Dawn Riley – Executive Director
As CEO and captain of America True, Riley was the first woman to manage an America’s Cup sailing team. She raced on four America’s Cup and two Whitbread (now Volvo Ocean Race) teams. She is the former president of the Woman’s Sports Foundation, serves on the board of US Sailing, and is an advisor to several public service organizations.

Bill Simon – Race Program Director
Bill Simon brings his 30-plus years of small business experience to Oakcliff in his role as Race Director. An avid local sailor, Bill organizes the array of events offered at Oakcliff. In addition to our scheduling our Grades 5-2 Match Racing regattas and clinegattas, Bill also coordinates Oakcliff’s coaching clinics and fleet racing. He also teaches seminars in accounting, budgeting, program management, purchasing and sourcing for the Acorn and Sapling Programs.

Bill has an MBA in finance from Hofstra University. He most recently served as president of an import distribution spinoff, and has more than 20 years experience as both CFO and COO of small import distribution companies. In his 25-plus years on the water, Bill has campaigned a Sonar and other class boats on Manhasset Bay and enjoyed major regional racing as well, including crewing on a couple of Newport to Bermuda races. Bill is the Fleet Captain for Sonar Fleet #11 and a VP for the International Sonar Class Association. He is eager to combine his background and sailing passion into programs that will assist Oakcliff in its mission, as well as supporting Acorns in preparing for sailing industry careers.

Vlad Shablinsky
Vlad Shablinsky was born in Latvia and became intrigued with sailing at 10 years old, after seeing a television broadcast of a regatta. He found his way to his town’s local docks, where two older gentleman invited him to sail on their Dragon Class boat. From there, he raced Optis and Lasers and sailed with the Latvia National Team for more than a decade. He recalls one of his best moments as a regatta at Kiel where the winds topped 50 knots and he finished third in one race and survived.

Other notable regattas include the 1995 Laser World Championships in La Rochelle, France, and finishing 8th in the 1993 Russian Nationals on the Black Sea. Vlad served two years as an avionic navigator for the Russian navy and received an associate degree in electronics, with further study in economics. He moved to the U.S. in 1996 and now resides in Brooklyn, New York with his cat, Macha, and a large aquarium full of fish, which has a lid.

Ladi Oguntoyinbo
Ladi Oguntoyinbo grew up in Beaufort, South Carolina and attended Beaufort Academy, Cardigan Mountain, and Brooks School boarding schools. He played division 1 lacrosse and soccer at Hofstra University and continued his studies at the Seattle Maritime Academy. He headed out to sea as a merchant marine, traveling the world from Charleston to Kuwait and Seattle to South America. During this time, he crossed the equator twice, graduating from pollywog to trusty Shellback, a true Son of Neptune.

Ladi’s sailing life has also been a journey. He began sailing at the Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club and dreamed of racing sailboats. While home on leave after an exceptionally hard tugboat passage, Ladi got the call to join a race boat team and the rest is history. In 2006, his first year as a professional racer, the team won Block Island Race Week, Whidby Island Race Week, and Round Statute of Liberty Race, among others. Ladi said he remembers hot summer days in Beaufort, sailing sunfish and trying to jump tug boat waves. His life has come full circle, as he now works with Oakcliff to learn, train and coach.

Andrew Wills
Andrew Wills, self-described as “26 going on 13,” is originally from Seattle, Washington, where he said he was conceived during a Whidby Island sailing regatta. His family has long sailed and successfully raced their Peterson 40, Shoot the Moon. Andrew credits his father with instilling in him a crazy sense of competitiveness, which he carried with him onto the baseball diamond. He was named to the Seattle Rough Rider’s squad there, and traveled with the team as pitcher and center-fielder until a shoulder injury refocused his attention on the waterways and golf courses. Andrew worked in construction to pay for his spendy pastimes and brings his valuable and diverse skills to the Oakcliff Sailing Center. He enjoys returning to Seattle to visit his large extended family there, including his cute niece, Abby. When in New York, he spends time with his most adorable black Labrador named Maurice.

Mike “Koko” Komar
Mike “Koko” Komar started racing at eight years old, in his hometown of Edison, New Jersey. He moved from the Nelson/Merick 36 he learned to sail on to 420s, J24s, J80s, E-Scows, and Vanguard 15s, in a whirlwind cycle of team and fleet racing. Sailing led Mike to Old Dominion University, where he was named MVP and ICSA All-American prior to graduating with a degree in Industrial Technology.

Koko has a twin brother, Matt, and a younger sister, Lauren. He is an avid skier and other interests outside sailing include hiking and camping. A high achiever, Koko has reached the rank of Eagle Scout. He plans to tie his skills together with future goals of big boat and ocean racing. He said he noticed most of the crazy offshore racers have nicknames, and good news for Mike, he has one too. It was given to him when a Southern girl couldn’t remember his first name. One note though – it must be pronounced with a Southern accent.

Jacon Mayer
Jacon grew up in central Vermont, not sailing but hiking, camping and climbing. He learned to sail at age 18 on a semester with the National Outdoor Leadership School, and soon started working as a sailing instructor, first in Boston, and then for three summers as captain aboard 50′ sloops in the BVI and the Windward Isles.  Jacon graduated from Wesleyan University in 2010. During his three years as captain, the Wesleyan Sailing Team grew from four to twenty members, became a club sport, and bought a fleet of ten Lark dinghies. The team is now a regular competitor in NEISA.

Dividing his time between the mountains and the sea has been a struggle for Jacon since those first days off Vancouver Island. He is an avid rock and ice climber, a Wilderness First Responder and a NOLS instructor. Having tackled steep ice in the Northeast, big walls in Yosemite, and high-altitude mountaineering in Alaska, his sights are now set on another extreme form of Type II fun: ocean racing. Whether he’s back in a harness, on the bow, or down below calculating laylines, Jacon loves the personal and team challenge of making a big boat go as fast as possible.

Maurice Wills – Oakcliff First Mate
“Oakcliff First Mate” Maurice Wills is the even-tempered and lovable black Labrador Retriever who is ever-present at the sailing center. A native of Seattle, Maurice enjoys his soccer and tennis balls, a variety of mangled, stuffed animal duck toys, a Frisbee and rolling around on the Oakcliff office floor. True to his breed, Maurice jumps at the chance to hit the water. Owner Andrew notes that “Mo” is not much of a hiker on a sailboat, opting instead to use his weight on the low side. Maurice contributes his valuable canine perspective on all topics, and provides unconditional loyalty, laughter and affection for his busy co-workers and friends. We all thank Andrew for bringing Maurice to work each and every day.