Our Team

Owner

Linda is a mom, educator, and Propel Swim Academy’s passionate owner. She taught her first swim lesson at age 16 and has been involved in the swimming community ever since. Linda is a mom of six — four sons and two daughters, now, almost all young adults! She holds bachelors and masters degrees in education from VA Tech and has taught in public, private, and home-based school settings.

Linda is passionate about teaching children to swim, water safety, strong families (her son Nick, is our awesome General Manager) and the intersection of child development and swimming. These passions form the base of Propel’s unique blend of relational learning and excellence in swim education. Linda is committed to building a community of families who love to swim and who swim well together!

When Linda is not working at Propel, you’ll find her spending time with her children, running (whenever and wherever possible), reading anything from novels to educational theory, baking her famous “ugly” cookies, and traveling. Linda lives in Vienna with her youngest daughter Grace and their bulldog Gus.

Linda looks forward to greeting every single Propel child by name and celebrating their achievements: from putting their face under water to swimming 25 yards of Butterfly! Linda is grateful for the many opportunities to build and learn alongside the diverse South Riding community and is excited to meet all the new Propel Families!

General Manager, Owner

Nick has been involved in swimming his whole life. He began as a competitive swimmer in Northern Virginia, and moved on to teaching swimming at age 16. Since then, Nick has been teaching swimming and training swim instructors. He started a company, Swim-2-U, in 2014 that he ran when he was home from college during the summers. Swim-2-U provided swim instructors for community pools and country clubs and provided Nick with invaluable experiences serving the families in our area.

Nick attended UNC Wilmington and earned his degree in Accounting from the Cameron School of Business. He also used his time in Wilmington, North Carolina to indulge in his passion for the ocean. Nick became enamored with the ocean and all it has to offer during the 6 years he lived in Sydney, Australia as a teenager. He loves to surf, fish, spearfish, dive, snorkel, and almost any other activity that can be done outside under the sun and in or around the ocean. Nick is also an avid traveller (ask him about his adventures…he loves to talk about them), football fan (Philadelphia Eagles and Ohio State Buckeyes), and in general loves the outdoors.

Despite all of his interests, Nick’s true passion lies in teaching, and more specifically in teaching kids how to swim. In the pool, teaching children is where he feels he is the best version of himself, and considers it an amazing gift to be able to do something he loves every day. All in all, Nick is extremely excited to partner up with his Mom, Linda, to bring Propel Swim Academy to our community and give the gift of swimming to thousands of children!

Director of Operations

Jacqueline grew up swimming, joining the club swim team at the age of five, and quickly becoming one of the most valuable swimmers in her age group. In summertime she would arrive at the club at 9 am and stay until she was dragged out at closing time, earning her mom’s nickname for her: “Pool Rat”. Jacqueline loved swimming so much, she started lifeguarding, teaching swimming lessons, and coaching the younger swimmers. She now teaches swimming professionally and certifies lifeguards through the American Red Cross.

Jacqueline attended Randolph College in Lynchburg, VA, where she was recruited to play college basketball for the Wildcats. She studied sports and exercise science; today sports are still a huge part of her life!

Jacqueline is a huge supporter of women’s sports, attending as many Washington Mystics professional basketball games as her schedule allows. As an animal advocate, Jacqueline believes in adoption. Her family pets have all been rescues, and she rescued her first pup, Goose, from a shelter in Lynchburg, VA, while still a college student. Her latest rescue, an all-black cat named Mallard, rounds out the team.

Jacqueline never imagines herself having a typical day job, and that is why she loves that she has found Propel! She loves that every day is different, and she get to make an impact in so many lives through something she loves! The Propel Community is so special and Jacqueline feels so lucky to be a part of it!

Director of Systems & Growth

Carley is no stranger to swimming, as she had swam on her neighborhood swim team every summer from ages 6-17. Swimming was a great way to keep Carley in shape for her main sport, Softball, which she had played most of her life. Starting in t-ball at age 5, playing travel softball across the country ages 8-18, and making 1st-Team All Met in High School twice.

She continued playing Softball on the Club team at Virginia Tech, where she obtained her degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Carley has always had a love for learning and problem solving and is so grateful to be able to showcase her passion in her position at Propel. Creativity also plays a large part in Carley’s skill set. Her love for art can be reflected in all of the graphics you may see around Propel. Carley works to learn new programs and systems to make Propel more efficient and help to Propel grow!

When Carley is not at Propel, she is learning in the kitchen where she researches and tests new recipes. She loves to bake pastries like macarons and eclairs as well as breads like baguettes and rolls.

What Carley is most passionate about, is putting her best in everything she does. She takes immense pride in what she produces and loves working with others to grow and put all she learns back into her work.

Director of HR/Finance

Matt’s journey with swimming is a little different from most. Growing up, he was afraid of the water and didn’t actually learn how to swim until he was a teenager. It was through his time in Boy Scouts, working toward his Eagle Scout, that he finally overcame his fear and gained confidence in the water. That experience of persistence and growth has stuck with him ever since and now shapes how he approaches challenges and encourages others.

Before joining Propel, Matt worked in Human Resources supporting the United States Department of Agriculture. He has a background in people operations, recruiting, and team development. He has always been drawn to roles where he can help and genuinely connect with others. As our People Leader, he brings that same dedication to creating an environment where the team feels supported, valued, and connected.

Outside of work, Matt enjoys woodworking, DIY home improvement projects, and getting outdoors to hike. He’s also an avid sports fan proudly cheering on the Washington Commanders and Wizards. Most of all, Matt loves spending time with his family, which he considers his greatest source of joy and grounding.

For Matt, the best part about being at Propel is the staff. The team’s genuine connection and supportive spirit make him feel right at home, and he’s excited every day to be part of such a close-knit community.