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, and 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 |
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Adam Title: 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
Awards: 2014 - Oregon Athletic Association's 6A Boys Swim Coach of the Year
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Kristin Title: 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! |
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Managers |
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Administrative Staff |
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Annie Title: Office / Events & Marketing / 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 FSS employee since: February 2014 |
Vyvan Title: 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 |
Priscilla Title: Office Assistant Priscilla grew up in Papua New Guinea where one of the favorite pastimes in the hot afternoons was hanging out by the river and tubing in the icy mountain river water. After graduating from high school, Priscilla moved to the USA to Ohio where she studied at Mount Vernon Nazarene University and received a degree in English. As a lover of the disciplines of reading and writing, Priscilla would love to continue learning and studying more about literature in the future. At every stage of life, Priscilla has enjoyed and been passionate about environments that invest in kids and their development, a passion which has lead her to tutor, teach, and nanny throughout high school, college, and post-graduation. In August of 2016, she moved to Portland, Oregon with her husband and was refreshed to be back where there are mountains on the horizon and lush rain-forests within walking distance! FSS employee since: May 2017 |
Diane Title: 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 Title: Office Assistant Bio coming soon! FSS employee since: July 2017 |
Instructors |
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Blake Title: Instructor Blake was born in Portland and has lived here his whole life. Throughout his younger years, he received swim lessons from his cousin who was a swim instructor. He loves swimming and is also currently a competitive swimmer on the Sunset Athletic Club's team. Blake plays soccer for Sunset High School and is looking forward to baseball tryouts too! He loves how happy and excited the kids are to learn swimming and it is probably his favorite part of the job. Blake also enjoys going on bike rides. Specialties: Ages 3-18 FSS employee since: September 2016 |
Cait Title: Instructor & Pee Wee Coach Cait began her competitive swimming career in 1994 in Shaker Heights, Ohio when summer swim lessons were full at her local rec center and her mom decided to try her on the swim team instead. Cait never left the pool and swam competitively for club teams in Ohio, Nebraska, and Minnesota before swimming in college for Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. She continues to swim in triathlons and Master’s swimming. In 2001 she found an additional outlet for swimming as a teacher and coach. She’s been working as a teacher and coach since then, taking a break only to complete her MFA in Film Production at FSU in 2012. She is excited to continue her swimming career in her new Oregon home. When not at FSS, Cait is an Assistant Coach at Westview High School for the men’s and women’s swim teams. Cait most enjoys preparing swimmers for competition, but has experience teaching all ages and skill levels, including babies and toddlers! Her teaching focuses on developing good technique at every level and fostering a life long love of the sport. Specialties: Ages 3-18, Adults, Babies, Littles, Team Additional languages: German FSS employee since: November 2016 |
Jessie Title: Instructor 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 FSS Employee since November 2017 |
Sophia Title: Instructor Sophia was born in Boulder, Colorado and moved out here in 2001 with her parents. She has spent a majority of her life doing uncompetitive swimming from the age of 5, then finally turned to water polo her freshman year of high school. Her favorite strokes to teach are butterfly and freestyle. Sophia currently is enrolled at Portland Community College, where she is pursuing the beginning of her Psychology degree and will be transferring to Arizona State University after. |
David Title: Instructor |
Matt Title: Instructor Born and raised in Kansas, Matt moved to Portland in 2014. Swimming has been a passion of Matt's since taking lessons and swimming competitively starting at the age of five. He continued swimming through high school where his favorite event was the 50 Free, and in college he competed in Butterfly at Nationals! Matt also has 7 years of Indiana University & Longhorn swim camp training. He has been a swim instructor for over 8 years teaching at YMCAs, water parks, and residential private lessons while also coaching USA Swimming for 4 years. This has allowed him to work with hundreds of swimmers giving him the ability to assess a swimmer’s ability level and the steps to reach their swimming goals, whether that be to build confidence in the water, strength, or skill in individual strokes or to just blow some bubbles. He has fun and works great with kids. He likes to get to know them and works to get them excited about swimming while challenging themselves to learn and excel all while having fun. Specialties: Ages 3-18, Team FSS employee since: Feb 2017 |
Sophie Title: 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 FSS Employee since: May 2018 Additional languages: German (fluent) & Spanish (basic) |
