Keira Gotrell

Keira Gotrell serves as Vice President of Tech and Operations at Hope on Water (HOW), where she is driven by a deep passion for making rowing accessible to underrepresented communities. Growing up in a family of professional athletes, Keira struggled to find her identity as a child, feeling out of place until she discovered rowing at age 10. The sport became her outlet and ultimately shaped her path in profound ways.

Determined to share the opportunities that rowing had given her, Keira founded the Hackensack Crew team during her freshman year of high school, bringing the sport to her diverse hometown community. Despite facing racism from teammates, she thrived as a junior rower, winning a New Jersey state championship and earning a Division 1 rowing scholarship. As one of only two Black rowers on her college team of around 50, Keira battled mental health challenges but persevered, gaining valuable insights into the importance of support, inclusion, and resilience.

In her role at HOW, Keira applies her expertise in information technology and cybersecurity to advance the foundation’s mission, leading digital strategy, technical operations, and outreach. Her background allows her to make impactful contributions to the success of HOW’s programs, ensuring the organization stays connected, efficient, and focused on creating access to rowing for all.

Outside of her work, Keira continues to seek out new ways to challenge herself and grow. She believes in the transformative power of rowing to unlock potential and is dedicated to helping the next generation of athletes, especially those from marginalized backgrounds, achieve their dreams both on and off the water.