties: Ages 3–18, Adults
Additional languages: ASL (basic)


Holly
Instructor
Holly is a native Oregonian, born and raised in Portland. She swam for the first time when she was 6 months old and hasn’t stopped since! She has competed on Jesuit Swim Team all through high school. For the past 5 years, Holly has spent her summers volunteering to work with children with disabilities. She loves working with children; it always brightens her day to hear all about their opinions, stories, and unique perspectives. It’s amazing to see what kids can accomplish when they challenge themselves and work hard. Other sports Holly has competed in include track and lacrosse. Holly also loves languages: she speaks fluent Spanish and is learning Mandarin Chinese. Her hobbies include sailing, kayaking, traveling, and horseriding; one day she hopes to own her very own horse (and a few dogs, too).
Specialties: Age 3–18
Additional languages: Spanish
FSS employee since: May 2017


Marisa
Substitute Instructor
Marisa grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and spent her childhood summers swimming in the many rivers of Wisconsin. Besides being a parent herself, Marisa has worked with youth for over 15 years including as a teaching assistant, cooking instructor, and arts & crafts instructor. She loves to swim and swam competitively in high school and in college. Eventually Marisa swapped a swim suit for cycling kit and even went on to compete internationally as a member for the U.S. National Team! After a career on two wheels, she heeded the call of chlorine once again and suited up as a member of the swim team at Sarah Lawrence College.
These days you can find her enjoying time with her daughter hiking, bike riding (purely for pleasure now), and enjoying Portland and the glorious Pacific northwest. She considers teaching people to swim amongst the most important and rewarding jobs she’s ever had. Swimming skills translate to confidence in so many facets of life–not to mention how enjoyable the water can be! She welcomes anyone and everyone to join her for some floating, alligator rolls, laps or cannonballs so she can share her unending enthusiasm with you!
Specialties: Babies, Littles, Ages 3–18



Michelle
Substitute
Michelle grew up in Antioch, California. She has loved the water ever since her parents brought her into their backyard pool at 6 months old. At the age of 5, Michelle started swim lessons and instantly caught on to all four strokes, qualifying to join her local recreational swim team at the young age of 9. She stayed on East County Stingrays all the way to age 18, meanwhile competing on her high school water polo team. During high school Michelle played 3 sports simultaneously but her true loves were, and always will be, swimming and water polo: the two that involve water, of course!
Michelle has been teaching swim lessons for 15 years. She has taught all ages, from infants to adults, and absolutely loves it. Her passion for teaching swim lessons has inspired her to become teacher in a classroom, too. During college Michelle worked as a substitute teacher in a variety of classrooms in San Diego, and is now pursuing a teaching career in a Montessori classroom. In another year she will earn her elementary teaching certificate along with a Masters in Education. This is one of the most exciting times in her life as she has finally discovered exactly where she is meant to be. And that is all thanks to swimming and being a swim instructor and recent swim coach over the summer!
Specialties: Ages 3–18, Babies, Littles


Nathan
Substitute
Nathan is Portland native and started his first swim lessons, at 6 months of age, here at this pool when it was Le Petit Dauphin. He continued his swim lessons until he was 5 years old and then joined the competitive club swim team, the Dolphins. He swam with the Dolphins until he was 12 where he successfully competed in several local, state, and sectional meets. His favorite strokes are backstroke and freestyle. Nathan also ran competitively at an early age for school and the Nike Bowerman Track Club. He stopped swimming competitively in middle school to focus on his running. Nathan currently runs on the Jesuit Varsity Cross Country team and Track team. This past year Nathan was drawn back to swimming and swam on the Jesuit Varsity Swim team.
Outside of school, Nathan enjoys the outdoors—especially camping. He loves to mountain bike, hike, fish, kayak, and, of course, swim. He also likes to volunteer his time and worked last summer at an overnight camp for people with disabilities. Nathan enjoys working with kids and is excited to share his love of swimming.
Specialties: Ages 3–18, Team-level
FSS employee since: May 2017



Tanya
Substitute Instructor
Tanya was born and raised in California near the sandy beaches. Tanya has been swimming for as long as she can remember. At the age of twelve, she participated in a swim team called the mako sharks, and was nearly recruited to be a part of the Junior Olympics.
At eighteen, Tanya took up a Lifeguarding position at a parks and recreation center in Los Gatos California. At that time, Tanya began teaching her passion for swimming.
Tanya now lives in Beaverton Oregon with her three cats, and as of 2018, encountered snow for the first time! She enjoys adventure activities such as biking, hiking, rock climbing, dancing, and of course swimming. Tanya is honored to be a part of the FSS team she hopes to build confidence safety and trust within her students.
Specialties: Ages 4–18, Adults