Spalding University President Jo Ann Rooney Tests the Waters
At the office, Spalding University President Jo Ann Rooney is all business. Between staff meetings, dedications, appearances, and administrative tasks, Rooney's days of running a growing institution are filled with action and appointments. But before the rush hour traffic begins, before the office phones start ringing, and before the students begin arriving on campus, Jo Ann Rooney can be found working hard on another important part of her life at a place that brings her closer to what she considers home.
Out along the banks of the Ohio River between Harrods Creek and Twelve Mile Island may not sound as picturesque as the vast Atlantic Ocean and New England waters, but for Rooney, it is where she has rediscovered her passion for the water. A competitive rower for the past five years, Rooney is up at 6 every morning gliding across the legendary Ohio waters.
Born in Pennsylvania to what she calls a sports family, Jo Ann Rooney grew up with an active lifestyle. Her father was a left handed pitcher for a semi pro team in Philadelphia and although Rooney was an only child, she was always playing ball with her many cousins.
“I was always with kids playing sports,” said Rooney. “We were always doing something as a family, golfing or hiking. I started golfing when I was just ten years old.”
A typical tomboy, Rooney grew up playing a multitude of sports such as baseball, softball, and swimming throughout elementary, middle, and high school. But it was in the water where she found her strength as an athlete.
“My family used to say that I was born in March and already swimming in the ocean by the summer,” said Rooney. “I was already body surfing at the age of three.”
At Boston University , Rooney was swimmer for the swim team her freshman year. It was then that she was also introduced to the sport of rowing.
“One of my suite mates from upstate New York rowed in high school,” said Rooney. “She convinced me to go to the tryout.”
Rooney made the team and competed in swimming and rowing that year. She quit the following season to focus on her commitment to academics. Rooney was on an academic scholarship studying bio-engineering and pre-med before switching to business. Not able to abstain from activity completely, she continued to stay involved as the manager of the swim team.
But like a fish needs water, Rooney couldn't just sit on the shore. She soon discovered an alternative in sailing. Rooney started sailing in college and has crewed and even owned her own boats for the past twenty-five years. She has competed in everything from around the buoy races, drag races that travel around the buoy and back, to open water races that last seven to ten days. She has raced in premier races, traveling from Newport , Rhode Island to Bermuda and from Marblehead , Massachusetts to Halifax , Nova Scotia Canada .
“In sailing, you're doing sail changes constantly and using the wind to determine the course. The movement doesn't stop. It's not like a Sunday afternoon sail. It's constant racing and movement,” said Rooney.
Navigating the waters and constantly changing sails while facing the sea's elements takes tremendous strength and balance. Rooney claims many sailors take up yoga to increase flexibility and balance. Rooney even turned to martial arts to practice building her concentration.
Besides sailing, Rooney also competed in triathlons throughout the New England area. She would compete regularly in an event called the Toyota Series which consisted of six races a year with distances up to half an Iron Man.
Rooney kept in shape teaching aerobics and doing fitness training four to five days a week. She worked as a fitness instructor for almost fifteen years while putting herself through graduate school. Her education resume consists of a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Boston University , a Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School , a Master of Law in taxation from Boston University 's School of Law , and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Pennsylvania .
Rooney lived in Boston from 1979 to 2002 working for major corporations and teaching business classes at the college level. She then moved to Louisville in the summer of 2002 to take her current position as President of Spalding University.
“When I moved here there was no ocean out the front door,” said Rooney.
Rooney's boat would only be at dock temporarily once she discovered the river. She eventually found her way back to the water after meeting Tori Murden McClure, famous Louisville rower known for becoming the first woman and American to row solo the Atlantic Ocean in 1999. McClure, who is the Vice-President of External Relations, Enrollment Management and Student Affairs at Spalding University, talked to Rooney about rowing with her in Louisville.
“She's terrifically competitive which is great fun,” said McClure. “She's very fit and very strong both in mind and body.”
Rooney rowed a sweep in college and would have to row a scull with McClure. A scull requires rowers to handle two oars where a rower only handles one oar in a sweep. The transition was not that difficult.
“I saw it as a possible recreational outlet,” said Rooney. “We tried it and saw that we rowed well together. It became my substitute for sailing and competing. Tori's a superb coach.”
Since coming to Louisville , Rooney and McClure have competed at regional events in Indiana , Tennessee and Georgia . Rowing at a Master's level, Rooney and McClure won the Midwestern Championship in Indianapolis just this past July.
They compete in everything from sprint races, which are 1,000 meters and last about four to five minutes, to head races, which are 5,000 to 6,000 meters and last twenty to twenty-five minutes.
“Rowing is one of the hardest sports because you are using every muscle,” said Rooney. “It's a complete exercise. There are so many moving parts that it's so complex.”
Rooney and McClure train year round hitting the water every morning at 6. They are on the water even throughout the winter in freezing temperatures rowing up to an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes and longer on the weekends. Only when there's an early staff meeting or when there's ice on the creek are the two out of the water.
“People at work think we get to talk all the time because we train with each other,” said McClure. “But this is real training. We don't just doddle around for an hour. There's no talking on the water, just rowing.”
Rooney and McClure also cross train out of the water doing indoor cycling and roller skiing. They roller ski about six miles through Cherokee Park on what are shortened ski boots on wheels while carrying ski poles.
“We get a lot of strange looks,” said Rooney.
This past November the pair won silver at the Head of the Hooch, the second largest regatta in the nation along the Chattahoochee River . Back in August they placed sixth at the Master's Nationals held in Massachusetts .
“I think there's no question that no other team had a President and Vice President of a University,” said McClure. “Jo Ann has an incredibly tough occupation and it's unusual to see that at this level of rowing.”
This year they are training for one important race, the Head of Charles in Boston this coming October. It is one of the preeminent national head races and the world's largest two day regatta along the Charles River .
“All the elite rowers will compete there,” said Rooney. “We're not just going there to compete. We're going there to win.”
When not on the water Rooney has spent the last five years at Spalding trying to build the University's presence in the community. Like many of the changes occurring downtown and on Fourth Street , Spalding has continued to add more buildings to its small campus and improve its reputation by the number of graduates out working in the community in professions such as education, social work, and occupational therapy.
“At first the goal was to get the University on solid footing,” said Rooney. “We then wanted to move the University to the next level. We've worked to develop a strong presence in the community and take on a leadership role. I've always said that Louisville is our campus.”
It has also become more like home. Though the river isn't quite like riding the waves of the ocean and smelling the salty breeze, rowing has become her connection to the water. Still the same tomboy as a kid, Rooney still enjoys sailing, water skiing, and kayaking whenever she gets a chance.
“They used to laugh and say I would have a football or baseball in one hand and a doll in the other,” said Rooney. “That still hasn't changed.”
As long as the water continues to run nearby, chances are it probably never will.
Kim Brohm is a graduate of Spalding University with a B.A. in English where she was a three-sport athlete. Kim has an MBA from the University of Louisville . E-mail address is kimbrohm@hotmail.com.