Merrimack College in North Andover named Ellen Minzner as its first Director of Rowing on Wednesday, Sept. 2, the college announced. The school is putting boats on the river it's named for.

Minzner, a Lawrence native who lives in Haverhill, will build the Warriors' program starting in the 2026-27 academic year. She brings credentials that stretch well beyond the Merrimack Valley.

She is a five-time national team athlete who won back-to-back World Championship gold medals in the lightweight women's pair in 1995 and 1996. Minzner began rowing at Villanova University, where she was team captain and MVP.

Her coaching résumé spans more than three decades. Minzner has coached with USRowing since 2013, serving as Head Coach of Paralympic Disciplines and Lead Coach for the Boston Training Center.

Under her watch, U.S. Paralympic crews reached the podium in 11 of the past 14 years the World Championships or Paralympic Games were held. That run includes silver medals at the Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee named her Paralympic Coach of the Year in 2023. She has twice received the Order of Ikkos, a medallion Team USA medalists give to a coach or mentor who helped them reach the podium, in 2016 and 2024.

Locally, Minzner coached at Phillips Academy in Andover as girls head coach. She also served as Executive Director of Greater Lawrence Community Boating, where she ran the Merrimack Valley's largest public-access boating operation and established Greater Lawrence Rowing for youth and adults.

She spent a decade at Community Rowing, Inc. in Boston, leading inclusion programs for inner-city youth, military veterans and individuals with disabilities. A city-wide initiative she developed with Boston Public Schools increased participation by more than 200 percent.

Her other coaching stops include Wellesley College, the University of California, Berkeley, and Kansas State University. She holds a master's degree in urban planning from Tufts University.

"Having coached on the Merrimack River for many years, I have long believed that a thriving Merrimack College rowing program would be a tremendous asset to both the college and the surrounding community," Minzner said in the college's announcement.

Athletic Director Joe Foley said Minzner's experience and ability to develop athletes make her a strong fit, adding that the college has "high hopes" for the program's growth. The Andover Townsman profiled Minzner's ties to the river in a feature published Wednesday, Sept. 9.

No competition date has been set.