Our Staff

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’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!

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 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. 

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: Ages 3–17, Babies, Littles, Fears, Adults, Additional needs 

FSS employee since: February 2014

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

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 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: Ages 3–18 years, Babies, Littles, Adults, Fears, Additional needs

FSS employee since: May 2017

Bio coming soon!

FSS employee since: July 2017

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

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, Team-level

FSS Employee since August 2018