Oakcliff Sailing Strengthens Board with Marketing and Finance Expertise

Oakcliff Sailing Strengthens Board with Marketing and Finance Expertise

September 17, Oyster Bay, NY – Oakcliff Sailing welcomes David Storrs and John Taylor to its Board of Directors, providing the non-profit foundation with additional marketing and financial expertise and guidance.Logo

David Storrs of Southport, CT, and John Henry Taylor of Bayville, NY, both lifelong sailors and accomplished businessmen, join the existing six Board members. Storrs has been named Treasurer, a position he is well qualified for with a distinguished career in finance and investment management. Taylor brings forty years of marketing experience, which included working with Pepsi in sponsoring Dennis Conner’s 1986 & 1992 America’s Cup campaigns. 

The addition of Storrs and Taylor speaks to the considerable growth of the Long Island non-profit since its founding in 2010.  “David Storrs and John Taylor will add great value to the Board,” said Oakcliff Sailing Executive Director Dawn Riley. “I have known both of them for many years and know they possess unique skills and a passion for what we do here. They will be vital to the continued growth and prolonged success of Oakcliff Sailing.”

Storrs brings a career of expertise in investment management, consulting, and finance. After graduating from Yale University and Harvard Business School, Storrs returned to Yale to become its first full-time endowment head. He then served as President and CEO of CommonFund, a consortium of 1500 colleges and universities managing $20 billion dollars in tailored stock and bond funds. In 1996, Storrs left CommonFund to launch Alternative Investment Group, which currently manages about $1.5 billion spread across 40 hedge fund managers and 300 investors. Storrs began match racing at Oakcliff and was recently ranked #1 in the US match race rankings at the age of 71.     

When asked about his new role Storrs said, “Oakcliff has provided me extraordinary  opportunities to become a better match racer, and so many young Acorns and Saplings to develop skills both in sailing and in life, that it is an honor to be invited to help.”

Taylor was a founding partner of an international advertising agency, Taylor, Dougherty & Partners, and currently serves as CEO of Mill Island, Inc., a holding company specialized in funding and advising early stage marketing services providers and online publishers. Among his lengthy list of accomplishments, Taylor facilitated and managed the promotion behind the first-ever corporate sponsorship in the America’s Cup. He serves as a Trustee and President of The Windmark Sailing Foundation, a non-profit charitable foundation that supports competitive sailors in national and international regattas, including former Olympian’s and future Olympic hopefuls. He is an elected Trustee of the Village of Bayville, NY, where he lives, just across Oyster Bay from Oakcliff’s home base.

“I’ve been sailing with the people behind Oakcliff since before it was founded, and I am pleased to take a more active role in helping Oakcliff continue to achieve and expand its mission,” said Taylor. 

Oakcliff Sailing is a non-profit, high-performance training center for sailors who have progressed beyond traditional coaching methods that seeks to develop American leaders through the sport of sailing. They can be contacted by email at race@oakcliffsailing.org or by calling (516) 802-0368.

For more information:
Scott Guinn
Director of Public Relations
www.oakcliffsailing.org
pr@oakcliffsailing.org