Mark Title: Instructor Mark was born in Montana and has been in the water most of his life. He started swimming after moving to Idaho when his family got a pool in his backyard. Later, in high school, Mark got a job as a swim teacher and lifeguard, where he discovered a love of teaching. Out of high school, Mark joined the armed forces and spent six years there learning how to coach and train young adults, including teaching his whole platoon how to swim! Coming back to Oregon for school Mark got a degree in welding technology and put it to use throwing beads and teaching those less experienced. Mark looks forward every day to finding something new to teach everyone he knows, whether it's new swimmers or refining an advanced technique. On the dry side, Mark has started a business of his own: bringing wall street needs to main street families. He consults about income protection, debt management, and preparing for retirement. He's looking forward to all the new challenges that he will get to face and overcome. He can't wait to meet you and help you improve! Specialties: Ages 3-18, Adults FSS employee since: April 2017 |
 
Doug Title: Instructor 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 |
Maddie - Staff Manager Title: Instructor Maddie was born and raised on Maui where she found her passion for swimming in the warm water of the Pacific Ocean! She swam competitively for twelve years on an age group team as well as her high school team. She then moved to Omaha, Nebraska to experience seasons and study Sociology and Legal Studies at Creighton University. After graduating, Maddie served with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest/AmeriCorps in Aberdeen, Washington. She enjoyed being near the Pacific Ocean once again and falling in love with the PNW she decided to move to Portland to explore a new city. Maddie has experience teaching swimmers of all ages with a range of skill-levels and is excited to be teaching babies! She enjoys watching kids build confidence in the water and have fun learning new skills. In her free time she enjoys being outdoors, reading, drinking coffee, and exploring PDX! Specialties: Ages 3-18, Adults, Babies, Fears, Littles FSS employee since: Sept 2016 |
Mutile (Momo) Title: Instructor & Pee Wees Coach Mutile (Momo) discovered her love for swimming as a toddler learning to swim with her parents in Washington, DC. She eventually moved to Seattle where she participated in recreational lessons throughout her childhood and swam competitively for a brief time while she went to boarding school in Kenya.
Momo recently moved to Portland to continue her education in nursing and looks forward to spreading her love of swimming to all her students. In her free time, she regularly visits her family and friends in Seattle, reads, watches movies and cooks. Specialties: Team FSS Employee since November 2017 |
Diane Title: 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 |
Portia Title: Instructor Growing up in Portland, Portia competed on the Thunderbolts swim team for 6 years and also played waterpolo at Tualatin Hills for 4 years. Her best and favorite stroke is the butterfly. She loves sports and staying active and was on the ski team, swim team, and waterpolo team throughout high school. She just graduated from Lincoln High School and looks forward to a busy summer. During quieter moments, Portia enjoys doing arts and crafts and binge-watching Netflix—sometimes simultaneously! She is totally pumped to be able to share her love of swimming and athletics with young kids! Specialties: Babies, Littles FSS Employee since: March 2018 |
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Nathan Title: Instructor Nathan is currently a Jesuit High School student who was born in Portland. He 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 FSS employee since: May 2017 |
Katherine Title: Instructor Katherine has been swimming since she was 2 months old. She began competing at an early age and swam on teams until she was 14. She took a break from competition during high school to devote her time to pursuing theater design. In her free time, Katherine enjoys playing her ukulele, doing SPFX (Special Effects) makeup, going to concerts, attending comic conventions in cosplay, and hanging out with friends. Katherine plans to attend cosmetology school while teaching at FSS, working toward a future as a professional SPFX makeup artist. FSS Employee since: March 2018 |
Nanatzy (Nana) Title: Instructor Nana began teaching students how to swim during his senior year in high school back in Southern California. He swam competitively during his high school years and made CoCaptain during his final season. As CoCaptain he primarily taught football players techniques for competing in the water. He recently moved up from California and is working as a graphic designer in addition to the FSS classes he teaches on Sundays. His teaching channels his passion for competitive swimming and his desire to help people. He loves to see his students succeed, and watches with great admiration as they develop in the water. In his free time, Nana gets lost wandering the city, exploring new restaurants and, of course, all the beautiful greenery. FSS Employee since: January 2018 |
Roni Title: Instructor A native Portlander, Roni loves water adventures like wake-boarding, jet skiing, and scuba diving! She is a certified scuba diver and has dived in Washington and in Eilat, Israel. Roni competed on the PJA Stingrays Swim Team a few years ago, and this year she joined Congregation Shaarie Torah's Sunday & Saturday School Staff to educate youth in language arts and cultural studies. Roni has been a volunteer MESD Outdoor School Counselor, educating sixth graders on water field studies in an immersive outdoor experience. An honor roll junior at St. Mary's Academy, Roni looks forward to a future in psychology and medicine. Specialties: Age 3–18, Babies Additional languages: Hebrew (fluent) FSS employee since: June 2017 |
Thaly Title: Instructor 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! FSS Instructor since: May 2018 |
Grace Title: Instructor Bio coming soon! FSS employee since: June 2018 |
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Holly Title: 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 |
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